Star defends Stephen King's despised film, The Mangler

Stephen King’s The Mangler is often considered to be one of the worst adaptations of the author’s works. However, its star Robert Englund has recently given it an unexpected defense. While King’s horror stories have been successfully brought to life in films like Carrie and The Shining, there have also been some notorious flops including Maximum Overdrive and Dreamcatcher. Englund, who played the lead in The Mangler, expressed his belief that the film may deserve a second chance despite its poor reputation. In an interview with /film, he revealed that he wishes the film received more attention and appreciation.

Even Stephen King Himself Hated The Mangler

With the widespread use of the internet and the increasing popularity of streamers, people have become more familiar with Stephen King adaptations. Among them, Tobe Hooper's work on "Stephen King's The Mangler" stands out as particularly impressive. In fact, it may even surpass some of the earlier adaptations in terms of quality.

Renowned horror directors such as George Romero, David Cronenberg, and John Carpenter have successfully adapted King's works into great movies. However, things didn't quite work out when Tobe Hooper, the famous Texas Chain Saw Massacre director, took on The Mangler, an adaptation of King's eerie Night Shift story about a possessed industrial ironing machine. King himself doesn't seem to have much affection for The Mangler, as he criticized it in his book Stephen King Goes to the Movies.

The film version of 'The Mangler' is vibrant and dynamic, but unfortunately falls short in coherence. Robert Englund's presence in the movie is puzzling, leaving the viewer confused. Though the movie's visuals are striking and the sets are impressive, the storytelling gets lost somewhere in the midst of the film's mechanical star and the copious amounts of steam it generates. Despite its low 27% score on Rotten Tomatoes, some consider 'The Mangler' an underappreciated comic horror movie with a unique visual style. While Stephen King acknowledges Tobe Hooper's visually interesting direction in 'The Mangler', he is not as positive about the film's storytelling. The sequels, 'The Mangler 2' and 'The Mangler Reborn', are even more poorly received than the original and do not warrant the same defense.

Source: /film