Ralph S. Singleton's 1990 horror movie Graveyard Shift features an eerie mill filled with rats and a disturbing creature in this Stephen King adaptation. In all actuality, the textile mill that serves as its setting is nothing but an innocent yarn manufacturer in Harmony, Maine. Here's why the Bartlettyarns facility was used as the on-site filming location for Graveyard Shift.
The movie is based on Stephen King's 1970 work of the same name, which was featured in his short story collection titled Night Shift (1978). Graveyard Shift tells the story of a a group of textile mill workers who are tasked with working the dreaded night shift as ordered by Warwick (Stephen Macht), their sadistic boss. After refusing to shut down the building due to unsafe working conditions that includes a massive rat infestation, they discover that there is something even more dangerous than hundreds of vermin. Stephen King is considered the master of horror's written word, and has penned 61 novels throughout his career - not including his short story collections. Some have been adapted numerous times while others, like Graveyard Shift, have only graced the big screen once.
Similar to the majority of King's works, Graveyard Shift takes place in a small town in Maine. Over the course of his career, King has created three fictional towns in his home state: Derry, Castle Rock, and Jerusalem's Lot. Graveyard Shift takes place in an unknown town, but it is safe to assume it is very close to one of these well-established fictional locations. Due to the fact that it isn't outright mentioned, the town of Harmony, Maine is often recognized as the definitive setting for the story, as Singleton used Bartlettyarns' facility as its primary location. As an added bonus for King fans, the location is still operational.
Harmony, Maine is located approximately 60 miles from the state capital. According to a 2010 census, the population was less than 1,000. Harmony is a very small town, but a very popular location for fans of Graveyard Shift and Stephen King. Bartlettyarns, Inc. has been part of the Harmony community since 1812 and is the oldest mill of its kind in the United States. Due to the fact that Graveyard Shift centers around an old textile mile, Bartlettyarns was an obvious location, especially since it looks so old in comparison to modern facilities.
Bartlettyarns is open to the public, offering tours to anyone who is interested in seeing the on-site filming location of Graveyard Shift or explore the country's oldest woolen yarn mill. It is actually the last remaining location that still uses the spinning mule - a machine created in the 18th century to spin cotton and yarn. The setting of Graveyard Shift was intended to look as though the mill had been neglected, as it is overrun with rats and mismanaged by Warwick. While the actual Bartlettyarns facility had been updated, it retained many of its older looking aesthetics that made the location so perfect for the movie in the first place.
Their website currently lists over 20 products for sale and offers virtual events. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have halted all tours for the foreseeable future. According to their website, Bartlettyarns is hopeful that 2021 will allow for them to continue operations as normal with the addition of required social distancing as well as masks. Once tours are available, a trip to see Graveyard Shift's filming location could easily expand to a visit to Bangor - the home of Stephen King - and further exploration of other familiar places, such as locations from Pet Sematary, for the die-hard fan.
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