Throwback Thursday: Stand By Me (1986)

“I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?”

Based upon Stephen King’s novella The Body, 1986’s Stand By Me may not look like a typical horror story from King but it definitely has horror elements. I’m not talking about vampires or demons or werewolves or even teenage girls with telekinetic powers. Nope, the horror in Stand By Me is much deeper, scarier, and real. It’s about growing up, dealing with family issues, and finding one’s way in life. That’s a lot scarier than a vampire in my book.

The story is about four young boys about to enter junior high who decide to go looking for the body of a recently deceased young man. One of the boys, Vern, overhears his brother talking about finding the body and not wanting to mention it to anyone because it would tie him to a car theft. Vern decides to tell his friends and they set out to discover the body for themselves, turn it into the authorities, and become heroes. As they follow the train tracks to the site where the body was found, viewers learn things about each of the boys. Gordie wants to be a writer and is struggling with the loss of his older brother, Denny. Chris, Gordie’s best friend and protector, battles with the fact that his family’s reputation hinders his own dreams. Vern isn’t as mature as the other boys and comes off as dimwitted at times. He fights to fit in with the rest of the group. Teddy has to deal with an abusive and alcoholic father who physically beats him and even tried to burn off his ear. All four of them are uncertain about entering junior high.

As the boys hike, Vern’s older brother, Billy, and his gang of friends headed up by the sinister Ace Merrill, are also on the trail to find the body. The two groups square off with one another. I won’t reveal what happens, but just know that in the end, we find out what happens to each of the four boys. It’s an amazing coming of age tale that gives people a glimpse into the minds, hearts, and fears of youngsters about to become men.

The story is narrated by an adult Gordie. He has become a successful writer and he tells the story of himself and his friends as they search for the body. I see him as a representation of Stephen King and King has said as much in interviews over the years. King also claims that this is one of his favorite films based upon his work.

The film was directed by Rob Reiner. It was one of his earliest directorial efforts and it is definitely one of his best. That’s saying a lot considering how many wonderful films that Reiner has directed over the years. The film’s soundtrack features some great music from the 1950’s and 60’s and the boys sing along with many of the songs as they walk the rails. The cinematography is amazing as well.

The film’s cast is loaded with future stars of film and television. Young Gordie is portrayed by Wil Wheaton. Wheaton would go on to portray Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation as well as guest star as himself on multiple episodes of The Big Bang Theory. Wheaton continues to work today having done voice work, web series, and a number of other projects. Speaking of The Big Bang Theory, another guest star on that series was Jerry O’Connell. O’Connell portrayed Vern in Stand By Me and he played Sheldon Cooper’s older brother on TBBT. O’Connell has had a very successful career as a voice over artist, star of film’s such as Joe’s Apartment, and appeared on a number of notable television shows including Sliders. Corey Feldman portrayed Teddy. Feldman already had quite the pedigree as an actor and his star would soon rise even higher when he teamed up with Corey Haim in a long string of successful films. Chris was portrayed by the late River Phoenix. Phoenix was well on his way to a massive film career after appearing in movies like My Own Private Idaho and Running On Empty. He tragically passed away at the age of twenty three due to drug use. Richard Dreyfuss portrayed the adult version of Gordie. Stand By Me was just one more in a long line of successful films for the star. John Cusack, another major star in film, had a small role as Gordie’s deceased brother Denny who appears in flashbacks.

Ace’s gang features a number of excellent character actors such as Casey Siemaszko and Bradley Gregg. Perhaps the biggest star of the film outside of Richard Dreyfuss is Kiefer Sutherland. He portrays Ace and the character is an excellent harbinger of what was to come with Sutherland’s portrayal of the equally wicked vampire named David in The Lost Boys. A string of hit films and a successful television show would follow. Just a few of his films include Young Guns, Flatliners, The Three Musketeers, and Dark City.

This is an amazing film. I hope that you take a look at it if you haven’t done so yet. It’s currently streaming on Netflix and runs about an hour and a half long.

Thanks for taking a look back with me. See you again soon.