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Matthew Lillard's New Remake Of 94% RT Stephen King Movie Abandons His Legendary 29-Year-Old Horror Tradition
Matthew Lillard’s roles in the horror genre have always been similar in one major way, but his part in an upcoming Stephen King adaption finally seems to break the 29-year-old trend. In a career spanning over three decades, Matthew Lillard has experimented in roles from myriad genres.
However, he is best known for his parts in horror movies and has rightfully earned the title of a “scream king” due to his performances in the genre. Interestingly, even his horror roles in movies have almost consistently maintained a trend. Most of his characters in the genre differ in more ways than one.
A closer look at his line of work, though, reveals that almost all his characters in horror have one thing in common. He is returning to the horror genre by starring in an upcoming remake of a Stephen King story. But this time around, he is abandoning one big 29-year-old horror tradition.
Matthew Lillard Surprisingly Isn’t Playing A Villain In Mike Flanagan’s Carrie TV Show
The Actor Has Been Cast To Play Principal Grayle
In Mike Flanagan’s upcoming take on Stephen King’s widely adapted Carrie, Matthew Lillard has been cast to play Principal Grayle. Viewers familiar with the original book or previous adaptations of the original Stephen King story would know that Grayle lies somewhere in the middle of the moral spectrum.
Unlike characters like Margaret White or Chris Hargensen, he does not openly harm the titular character and does not even try to aggravate her sufferings in school. At the same time, however, he remains slightly complicit in the patterns that result in Carrie’s abuse and initially chooses passivity over intervention.
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What somewhat redeems him, though, is that he takes an assertive stance against the Hargensens and even threatens to countersue them for Carrie. He also ensures Chris Hargensen will not attend the Prom, which makes him more of a hero in the overarching Stephen King story.
Given how Matthew Lillard is known for portraying morally hollow villains like William Afton in Five Nights at Freddy‘s and Stu Macher in Scream, his casting as Principal Grayle breaks his horror trend. It gives him the opportunity to finally be in a less villainous and more heroic role in the genre.
Matthew Lillard’s Last Horror Movie Not Playing A Villain Had A Mixed Response
Thir13en Ghosts Is Not Among The Actor’s Best Films
Lillard first broke his horror villain tradition in 2001’s Thir13en Ghosts, in which he played Dennis Rafkin. Although Dennis, too, lies more on the morally ambiguous side, he eventually uses his psychic abilities in the film to capture twelve ghosts bound to Earth.
Unfortunately, even though Thir13en Ghosts gave Lillard the opportunity to expand his horizons as an actor and bring more diversity to his portfolio, the film failed to leave a mark both critically and commercially. Against a budget of $42 million, the movie only earned $68.5 million at the box office.
…Thir13en Ghosts was criticized for its inability to keep viewers engaged and its poor take on Robb White’s 13 Ghosts.
It holds an underwhelming critical score of 19% on Rotten Tomatoes, and even its audience score of 49% is no less impressive. While Matthew Lillard seemingly did his best with the role he was offered in the film, Thir13en Ghosts was criticized for its inability to keep viewers engaged and its poor take on Robb White’s 13 Ghosts.
Matthew Lillard’s Carrie Role Looks Even More Exciting After His Last Stephen King Adaptation
His Role In The Life Of Chuck Was Brief But Significant
In recent times, Lillard was a part of Mike Flanagan‘s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Life of Chuck. Although his role in the film is relatively small, and he only shows up in one major sequence, he does an incredible job with his limited part.
Even long after The Life of Chuck‘s credits start rolling, it is hard not to recall Lillard’s part as one of the best scenes from the movie. David Dastmalchian, of the Late Night With the Devil fame, also sang praises (via Gizmodo) to the actor by recalling how Lillard’s sequence in the film broke his heart.
Although The Life of Chuck is not a horror movie, it has been directed by Mike Flanagan and is also based on a Stephen King story. The movie seems to prove that Flanagan knows how to perfectly channel Matthew Lillard’s acting talent to the screen in a Stephen King adaptation, making the upcoming Carrie remake series even more exciting.
