The Lawnmower Man
Encyclopedia
"The Lawnmower Man" is a short story by Stephen King
, first published in the May 1975 issue of Cavalier
, and later collected in King's 1978 collection Night Shift
.
who works for the Greek god
Pan
. The serviceman, making good on his job to mow the lawn, conjures up an unholy, autonomous lawnmower that proceeds to mow Parkette's lawn while the serviceman, completely nude, devours the freshly cut grass. The event is terrifying and beyond the intellectual comprehension of Parkette. In a panic, he tries to call the police, but the serviceman and his diabolical lawn-mowing device proceed to brutally slaughter Parkette.
The police arrive at Parkette's house and believe that an insane nudist has killed him in a form of ritual sacrifice
; they write off the occurrence as just another bizarre murder and leave, though not without noticing the powerful scent of freshly cut grass.
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 the May 1975 issue of Cavalier
Cavalier (magazine)
Cavalier is an American magazine that was launched by Fawcett Publications in 1952 and has continued for decades, eventually evolving into a Playboy-style men's magazine...
, and later collected in King's 1978 collection Night Shift
Night Shift (book)
Night Shift is the first collection of short stories by Stephen King, first published in 1978. Many of King's most famous short stories were included in this collection.-Stories collected:-Details:...
.
Plot summary
Harold Parkette hires Pastoral Greenery and Outdoor Services, Inc. to cut his lawn. The serviceman is not a service "man" at all but a satyrSatyr
In Greek mythology, satyrs are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus — "satyresses" were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains. In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing....
who works for the Greek god
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
Pan
Pan (mythology)
Pan , in Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music, as well as the companion of the nymphs. His name originates within the Greek language, from the word paein , meaning "to pasture." He has the hindquarters, legs,...
. The serviceman, making good on his job to mow the lawn, conjures up an unholy, autonomous lawnmower that proceeds to mow Parkette's lawn while the serviceman, completely nude, devours the freshly cut grass. The event is terrifying and beyond the intellectual comprehension of Parkette. In a panic, he tries to call the police, but the serviceman and his diabolical lawn-mowing device proceed to brutally slaughter Parkette.
The police arrive at Parkette's house and believe that an insane nudist has killed him in a form of ritual sacrifice
Human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more human beings as part of a religious ritual . Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals and of religious sacrifice in general. Human sacrifice has been practised in various cultures throughout history...
; they write off the occurrence as just another bizarre murder and leave, though not without noticing the powerful scent of freshly cut grass.
Adaptations
- The story was adapted in graphicComic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
form in Bizarre Adventures #29 (December 1981). The adaptation features the original text of the short story, accompanied by art by Walt SimonsonWalt SimonsonWalter "Walt" Simonson is an American comic book writer and artist. After studying geology at Amherst College, he transferred to the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1972. His thesis project there was The Star Slammers, which was published as a black and white promotional comic book...
.
- A twelve-minute Dollar BabyDollar BabyThe Dollar Baby is a term coined by best-selling author Stephen King in reference to a select group of students and aspiring filmmakers or theatre producers whom he has granted permission to adapt one of his short stories for $1...
short film, The Lawnmower Man: A Suburban Nightmare, was released in 1987. It was written by future screenwriter and New Line CinemaNew Line CinemaNew Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
production executive Michael De Luca (In the Mouth of MadnessIn the Mouth of MadnessIn the Mouth of Madness is a 1995 American horror film directed by John Carpenter and written by Michael De Luca, who was at the time of the film's release in charge of New Line Cinema...
) and directed by Jim Gonis. The film was shot in 1985 while Gonis was a junior at New York UniversityNew York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. Originally budgeted at $800, the final film ultimately cost nearly $5,000. It has screened at several film festivalFilm festivalA film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
s: New York University; at Horrorfest 1989, a screening of King films at the Stanley Hotel (the hotel that inspired King's novel The ShiningThe Shining (novel)The Shining is a 1977 horror novel by American author Stephen King. The title was inspired by the John Lennon song "Instant Karma!", which contained the line "We all shine on…". It was King's third published novel, and first hardback bestseller, and the success of the book firmly established King...
); a New York film festival of Greek-American filmmakers in 1991; and at the 1st Annual Dollar Baby festival in OronoOrono, MaineOrono is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. It was first settled in 1774 and named in honor of Chief Joseph Orono of the Penobscot Nation. It is home to The University of Maine. The population was 10,362 at the 2010 census.- Geography :...
, MaineMaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
in 2004.
- A feature film, The Lawnmower Man, starring Jeff FaheyJeff FaheyJeffrey David "Jeff" Fahey is an American film and television actor. He has portrayed Captain Frank Lapidus on the ABC series Lost and the title role of Deputy Marshal Winston MacBride on The Marshal.-Early life:...
and Pierce BrosnanPierce BrosnanPierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
, was released in 1992 by New Line CinemaNew Line CinemaNew Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
. This film was based mostly on an original screenplay — the story concerns a scientist (Dr. Lawrence Angelo, played by Brosnan) using a mentally retarded man (Jobe Smith, played by Fahey) for virtual realityVirtual realityVirtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
experiments, who becomes more intelligent in the process but also evil — and only used minimal elements of King's story. King sued to have his name removed from any association with it as it bore basically no resemblance to his original story. A video game adaption, loosely based on film, was released for the Super Nintendo, Sega CD and PC CD-ROM. A direct-to-video sequel film, The Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond CyberspaceThe Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond CyberspaceLawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace is a 1996 film, and the sequel to The Lawnmower Man, which was loosely based on a short story by Stephen King. Retitled Lawnmower Man 2: Jobe's War for the video release, the film stars Matt Frewer as Jobe....
, was released in 1996.