Uncle Otto's Truck
Encyclopedia
Uncle Otto's Truck is a short horror story by Stephen King
, first published in Yankee in 1983, and collected in King's 1985 collection Skeleton Crew
.
businessmen in the post-depression era. After Otto deliberately crushes George beneath the derelict vehicle, the murderer becomes fixated on the truck, insisting it is not only moving of its own accord, but coming to kill him. At the same time he also becomes a social recluse, living in a house he built across from the truck itself, and generally begins to lose his sanity. His nephew, who tells the story, finally finds him dead - the corpse has been drowned with oil and there is a spark plug rammed down his throat.
The nephew goes on to describe how, on the day he found his uncle dead, he began to see strange happenings with the truck himself, and he could not accept his uncle's death as suicide as there was no jug near the body with which Otto could have fed himself the oil. The nephew's would dismiss what he thinks he has seen as hallucinations, were it not for the derelict sparkplug he took away from the corpse and kept, as a reminder that what had happened was real.
for the book The Secretary of Dreams
, a collection of comics based on King's short fiction released by Cemetery Dance
in December 2006.
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...
, first published in Yankee in 1983, and collected in King's 1985 collection Skeleton Crew
Skeleton Crew
Skeleton Crew is the second collection of short fiction by Stephen King. The first collection, Night Shift, was published seven years prior in 1978. Different Seasons, a collection of four novellas, was published between the two in 1982. Skeleton Crew was originally published in hardcover form by...
.
Plot summary
The story concerns a wrecked and abandoned truck owned by Otto Schenck and George McCutcheon, wealthy Castle RockCastle Rock (Stephen King)
Castle Rock, Maine is part of Stephen King’s fictional Maine topography and provides the setting for a number of his novels, novellas, and short stories...
businessmen in the post-depression era. After Otto deliberately crushes George beneath the derelict vehicle, the murderer becomes fixated on the truck, insisting it is not only moving of its own accord, but coming to kill him. At the same time he also becomes a social recluse, living in a house he built across from the truck itself, and generally begins to lose his sanity. His nephew, who tells the story, finally finds him dead - the corpse has been drowned with oil and there is a spark plug rammed down his throat.
The nephew goes on to describe how, on the day he found his uncle dead, he began to see strange happenings with the truck himself, and he could not accept his uncle's death as suicide as there was no jug near the body with which Otto could have fed himself the oil. The nephew's would dismiss what he thinks he has seen as hallucinations, were it not for the derelict sparkplug he took away from the corpse and kept, as a reminder that what had happened was real.
Adaptations
"Uncle Otto's Truck" has been adapted by artist Glenn ChadbourneGlenn Chadbourne
Glenn Chadbourne is an American artist. He lives in Newcastle, Maine. He is best known for his work in the horror and fantasy genres, having created covers and illustrated books and magazines for publishers such as Cemetery Dance Publications, Subterranean Press, and Earthling Publications. Mr...
for the book The Secretary of Dreams
The Secretary of Dreams
The Secretary of Dreams is a series of graphic short story collections authored by Stephen King and illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne. Cemetery Dance Publications released the first volume in December 2006.-Volume 1:...
, a collection of comics based on King's short fiction released by Cemetery Dance
Cemetery Dance Publications
Cemetery Dance Publications is a specialty press publisher of horror and dark suspense. Cemetery Dance was founded by Richard Chizmar, a horror author, while he was in college. It is associated with Cemetery Dance magazine, which was founded in 1988. They began to publish books in 1992.Cemetery...
in December 2006.