Prime Video is bringing one of Stephen King’s creepiest stories to the small screen after 46 years
Stephen King’s back catalog has grown even bigger. ‘Crouch End,’ the 1980 short story by King, has been officially picked up for a six-part limited series on Prime Video. The story is a rare section of King’s world. This is the only story he has written set in London, and the title is borrowed from the real North London area. It first came out in the horror anthology, ‘New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos,’ and the Lovecraftian connection is deep. It was later integrated by King into his ‘Nightmares & Dreamscapes’ series, which was briefly revived for short television runs in 2006 via TNT’s anthology program, per Comic Basics.
This time, the story is given its full expansion. According to the official synopsis, “London never sleeps deeply, and its dreams are uneasy. When global movie star Doris Freeman bursts into a London police station claiming that strange phenomena are behind the disappearance of her husband, police inspector Ted Vetter must investigate whether she’s telling the truth, whether she could be a murderer, or whether there’s something even more chilling at play…” The story is being adapted for the screen by Paul Tomalin. Anyone who has seen ‘Bodies’ will recognize him.
All six episodes are being directed by Tom Shankland, who has directed ‘The Serpent.’ Produced by Mammoth Screen and Fifth Season, executive producers include Tomalin, Shankland, Damien Timmer, Rebecca Keane, and Ben Irving. Tomalin was not shy about his joy over scoring the project. Speaking with Variety, Tomalin said, “After reading ‘Crouch End’ some years back, Stephen King’s vivid prose has haunted my nightmares ever since. Having the honour to adapt it with the incredible team at Mammoth, Fifth Season and Amazon alongside director Tom Shankland is a dream come true. I couldn’t be more excited to bring this thrilling tale to the screen.”
Meanwhile, Nicole Clemens, Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios’ VP of International Originals, described the project as a showcase for King and the creative team behind it. She described King as “one of the defining storytellers of our time” and the pairing of Tomalin’s “character-driven vision” and Shankland’s direction as a winning combination that will “grip audiences worldwide.” ‘Crouch End’ will be the first Stephen King adaptation ever produced in the UK, shot on the ground in the city that inspired it. Casting has begun, and it is attracting interest from industry, though no actors have yet been confirmed. The premiere date is to be decided. For the time being, King readers have been told that one of his less famous, more underrated stories is finally getting screen treatment almost 50 years after it first freaked them out.
