Derry, Maine: A Town of Unspeakable Evil (Pt. 3)

Derry, Maine: A Town of Unspeakable Evil

Part 3 – Dreamcatcher and 11/22/63

This is the final installment about the small town of Derry.

In 2001, Derry was once again the scene of a series of horrific events.  A group of four friends decided to take a hunting trip to the woods, which was an annual outing for them. Gary “Jonesy” Jones, an associate professor of history at John Jay College in Boston, was still recovering from a severe injury that he received after being struck by a car.  Henry Devlin, a psychiatrist, had been suffering from depression and was even contemplating suicide. Joe “Beaver” Clarendon, a carpenter, was an alcoholic who had few friends other than his childhood buddies. Pete Moore, a car salesman, considered “hunting a hobby, beer a religion.”

The four men had grown up together in Derry and had shared many adventures running the streets and playing in the Barrens. As children, the four friends had helped Douglas “Duddits” Cavell, a boy with Down Syndrome, when a bully was beating tormenting him. As a result, Duddits had become the fifth member of their little gang.  The five of them had been involved in the rescue of a missing girl who had fallen in a well. They remained friends for the rest of their lives.

After arriving at their cabin, known as Hole in the Wall, a mysterious hunter named Richard McCarthy visited Jonesy while the others were out getting supplies. McCarthy was suffering from some unknown illness.  Devlin and Moore discovered a female hunter on the road as they were heading back to Hole in the Wall.  The woman also appeared to be suffering from some sort of illness.

After a series of events, the four men discovered that the military had quarantined the area surrounding Derry due to the crash of an alien spacecraft. The military personnel conducted a search for an escaped alien. The area was also infested with a virus codenamed ‘The Ripley Virus’ by the military.

The friends became locked in a battle for survival against the invading alien beings, the widespread virus and the military.  In order to survive, they called upon their childhood friend Duddits to help recapture a psychic connection that they five of them once shared. (To read the full adventures of these childhood friends, see Dreamcatcher, 2001)

Stephen King wrote Dreamcatcher while recovering from injuries that he received after he was struck by a van while jogging. In 2003, it was adapted to film by veteran screenwriter William Goldman who also wrote the screenplays for Misery, Hearts in Atlantis and Dolores Claiborne (uncredited).

In 2011, Derry returned to the center of activity for the adventures of Jake Epping aka George Amberson.  Epping, a high school English teacher, discovered a unique feature in the town of Derry – a “bubble” that allowed a person with enough courage to step back in time.  Epping was not the first to discover it.  In fact, he was shown the time-warping“bubble” by local restaurant owner Al Templeton. 

After the encouragement of Templeton, Epping walked into the past with a mission at hand.  He then set out on a multiple-layered adventure that leads him into a destined meeting with historical figures and events in American history.  In 1958 Derry, Epping made the acquaintance of several residents previously discussed including Richie Tozier and Beverly Marsh.

 In Epping’s adventures in the “Land of Ago,” he traveled from Maine to Florida, and then through Alabama to Texas. He discovered that every action made in the past leads to a consequence in the future.  This phenomenon, known as “the Butterfly Effect, was first identified in the writings of Ray Bradbury.  Epping learned that the past will fight to protect the future; a lesson hard learned. (To read the full adventures of Jake Epping, see 11/22/63, 2011)

NOTE: Since 11/22/63 was recently released, I intentionally gave vague descriptions about it in this article. 

Stephen King wrote 11/22/63 between January 2009 and December 2010.  King visited many, if not all, of the places discussed in the book including the locations in Dallas associated with the Kennedy Assassination.  He states in the "Afterword" that he first started this book in 1972, but decided to put it on hold until a later time. Thankfully, King returned to this idea and completed it.

Only time will tell what the future holds for Derry!