"Graduation Afternoon" is a short story by American writer Stephen King, originally published in the March 2007 issue of Postscripts, and collected in King's 2008 collection Just After Sunset.[1]

"Graduation Afternoon"
Short story by Stephen King
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s)Horror
Publication
Published inJust After Sunset

Plot summary

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The story tells of a young woman enjoying her wealthy boyfriend's high school graduation party at his suburban Connecticut home when events take an unexpected turn.

Critical response

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PopMatters compared the ending of the story to Two Suns in the Sunset by Pink Floyd.[2] M. John Harrison at The Guardian called it an "elegaic and old-fashioned end-of-the-world piece."[3] Matt Thorne at The Independent said the horror in Graduation Afternoon "is not just a premonition of something that could happen, but something that would happen."[4]

Short film adaptation

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Graduation Afternoon
Directed byRob Padilla Jr.
Written byMarie D. Jones
Story byStephen King
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyS.G. Nair
Edited byRob Padilla Jr.
Music byAntoni M. March
Production
companies
  • Gray Area Multimedia
  • IndieMan Productions
  • Irontree Film Collective
Release date
  • January 10, 2021 (2021-01-10)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The story was adapted by Marie D. Jones into a short film in 2019 as part of Dollar Baby[5] and released on January 10, 2021.[6]

From left to right: Jade Kaiser and George Jac in Graduation Afternoon (2021).

Cast

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Production

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Jones chose to adapt the story because it was one of King's shorter Dollar Baby choices. It was shot over three weekends and Rob Padilla Jr. directed the film.[5]

Critical response

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Steve Hutchinson at Tales of Terror said it was a quality film that is relatable because the filmmakers connected Donald Trump.[7] Adam Groves at The Bedlam Files said "the film isn’t very invigorating."[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "PS Publishing Postscripts Magazine". Archived from the original on 2009-09-04. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  2. ^ "Just After Sunset by Stephen King, PopMatters". PopMatters. 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  3. ^ Harrison, M. John (2008-11-15). "My poisoned bon-bons". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  4. ^ Thorne, Matt (2008-11-09). "Just After Sunset, By Stephen King". The Independent. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  5. ^ a b "Marie D. Jones – February 09; 2020". Stephen King Short Stories (Interview). February 9, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Graduation Afternoon". Rotten Tomatoes. January 10, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  7. ^ Hutchison, Steve (2021-05-25). "Graduation Afternoon". Tales of Terror. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  8. ^ Groves, Adam. "The Dollar Babies | The Bedlam Files". Retrieved 2023-10-30.
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