I have been waiting to see "Survivor Type" visualized since I first read the short story too many years ago. Having seen many King works adapted for the screen, I was always hoping a brave filmmaker would tackle the simple, disturbing nature of "Survivor Type." Fortunately, Billy Hanson was up to the task and utterly nailed it!
The setup is simple: a disgraced surgeon is attempting to transport heroin from Thailand to the US and ends up stranded on a tiny, uninhabited island. With limited supplies and no food, he documents his struggle for survival with a camcorder he brought along (changed from a diary in the Stephen King short story). Starvation, loneliness, and drug use cause him to become excessively unstable, and seriously rewarding drama and horror ensue.
This film packs everything you need in a suspenseful story into a tight 30 minutes. If expanded to feature length, many more plot elements would need to be added, and the brief, terrifying story would lose a lot of its tension. The acting, special effects, locations, moody score, and cinematography are all spot-on. This has always been a favorite short story of mine, and Billy Hanson really delivered the goods for this long-awaited adaptation. Gideon Emery was simply perfect for the role. His descent into madness never felt over-the-top or ridiculous, and his visage as our deteriorating narrator/protagonist consistently became more harrowing and horrifying. Overall, this was an exceptionally presented and thoroughly satisfying adaptation of a great, timeless story.
The best way to catch this wonder of a film is to look for screenings near you! It has already shown at 12 festivals around the globe, so keep an eye out for it!
