Stephen King's Unbelievable Generosity: The Incredible Story Behind Alan Wake's Famous Quote

Sam Lake, the creative director of Remedy Entertainment, recently revealed that they were able to secure a quote from renowned horror author Stephen King for their game, Alan Wake, at a surprisingly affordable price. Alan Wake draws inspiration from the works of Stephen King and other notable horror writers.

Stephen King is well-known for his generosity towards emerging talents in the horror industry. For years now, he has been running a program that allows film students to acquire the rights to adapt one of his short stories for just a dollar. When Alan Wake entered the horror video game scene in the late 2000s, it was a fresh name from a developer known for their action games. According to Sam Lake, Stephen King provided them with invaluable assistance in an extraordinary manner.

Sam Lake recently had a conversation with Eurogamer regarding his interaction with acclaimed author Stephen King. In the original Alan Wake game, the opening line captures the essence of fear by quoting King's insightful words: "Nightmares exist outside of logic, and there's little fun to be had in explanations; they're antithetical to the poetry of fear." Interestingly, King graciously granted Remedy the permission to utilize this thought-provoking quote for a mere dollar. This collaboration proves to be immensely advantageous for the game as it not only establishes a significant source of inspiration for Alan Wake but also lays the foundation for its enigmatic and unexplainable darkness.

The quote used in the original Alan Wake game, sourced from an article by Stephen King titled "Why Hollywood Can't Do Horror" in Entertainment Weekly, highlights King's belief that the fear in horror should remain unexplained to truly be effective. This concept heavily influenced the disorienting and imaginative story in Alan Wake. As the release of Alan Wake 2 approaches, it appears that Remedy is adopting a similar approach to horror, presenting terrifying scenarios and environments that defy explanation. Whether or not any explanations will be provided for the unsettling elements seen in the game footage remains to be seen once the game is released.

Alan Wake originally released for PC and Xbox 360.

Source: Eurogamer