"Autopsy Room Four" is a short story by American writer

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

. It was first published in King's limited-edition collection '' Six Stories'' in 1997 and appeared in the anthology '' Robert Bloch's Psychos'' later the same year. In 2002, it was collected in King's collection '' Everything's Eventual''. It was adapted into a short film in 2003. It was also part of TNT's '' Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King'' series in the summer of 2006. On December 11, 2024, ''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...

'' announced it was being made into a feature film with British director Ranjeet S. Marwa and veteran Hollywood executive Jon Levin. It is currently in development.

Sources

The plot is based on the set-up of the short story "Breakdown" by Louis Pollock, originally published in ''

Collier's Magazine } ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Colli ...

'' in 1947, in which the protagonist is paralyzed in an auto accident, and must prove that he is alive. At one point in King's story, the protagonist explicitly thinks about a television adaptation of "Breakdown" which aired on ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' in 1955.

Plot

The story is set in King's fictional town of Derry, Maine. Howard Cottrell awakes from some form of unconsciousness to find himself laid out in an

autopsy An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...

room. As the doctors prepare to begin, Howard struggles to come to grips with what is happening. After realizing that he isn't dead, Howard deduces that he is in a paralysed state. Howard tries to somehow inform the doctors of this fact before they cut into him. While prepping Cottrell's body, the doctor in charge, Katie Arlen, finds shrapnel wounds around his nether regions. While she is absent-mindedly examining these, another doctor rushes into the room to inform them that Howard is still alive. Katie looks down – to find herself holding Howard's erect penis. In a humorous afternote, Howard explains that he was possibly bitten by a very rare

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

, causing the deathlike paralysis. Another one of the doctors discovered that same snake in his golf bag and was promptly bitten. It's presumed that he will recover. Howard adds that he and Katie dated for a while, but parted due to an embarrassing issue in the boudoir (he was impotent unless she was wearing rubber gloves).

Notes

* Supposedly Howard was bitten by a snake called a

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian Boomslang. There are no boomslangs in the Americas; the species is native to South Africa and the word means "tree snake" in

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

. In his notes at the end, King says he got the name from

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...

: the snake was featured in one of her

Miss Marple Miss Jane Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Miss Marple lives in the village of St Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterised as an elderly spinster, she is one ...

books. King said that boomslang was just a word he liked, and that he "doubt dlike Hell" that a Peruvian one existed. * A character named Howard Cottrell makes a brief appearance in '' The Shining'', another novel by King, wherein he lends Dick Hallorann a pair of mittens as the latter makes his way to The Overlook Hotel. It is explained that Cottrell has a small amount of "shine", the supernatural ability that allows Danny Torrance and Dick Hallorann to read people's thoughts, among other things. It is not clear if this character is the same person as the character in Autopsy Room Four.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

* The story was adapted into a short film in 2003. * The short story was adapted as an episode of the Turner Network Television mini-series '' Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King'' in 2006. * The music video of

Incubus An Incubus () is a demon, male demon in human form in folklore that seeks to have Sexuality in Christian demonology, sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. Parallels exist in many c ...

's song " Anna Molly" has a similar plot line. * On December 11, 2024, ''

'' announced Autopsy Room Four was being made into a feature film with British director Ranjeet S. Marwa and veteran Hollywood executive Jon Levin.

References

External links