Secret Window contains all the creepy, mysterious, plot-flip ending joys that Stephen King-inspired creations have to offer, complete with a small-town Maine setting. Johnny Depp reliably delivers one in many of his eccentric, broody outcast roles, particularly enjoyable alongside John Turturro's own brand of off-kilter.
Made in a time before everything was online, it's fun to watch the two characters fight over the existence of a hard-copy magazine, the only proof that Mort's story was published before Shooter's. This and others are among the simple pleasures found in Secret Window, the essence of which can be brought back to us through some of its best quotes.
You Stole My Story!
A man named Shooter shows up on Mort's door and accuses him of stealing his story. This is a line we hear repeatedly from here on out throughout the movie—it kind of becomes Shooter's signature saying, and the thing he is most easily remembered by. There's stubborn childishness in his accusation, especially since he makes it without any logical reason or proof.
He'd Bury Her In The Garden She Loved More Than She Loved Him
Mort reads this line from the book that is, at this point in the film, purportedly a copy of Shooter's, or vice versa. Mort reading it out loud is necessary to show the audience that the copies say the same thing, but it's also an opportunity for the audience to hear an example of his writing, which shows us that he was resentful of his wife long before she actually cheated on him and that he has a tendency toward the melodramatic.
There, No More Bad Writing
Recently cheated on by his wife, Mort has escaped to the confines of the country house he and his wife had bought together. Most of the beginning of the movie follows Mort's few movements here, with flashes to his computer screen and the meager words written there.
Mort eventually makes his way back to the screen, fusses over what to write, and then deletes it all, sitting back with a look of accomplishment.
It's Not My Story. I Didn't Write This.
It's been a day or so since Shooter showed up and made his accusation. He left Mort a copy of his own story, the one he claims Mort copied. Mort had thrown this in the trash, but his housekeeper Mrs. Garvy assumed it was his and put it on the kitchen table. In a strange moment of insecurity, Mort repeatedly asserts to Mrs. Garvy that it's not his story. It's odd, considering he believes he technically did.
You Lie
This line is an easter egg of sorts for those who have seen John Turturro's other work. His accent and emphatic way of shaping words and expressing his points are memorable, and anyone who has seen his 2000 movie O Brother Where Art Thou? will be reminded of his wonderful performance upon hearing this quote, which he delivers in much the same way here.
You Should Have Him Over To The House More, I Like It—I Love It. That's Why I Bought It
This is a snarky comment that Mort makes to Amy when they are on the phone and she explains that her lover doesn't usually come to her house much, but that she goes to his.
Mort is upset at hearing the specifics of their relationship habits and expresses it by making a joke about the fact that the house her lover visits was, in fact, their house that they bought to live in together.
Needle-point. Doc Says It's Good For The Arthritis
Mort's dog has been murdered, and so he goes to the police--to no avail. The Sheriff puts on a big show of saying that people need to make use of the police, but then sits down in his chair and seems to completely disregard everything Mort says to him. Instead, he focuses on his needlepoint and casually remarks that killing a dog might not even be a crime, for all he knows.
A Big Money-Scribblin' As*hole Like You
Shooter's lines are the most colorful in the film. He's from the south where people are indeed known to have a remarkably imaginative way of speaking—and, particularly, swearing. This is played up in the film, heightening Shooter's character to a level that verges on unrealistic, or like someone's imagined version of a southerner—appropriately so, as it turns out.
I Return To The Couch. Shame, Degradation, Sloth... Sloth
We first experience Mort as he exists in a tiny world of self-pity. He spends his days moving from the couch to the kitchen, mostly to grab a soda from the fridge or feed the dog, and then back to the couch to sleep more. Occasionally, he glances at his writing but goes little beyond that. This quote playfully marks the acknowledgment of the aimlessness of his days while hinting at a deeper state of dissatisfaction frustration at play.
The Only Thing That Matters Is The Ending. It's The Most Important Part Of The Story.
This quote encompasses what, by the end of the movie, we realize that the whole movie was about, that being Mort's obsession with the ending of one of his stories and his subconscious taking on an alternate personality to fight for a different ending. We see Mort in a state of serene acceptance of the results of his dissociation, completely content now that his suppressed desires have become a reality.