In summer 2006, TNT produced a limited-run anthology series entitled, Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King. Despite the title, the 8-episode run featured adaptations from three different King short story collections, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Everything's Eventual, and Night Shift.

Ratings were not spectacular (it was summertime, what'd they expect?), but this show has found an audience on DVD.

While the show was undeniably well produced, it was ultimately a mixed bag. The episode that stood out proudly among the rest was the first one aired - Battleground (from 1978's Night Shift). William Hurt stars as a hitman who, after whacking the CEO of a toy company, receives an interesting package on his doorstep. It contains a footlocker of little toy Army men who proceed to ...

... oh, but that would be giving too much away.

This episode is unique in a number of ways:

The teleplay was written by Richard Christian Matheson, son of legendary author Richard Matheson, whom King has claimed as his greatest influence. The story itself may have been inspired by two previous Matheson stories: a Twilight Zone episode called, The Invaders (which also featured a silent protagonist against miniature invaders). And Prey, the closing episode of the Matheson's 1975 telefilm, Trilogy of Terror, wherein a Zuni fetish doll chases Karen Black around her apartment (scared the crap out of me when I was kid). That same Zuni fetish doll makes a cameo appearance in Battleground. There is a circular karmic debt in play here, and to those in the know, it is most extremely cool.

Most interesting of all is the fact that Matheson's adaptation has not one line of dialogue. Save for the soundtrack and sound design, this is essentially a silent movie. That's not to say it isn't suspenseful and exciting - on the contrary, the sheer audacity of attempting to tell this story with images only greatly amps up the tension. This is pure cinema and, against all odds, it works brilliantly.

Including Frank Darabont's recent take on The Mist, this is one of the best Stephen King adaptations in years. If you've never seen it ... sit back, relax, click play (magnify size if you wish), and get ready for something special.


NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES - BATTLEGROUND