The Regulators

Published: 1996

The Regulators (1996), published under King's Richard Bachman pseudonym, unfolds in the suburban neighborhood of Poplar Street, Wentworth, Ohio, where residents suddenly find their reality transformed into a nightmarish amalgamation of western and science fiction elements from a TV show called MotoKops 2200. At the center of this chaos is autistic eight-year-old Seth Garin, possessed by an ancient, malevolent entity called Tak (the same entity from Desperation). Through Seth's imagination, Tak warps reality and unleashes deadly attacks on the neighborhood, manifesting the boy's favorite TV shows and toys as instruments of destruction. Released simultaneously with Desperation as a 'mirror novel'—using the same character names in different roles and contexts—The Regulators represents a return to the Bachman voice: leaner, meaner, and more merciless than King's usual style. The novel utilizes a mixed-media approach, incorporating letters, journal entries, and screenplay excerpts to expand its narrative. Critics gave mixed reviews, with some appreciating its unrelenting pace and inventive premise while others found it excessively violent and less coherent than its companion novel. Commercially successful due to its simultaneous release with Desperation and the established Bachman brand, the book nevertheless remains one of King's less frequently discussed works. No film adaptation has been produced despite occasional development rumors. King has described the paired novels as an experiment in exploring how the same characters might exist in parallel realities, a concept central to his Dark Tower series. For readers, The Regulators showcases King's willingness to experiment with format and narrative approach, while its exploration of childhood imagination corrupted by evil connects to earlier works like IT and The Shining.

Themes

• Reality manipulation
• Possession
• Suburban life
• Childhood imagination
• Ancient evil

Adaptations

Collector Notes

Published simultaneously with Desperation, with which it shares character names and the entity Tak, though the stories are entirely different. King's first Bachman novel since the pseudonym was exposed.