In the Deathroom
Encyclopedia
In the Deathroom is a short story by Stephen King
. Originally, it appeared in the 1999 audiobook Blood and Smoke
. In 2000, it was first published in written form in Secret Windows
. In 2002, it was collected in King's collection Everything's Eventual
.
, has been captured by members of a South America
n dictatorship. The story begins as he is brought into the titular "deathroom" for interrogation about a communist
insurgency
he has been supporting, due to the government's killing of a group of nuns which included his sister. Fletcher realizes that his captors, despite their promises to the contrary, will not let him leave the room alive.
During the course of his interrogation, Fletcher manages to keep calm, and hatches a desperate plan to escape, which, to his surprise, actually works. He fakes an epileptic seizure, and in the captors' struggle to save him, steals a gun. After killing three of his captors and maiming one, he escapes the deathroom. Fletcher, having no way of knowing if the gunfire was heard, starts up the stairs to see if he can escape.
The story ends with a man, almost certainly Fletcher, buying a pack of cigarettes at a newsstand kiosk in New York
.
Writer/Director Dave Bullis has also acquired the rights to produce "In the Deathroom" as a short film for release in 2010.
Films Royale and Director Nick DiBella have acquired the rights to produce a film adaptation of "In The Deathroom" with a release in 2012.
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
. Originally, it appeared in the 1999 audiobook Blood and Smoke
Blood and Smoke
Blood and Smoke is an audio book where Stephen King reads three of his own short stories. At the time, he said that the two short stories which had not been published wouldn't be, however, all three were published in the Everything's Eventual collection.All the three stories in Blood and Smoke are...
. In 2000, it was first published in written form in Secret Windows
Secret Windows
Secret Windows: Essays and Fiction on the Craft of Writing is a collection of short stories, essays, speeches, and book excerpts by Stephen King, published in 2000. It was marketed by Book-of-the-Month Club as a companion to King's On Writing...
. In 2002, it was collected in King's collection Everything's Eventual
Everything's Eventual
"Everything's Eventual" is a novella by Stephen King. It was originally published in the October/November 1997 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. In 2000, it was included in the game Stephen King's F13...
.
Author's Note
This is the explanatory note Stephen King featured with the story in Everything's Eventual: "This is a slightly Kafka-esque story about an interrogation room in the South American version of Hell. In such stories, the fellow being interrogated usually ends up spilling everything and then being killed (or losing his mind.) I wanted to write one with a happier ending, however unreal that might be. And here it is."Plot summary
Fletcher, a former reporter from The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, has been captured by members of a South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n dictatorship. The story begins as he is brought into the titular "deathroom" for interrogation about a communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
insurgency
Insurgency
An insurgency is an armed rebellion against a constituted authority when those taking part in the rebellion are not recognized as belligerents...
he has been supporting, due to the government's killing of a group of nuns which included his sister. Fletcher realizes that his captors, despite their promises to the contrary, will not let him leave the room alive.
During the course of his interrogation, Fletcher manages to keep calm, and hatches a desperate plan to escape, which, to his surprise, actually works. He fakes an epileptic seizure, and in the captors' struggle to save him, steals a gun. After killing three of his captors and maiming one, he escapes the deathroom. Fletcher, having no way of knowing if the gunfire was heard, starts up the stairs to see if he can escape.
The story ends with a man, almost certainly Fletcher, buying a pack of cigarettes at a newsstand kiosk in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Adaptations
Director Joe Leavell has acquired rights to produce In the Deathroom as a dollar baby short film. Winner of Honolulu film festival 2010.Writer/Director Dave Bullis has also acquired the rights to produce "In the Deathroom" as a short film for release in 2010.
Films Royale and Director Nick DiBella have acquired the rights to produce a film adaptation of "In The Deathroom" with a release in 2012.