Summary
In pop culture right now, the genre that seems to draw the most attention (outside superhero-related properties) is horror, and horror adjacent shows. With hit shows likeFROMand the highly acclaimed return ofeveryone’s favorite serial killer, Dexter, there seems to be a consensus that horror-driven narratives are on the rise. That has become the case especially for properties related to the works of author Stephen King. One book in particular would fit into that mold perfectly,Black House, and it has a string of strong connections to theDark Towerseries as well.
Black House, written by Stephen King and Peter Straub, is a book that has a bit of everything, from deranged serial killers preying on the children of a small Wisconsin town, to a prolific investigator with a connection to another world, and so much more. The crux of that novel, however, is in how many of the book’s characters and plot points interweave into the fabric of Stephen King’sThe Dark Towerseries. WIth acclaimed horrorwriter and filmmaker Mike Flanaganworking on bringingThe Dark Towerto life, exploring how Black House would fit into that adaptation has never been more profound.
What Happens In Black House?
Black Houseis a sequel to authorsStephen King and Peter Straub’sThe Talisman. The first book’s protagonist, Jack Sawyer, is now an adult. He has made a name for himself as a prolific homicide detective, as he is able to see things at crime scenes that no one else can. After a case affects him deeply, Jack takes an early retirement and moves to a small Wisconsin town. Yet his retirement is short-lived, as he soon discovers a serial killer is on the loose in the small town.
When children begin disappearing and their bodies are found horribly mangled, the local investigators know that they have a serial killer on their hands. At first, Jack is hesitant to get involved, not wanting to put himself in a situation that could be overwhelming again. But when a young boy is taken, he feels compelled once more to investigate. In doing so, he unlocks the hidden memories of his childhood and the land he crossed to savehis mother as a child, the Territories.
He meets his old friend Parkus once more in this land, and rediscovers his ability to travel between these worlds. Jack learns that the serial killer in his small town is being manipulated and controlled by an entity known as Mr. Munshun,who works for none other than The Crimson King. Tasked with finding children who have unique abilities such as ESP and telekineses, Mr. Munshun uses the serial killer to abduct children. The killer then brings them to Black House, a twisted home in the woods of the small town that harbors a portal to another world.
Gathering allies in his small town, Jack leads a party into Black House,facing unparalleled horrorsto cross into the other world to face the killer and Mr. Munshun. Jack is able to take down Mr. Munshun using residual power from the Talisman he found as a boy. Together with his allies and the powerful boy they went to rescue, they destroy the facility housing hundreds of missing children, and return to Earth. Before they can officially celebrate, however, a press conference ends with Jack mortally wounded. Parkus whisks Jack back to the Territories, healing the man for future battles not yet fought and leaving his fate unknown.
The Connections Between Black House and the Dark Tower
The connections betweenBlack HouseandThe DarkTower are some of the most plot-developing connections between Stephen King’s other books and the main Dark Tower series, matched only by books like The Stand and Insomnia.Black Househas many features from theDark Towerbooks. For example, Jack meets a woman named Sophie in a tent when he travels to The Territories, which turns out to be a tent fromwhen Roland met the Little Sisters of Eluria.
Parkus himself also has some connections to the Gunslingers, like Roland and his father Steven. While Parkus himself claims never to have passed the test to become a gunslinger, he wields the sandalwood-gripped guns of the gunslingers, and knows the mannerisms and language of the gunslingers as well (high speech). He also knowsof Roland and his allies, noting in the course of the book their movements toward the Dark Tower as he converses with Sophie and Jack.
Then there is the Crimson King, whose name in the Language of the Dead (Ram Abbalah) is first mentioned. Mr. Munshun’s lair where he holds the children he takes, the Big Combination, is in the Furnace Lands, a hellish world within End-World. InBlack House, the serial killer puts a metal cap on the boy taken for his powers. This same cap is used later on in theDark Towerseriesby the man in black, Randall Flagg, when facing off against Mordrid Deschain. Even the Black House itself may be a manifestation of The Dark Tower itself in Jack’s world, much like the home Jake Chambers had to traverse to reach Roland inthe Dark Tower Book Three: The Wastelands.
Stephen King is nearly finished withThe Talisman 3, which is said to have a lot of connections tothe Dark Towerrealm known as Mid-World and perhaps the Dark Tower itself. With so many connections held betweenBlack HouseandThe Dark Tower, it would make sense if Black Housesees a resurgence whenMike Flanagan’sDark Towerseriescomes to life. Perhaps in bringingThe TalismanandBlack Houseto life on the big screen, viewers can fully appreciate just how connectedThe Dark Towerseries is to many of Stephen King’s works.
