King being King, he is best when creating tension. In this adaptation written and directed by David Koepp, who's-behind-the-door gambits and requisite grisly incidents can ensnare a viewer, as can the confrontational plot. But the inevitable twist may be gleaned early-on by the plot-wise.

Turturro as John Shooter suddenly shows up at the country house of author Mort Rainey (Depp) and claims that Rainey stole his story. Not so the accused says, noting that it was published before the interloper claims to have written his. Prove it, Shooter challenges. His demand: fix the ending and get it published with the ending the way it should have been. Otherwise the consequences will be dire.

Horrible things do begin to happen and Depp calls in a private eye (Charles S. Dutton) for protection. Meanwhile, there is pressure on Rainey to sign divorce papers from his wife Amy, played by Maria Bello, whom Rainey had caught in bed with a lover, Ted (Timothy Hutton), now the new man in her life. Ted and Rainey hate one another, and Rainey thinks Ted may be behind the terrorizing.