The Mangler is a novelette by Stephen King, first published in the December 1972 issue of Cavalier magazine, and later collected in King's 1978 collection Night Shift.
Synopsis[]
A police detective investigating a sudden rash of grisly deaths caused by an industrial laundry press machine discovers that, through a series of unfortunate coincidences that lead to certain ingredients (blood, herbs etc, used in an old spell to summon demons), the machine has become possessed by such a demon.
The story ends after the detective and his friend underestimate the demon's power; and in seeking to exorcise the machine, they instead goad it into ripping free of its moorings and prowling the streets in search of fresh prey.
Adaptations[]
- The Mangler – directed by Tobe Hooper and starring Robert Englund.
- The Mangler 2 – starring Lance Henriksen
- The Mangler Reborn