When The Shining was first being conceived as a movie, King didn't want Nicholson because it was too obvious, he wanted Jack Torrance to be an ordinary man gone mad and even suggested Christopher Reeve for the role. While concept wise that seemed like a good idea, I never understood why. That is until I saw this episode of Tales From The Crypt. Here we have Reeve playing Fred, a down and out cook hoping to be the Colonel Sanders of Squid. His wife, Erma is disillusioned to the point where she contemplates chopping off his head. A Drifter/Busboy named Gaston played by John Bender himself, Judd Nelson suggests a BBQ theme, but is rejected. After a violent confrontation with the landlord, played by Meat Loaf; Fred seems to shut down, however with Gaston's help they turn the place into a steakhouse. Problem solved right? Well, turns out the source of the steak and the success it wrought was the corpse of their once living landlord. However thanks to the success, as well as Gaston's blackmail, Fred keeps quiet. As the profits rake in and the cops get close to finding out the truth, it's not long till this threesome ends in violence.
If you don't like the show for the story, you'll love it for the audacity of Superman and Bender running a cannibal restaurant. Reeve made us believe a man could fly. So it's no surprise if he could make us believe a man could fly off the handle.
If you don't like the show for the story, you'll love it for the audacity of Superman and Bender running a cannibal restaurant. Reeve made us believe a man could fly. So it's no surprise if he could make us believe a man could fly off the handle.