Ever since I first saw Gates of Heaven I have been thinking about Errol Morris, human nature, truth, and details.

Actually, watching Morris’s films has gotten me thinking about Stephen King novels. I have always been a Stephen King fan, and I can tell you exactly the reason why: his characters. I don’t know if any of you have read a Stephen King novel, but if you have, I know you’ll agree with me: his characters are amazing. There isn’t a single flat character. Every character has some sort of significance, even if they only say one word, and you forget them half a page later. They are all vivid, realistic characters. Granted, Stephen King doesn’t always portray humanity in the prettiest of lights, but that’s what I like so much about him: humans aren’t pretty! We are sometimes base, gross, disgusting, strange things. I think this is a memo that Stephen King and Errol Morris both got that most of the rest of their peers did not. Morris’s character just like Stephen King’s: a little strange, kind of bizarre, sometimes pretty depressing, and very, very true to life. These are real people! These aren’t actors; they don’t know how to be anyone other than themselves.

I don’t know about you guys, but I find myself more unnerved by true people, and the truth that comes with them, than any made up character in a book or film.