Judy Greer may have faced down Michael Myers in the Blumhouse Halloween reboot trilogy, but even she wasn’t prepared for the gut punch of her latest project, the upcoming The Long Walk. The new book-to-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name is set to soon hit the 2025 movie schedule, and if Greer’s first reaction is anything to go by, audiences should brace themselves for one of the year’s most haunting horror movie experiences.
In an interview with Screen Rant, the 13 Going on 30 actress admitted she was completely shaken after watching Francis Lawrence’s finished film for the first time. She told the outlet:
I watched the movie yesterday for the first time, and I’m so fucked up. I came home in a daze, and my husband's like, ‘Do you want to go for a walk?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I think I need to go for a walk.’ Which is ironic, but it actually did help clear my head.
The irony of literally needing to take a walk after the upcoming Stephen King adaptation isn’t lost on the Hollywood A-lister, but the anecdote also underlines just how disturbing the movie turned out to be. Which has my horror fan heart pounding with excitement.
The film adapts King’s 1979 dystopian novel for the first time, originally published under his Richard Bachman pseudonym. Set in a near-future America, it follows 100 teenage boys forced to compete in a brutal endurance contest to keep walking at a minimum pace or be executed. It’s a concept that strips horror down to its most primal and psychological elements, and Greer explained to the outlet that the movie’s power comes from that stark simplicity. She continued:
You see the beautiful energy of youth and […] belief in something bigger than us… until things get real, and then they start to question everything… I was so moved by how powerful the story is in its simplicity. I felt so respected by the filmmakers, honestly, as an audience member — even though I’m in it. That doesn’t often happen anymore.
This kind of dark humor and honesty has long endeared the What Women Want veteran actress to audiences. She’s not the kind of actor to glamorize horror or pretend she’s unshakable. Remember when she called Marvel out for not putting her in Ant-Man 3? I do, and it was hilarious.
It’s worth noting that The Long Walk isn’t your typical horror flick. More existential than slash-and-burn, it’s a grim meditation on survival and conformity. The source material is notoriously heavy, and many fans have wondered how it could ever be translated to the big screen. Based on Greer’s theater experience, it would seem to suggest that the filmmakers didn’t water it down, and that the end result is as emotionally punishing as it is terrifying.
Judy Greer’s comments echo my colleague Eric Eisenberg’s thoughts on the flick. He called it the “bleakest Stephen King Adaptation since The Mist” but also “an unforgettable experience” in his 4.5 out of 5-star review of The Long Walk. Which, if you remember the traumatic ending of Frank Darabont's The Mist, that is really saying something.
Horror fans can catch Judy Greer in The Long Walk when it arrives in theaters on September 12. Also, be sure to check out our schedule of new horror movies to plan your future scary flick-going experience.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
