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The world had just said goodbye to an absolute comedy legend. The big one Catherine O’Hara, star of ‘Schitt’s Creek’ and ‘Beetlejuice’ (among other projects), has died at 71, and she leaves behind an impressive body of work dating back to her days on “SCTV.” But while there’s no doubt she’ll always be remembered for her work in the world of comedy, she once crossed paths with horror legend Stephen King… sort of.
Indeed, O’Hara has already appeared in an episode of “The Outer Limits”, often considered one of the best anthology television shows of all time. During the show’s third season in 1997, the “Home Alone” star headlined an episode called “The Becka Paulson Revelations.” Based on Stephen King’s 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 in which she did not star very often.
King’s original short story first appeared in an issue of “Rolling Stone” and focuses on Becka Paulson, who begins receiving messages from a 3D image of Jesus sitting on her television regarding her husband Joe’s infidelity. The later adaptation “Outer Limits” was directed by Steven Weber of “Wings” famewho 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 does not kill her, but the resulting brain damage causes her to hallucinate that the image of a man in a tuxedo above the television, who introduces himself as “the 8 by 10 man”, is speaking to her. It is under his leadership that Becka decides to kill her evil husband (John Diehl).
The Revelations of Becka Paulson is a unique tale by Stephen King
“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 one-off adaptation as part of a pre-existing TV show. Not only that, but the story itself has a pretty unique story.
Although 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 was later made into a TV miniseries (which King is not a fan of). It was also included in another short story anthology collection, this time titled “I Shudder at Your Touch”, published in 1991. Authors like Clive Barker, whose short story “The Hellbound Heart” inspired “Hellraiser”, also contributed to it.
Years later, in 2020, The CW attempted to turn King’s story into a television series called “Revelations.” However, the project was never made and The CW, as we once knew it, effectively died after being purchased by Nexstar several years ago.
As for O’Hara, her episode “Outer Limits” came at a time when her career was at its peak after “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.” This wasn’t the only time she flirted 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 Punishment Fit Crime.”
