By Erin Free
WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Prolific true crime writer, Fred Rosen’s tabloid tome, Lobster Boy, luridly tells of circus performer, Grady Stiles Jr., who suffered from the rare condition of ectrodactyly, in which the fingers and toes are fused together, producing hands and feet that resemble lobster claws. Stiles (who came from a long line of men stricken with ectrodactyly) was unable to walk, but otherwise functioned almost normally by crawling and using his “claws.” His father was a circus performer, and Grady Jr. joined the family profession, where he was billed as “Lobster Boy.” He married twice and had four children, two of whom (Cathy and Grady III) were born with ectrodactyly. This, however, is where the story takes a truly dark turn. Stiles was a violent, abusive alcoholic, and his family suffered the brunt of his rage. When his eldest daughter got engaged to a young man who he disapproved of, Stiles shot and killed him. He was convicted of murder, but never imprisoned – no institution was equipped to handle his disability, leading to years of continued abuse for Stiles’ family. This twisted story would eventually come to a violent denouement. In 1992, Grady Stiles Jr. was murdered. His wife, Maria, had conspired with her stepson, Harry, to pay their neighbour, Chris Wyant, to commit the crime. Maria’s subsequent trial marked the first time that a defendant had used a “battered woman’s syndrome” defence in a premeditated murder case. Maria, Chris Wyant, and Harry were all found guilty and incarcerated.
WHY WOULD IT MAKE A GOOD MOVIE? Lobster Boy has a dark, fascinatingly flawed lead character; rampant opportunities for exciting visuals; not one but two controversial court cases; a swathe of slithering subplots and knock-out thematic punches; and plentiful hooks to lure in audiences chasing something truly unusual.
WHO SHOULD MAKE IT? Who else but Tim Burton – with his flair for garish horror (Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd), outsider angst (Edward Scissorhands) and unconventional biopics (Ed Wood) – could helm this dark, deliriously kitsch story? On top of that, Grady Stiles’ daughter, Cathy, actually appeared in Burton’s film, Big Fish. Screenwriters, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (Ed Wood, The People Vs. Larry Flynt, Man On The Moon), would be the perfect adaptors of what could be a stunning mix of domestic upheaval and demented imagery worthy of The Brothers Grimm.
WHO SHOULD BE IN IT? Nicolas Cage has been making a lot of crap lately (aside from his small supporting role in Snowden), and Grady Stiles Jr. is the kind of character that the occasionally great actor could use to get back to where he belongs. Cage’s taste for the macabre is well documented, and he could very well turn this into a Raging Bull-style tour de force, navigating both physical transformation and vivid, violent character traits. The other central role is that of the tortured, saintly Maria (“My husband was going to kill my family,” she said upon her conviction. “I’m sorry this happened, but my family is safe now”), who could be expertly essayed by the ever daring Carla Gugino. Young actor Jonathan Tucker (In The Valley Of Elah) would be a good fit for Maria’s conflicted co-conspirator Harry, while the characters of killer Chris Wyant and Grady Stiles Sr. (seen in flashback) would be fine showcases for Brady Corbet (Mysterious Skin, Funny Games) and Christopher Walken, respectively.
