Steven King’s GRAVEYARD SHIFT
A Synopsis

In an old-fashioned textile mill in a tiny Maine town, a young man named Jason Reed (JONATHAN EMERSON) is working the graveyard shift. The machine he works, called a picker, is used to comb and separate bales of wool when they first come to the mill. Since the operation only requires one man, Jason does his work alone, with only the scores of rats that infest the place for company. So when some strange occurrence forces Jason into the picker, where he is torn to bits, no one knows what happened or why.

Despite the tragedy, the mill re-opens in July, only a few months after the accident. In fact, the mill’s sadistic foreman Warwick (STEPHEN MACHT) bribes an inspector to give his okay to reopen the mill, even though the inspector privately condemns the place as a deathtrap. Warwick hires an oddball exterminator named Tucker Cleveland (BRAD DOURIF) to deal with the overwhelming rat population, and brings in John Hall (DAVID ANDREWS) to take over the job that claimed Jason Reed’s life -- working the picker on the graveyard shift.

John starts work in the hot, downstairs room, passing the hours by sling-shotting soda cans at the rats that still infest the mill. One night, he meets the exterminator, who tells him the only way to get rid of the rats is to treat them as enemies in a war. John is a little put off by the strange man, but has less of a problem with Tucker than he does with the rest of his fellow mill workers -- especially local boys Brogan (VIC POLIZOS) and Danson (ANDREW DIVOFF).

One night while John is working downstairs, Warwick joins the rest of the workers upstairs, hassling in particular a pretty brunette named Jane (KELLY WOLF). Although he has been seen around the mill with another female employee named Nardello (ILONA MARGOLIS), he hasn’t given up on Jane, and offers her a cushy desk job in exchange for her sexual favors. Disgusted, she turns him down. Instead, she joins the crew that will clean up the mill’s deserted basement for double pay over the Fourth of July holiday. At the same time, down in that very basement, a worker is killed by the same strange creature that killed Jason Reed.

The next morning after his shift is over, John goes to the local cafe, where Brogan and Danson tease him by sending him a plate of food with a dead rat on it. Jane sees this happen, and also notice how attractive John is. She offers him a ride home, unaware of the fact that Warwick angrily is watching her walk off with John.

Back at the mill, Warwick hires a young man named Carmichael (JIMMY WOODARD) to join the basement cleanup crew. He takes him down to the dark, filthy area to get acclimated. Despite the frightening surroundings, Carmichael is determined to take the job.

Others, however, aren’t so happy to be chosen for the crew. When Nardello learns that she will be spending her holiday in the basement, se goes crazy, taking an axe to her boss’s car and demolishing it. Warwick comes out and begins to beat her until John stops him. As Nardello leaves, she says she refuses to work in the basement since she know there’s something horrible down there.

That night, Warwick appears in the picker room and offers John a spot ton the crew. He takes the job, which will be done during the graveyard shift to avoid the summer heat.

Meanwhile, Nardello sneaks back into the mill and goes through Warwick’s office. She finds what she is looking for -- an official paper saying the mill has been recommended for closure -- and begins to walk out with it. However, she trips and falls down the stairs, and is claimed as the creature’s next victim.

The next day, the basement cleanup job begins with Jane, John, Carmichael, Danson, Brogan and wisecracking employee named Ippeston. At first, they have fun with the disgusting work, until the heat, darkness and overwhelming number of rats begin to get to some of them. Ippeston angrily declares that there are too many rats and that they are not qualified to dispose of them. But when the other won’t back him up when he complains to Warwick, Ippeston is fired.

Later, Warwick angrily threatens the exterminator for failing to complete the job. He sends him out to the graveyard behind the mill to finish getting rid of the rats. Tucker’s dog, who he brought with him, eagerly takes off into a crypt. But when Tucker follows the pooch in, the stones begin moving, trapping him inside so the creature can kill him too.

Back in the basement, John finds a trapdoor, which he believes is where the rats are coming from. The entire group, including Warwick, goes down into the abandoned room. Donna slips on the crumbling staircase and hurts her ankle, but they press on until they are all inside the room full of ancient machinery -- and no rats whatsoever. The place seems innocuous enough, until Brogan finds a bloody, severed arm. Screaming he runs for the stairs but they all break, dropping Brogan into a pool of water. As he creams for help, the creature appears and drags him down.

Realizing they are in danger, Warwick takes Carmichael and Danson with him to search for a way out, while John and Donna find an underground river and try to float out of the maze of subterranean rooms. Carmichael thinks he hears water on the other side of a wall, and puts his hand through to check. Danson and Warwick run away leaving Carmichael to be killed by the creature. Soon afterward, the creature gets Danson, and Warwick falls into a pit filled with skulls and human bones.

John and Jane also end up at the same room, where Warwick promptly attacks them. John tries to fight the man off by hitting him with bones, but the crazed Warwick turns on Jane and kills her. Warwick then runs off, but runs right into the creature, who immediately devoirs him. John sees this happen and realizes he is the only one left.

Luckily, John notices an old elevator shaft and climbs the cables to get out, ending up in the picker room where he works. He tries to hide, but the creature breaks through the walls and comes after him. Thinking quickly, John lures the creature into the picker machine and then, ever so quietly, sling-shots a soft drink can at the machine’s “on” button. The machine begins to work, the creature is dragged inside and torn to bits, and John survives the encounter.