This story by Stephen King explores one of the greatest fears of many young children as they go to bed: the fact that some sort of evil creature may be hiding under their bed, behind the curtains, or in their closet. In the story, a man with serious mental problems blames himself for the death of his three children. He thinks a monster from his childhood killed them, and that it is now coming after him. Readers are left to wonder who or what this boogeyman really is. Themes include fear, imagination, paranoia, mental illness, filicide, guilt.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (4,4750 words)
Video Version
This 1982 film adaption of the story has some minor variations from the original that may be a little confusing, but makes up for it with the extra fright value that usually comes with horror movies. Watch and enjoy!