The Stephen King Adaptation You Had No Idea Catherine O'Hara Starred In
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The world just had to say goodbye to an absolute comedy legend. The great Catherine O'Hara, star of "Schitt's Creek" and "Beetlejuice" (among other projects), has passed away at 71, and she leaves behind an impressive body of work dating back to her days on "SCTV." But while there's no question that she'll always be remembered for her work in the world of comedy, she did once cross paths with horror legend Stephen King ... sort of.
Indeed, O'Hara once starred in an episode of "The Outer Limits," oft-considered one of the best anthology TV shows ever. During the show's third season in 1997, the "Home Alone" star headlined an episode titled "The Revelations of 'Becka Paulson." Based on the Stephen King short story of the same name, it was a showcase for O'Hara's talents on the small screen within the confines of a genre she didn't play in all that often.
King's original short story first appeared in an issue of "Rolling Stone" and centers on Becka Paulson, who begins receiving messages from a 3D picture of Jesus that sits atop her television regarding her husband Joe's infidelity. The subsequent "Outer Limits" adaptation was directed by Steven Weber of "Wings" fame, who also took on a pivotal role alongside O'Hara.
Taking some liberties with the source material, the television interpretation of King's tale centers on Becka Paulson (O'Hara), who accidentally shoots herself in the head while watching a soap opera. The bullet doesn't kill her, but her ensuing brain damage causes her to hallucinate that the picture of a man in a tuxedo on top of the TV, who refers to himself as "The 8 By 10 Man," is talking to her. It's under his guidance that Becka decides to kill her no-good husband (John Diehl).
The Revelations of 'Becka Paulson is a unique Stephen King tale
"The Revelations of 'Becka Paulson" aired on June 6, 1997, as the 15th episode of season 3 of "The Outer Limits." Stephen King's work has been adapted for the small screen many, many times in the past, but this was a unique adaptation within the framework of a pre-existing TV show. Not only that, but the story itself has a pretty unique history.
While the story was first published in a 1984 issue of Rolling Stone, it was later included in a special edition of the "Skeleton Crew" short story collection. Even more interesting, King later reworked the story as part of his novel "The Tommyknockers," which itself was later turned into a TV miniseries (one that King is not a fan of). It was also included as part of another short story anthology collection, this time titled "I Shudder at Your Touch," published in 1991. Authors like Clive Barker, whose novella "The Hellbound Heart" famously inspired "Hellraiser," also contributed to it.
Years later in 2020, The CW tried to turn King's story into a TV series titled "Revelations." The project was never realized, though, and The CW, as we once knew it, is effectively dead after being bought by Nexstar several years back.
As for O'Hara, her "Outer Limits" episode came at a time when her career was at a peak in the wake of "Home Alone" and "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York." This also wasn't her only time flirting with a horror TV anthology, either, as she also appeared in the season 6 premiere of "Tales from the Crypt" in an episode titled "Let the Punishment Fit the Crime."