Jeffrey DeMunn first caught my attention as a baffled local in Steven King’s “Storm on the Century.” A few days later I spotted him playing a baffled prison guard in “The Green Mile.” Last night I was settling down to enjoy some freaky CGI tentacles in “The Mist” when who should come running out of the titular fog but Mr. DeMunn, bloodied and baring ominous tidings. When I googled him today and noted his cameo in “The Shawshank Redemption,” I officially closed the competition. Jeffrey DeMunn rocks the best “Uh-Oh Face” in Steven King’s entire catalogue.
Some actors are born to play villains, like Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) or Tony Todd (Candyman). Some actors, however, make much better victims. As I learned myself a few weeks ago, acting in a horror movie outside of a monster suit is essentially an exercise in maintaining a believable state of unease and confusion. Your job is to play the straight man for all the crazy shit happening around you, to voice the audience’s concern of “What the fuck is going on here???” While the hero quickly accepts his fate and moves on, victims are constantly amazed by the deteriorating situation.
I can’t speculate as to how Jeffrey DeMunn became Mr. Kings go-to guy for the “WTF” perspective, but somebody’s got to do it, and he pulls it off with consistent style. Bravo.
In “Storm of the Century,” DeMunn, barely visible behind the two leads, voices his concerns about the weather. His inclination to bitch and moan about the state of affairs directly contrasts the dude from “Wings,” who is clearly a man of action, even in profile.
Escaping the cold, DeMunn heads south, only to find himself again faced with some seriously fucked up shit. This time it comes in the form of a huge Oscar-nominated black man with magic powers. Thank God he can always hide behind the main characters. I wonder if his headshot features a slack jaw and furrowed brow?
DeMunn in “The Mist” (far right). Inner monologue: “Seriously? Every time I find a nice, quiet town and try to settle down, some crazy shit pops off. I can’t believe this. I should have known better than to move back to Maine. Now I’m trapped in a Supermarket with the Punisher. Fucking fantastic.”
