Rather, it's based on a 1984 novel by Stephen King, one of six to be published under his Richard Bachman pseudonym, and the second Bachman book, after The Running Man , to be made into a movie. Up to this point, Thinner is a good, absorbing story, relying on the horror of situations conveyed by strong acting rather than mere shock value. One scary scene is driven solely by a ghastly description.
Entreaties turn to assaults, with vengeance begetting vengeance in an ugly mess.
Soon it's hard to care for either side. The ending is abrupt and limp, with no real punchline or catharsis. Alfred Hitchcock pulled it off in The Birds , but in general, horror needs a finishing kick. Failing to provide it curses Thinner as much as any angry gypsy. Burke, a star of Hal Hartley films, never gets a handle on his ill-defined character, but the ancient, defiant gypsy boss is well played by Michael Constantine.