12. The Stand
(Mick Garris, 1994)
The Long and Short of It
After a global epidemic of "superflu" wipes out 99% of the population, the United States lie in ruins. As the survivors adapt to the new world order, they begin to have odd dreams. Some dream of a kindly old black woman. Others dream of a dark man with no face...
Adaptation Decay
Significant but Honorable. Stephen King wrote the teleplay to 1994's The Stand based on his 1978 novel (not the thousand-page "director's cut" he released in 1990). The book is widely regarded as King's best work of fiction, an epic dark fantasy couched in Old Testament sensibilities. It's also a tremendously violent work, which makes an ABC TV movie perhaps the least likely home for it. While network restrictions mute some of the drama, the tele-film doesn't shy away from dead bodies, and, with King writing, and the six-hour runtime (originally broadcast in four two-hour events), the flick hits nearly all the important beats from the original novel. Which might be a bummer for those who remember how the original novel climaxes. There are a few significant changes, like the loss of dueling journals, and King combining the pill-popping Rita Blakemoor with devil-betrothed Nadine Cross (which works better than you'd think).
Forget All That - How's the Movie?
The Stand sure as hell isn't perfect, as it contains a miscast Molly Ringwald and some hideous CG effects. Mick Garris's direction veers from the suspenseful to the workmanlike to intentional camp, as with a tawdry Showtime-style seduction between virginal loser Harold (Corin Nemec) and Nadine (Laura San Giacomo). These elements could've led to a patchier affair, but the excellent cast keeps the film consistent. Gary Sinise is perfect as everyman Stuart Redman, and he's surrounded by veterans like Ray Walston, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, and, most impressive of all, Matt Frewer as schizo pyromaniac "Trashcan Man." His fidgety anti-hero drives the film into its later apocalyptic chapters. Those chapters feature the heroes walking across the Rockies toward their titular "stand," and, backed by W. G. Snuffy Walden's simple guitar work, the images evoke Americana without going overboard. As with the novel, the supernatural stand-offs are never quite as engaging as the survivalist drama, but The Stand retains the page-turning energy of King's classic story.
But Is It a Good Halloween Movie?
Not at all. If you want some good Stephen King mini-series creepiness, watch Storm of the Century. It's not on this list since it was originally written for television, but it's damn good telefilmery with a hell of an ending.
Kingwatch 2012
There aren't any references to other King works, but the man himself plays good-natured hick Teddy Wiezak, and Garris stuffs the flick with his horror director friends.
"Do we have a choice?" Larry asked bitterly.She turned to look at him, surprised. "Choice? There's always a choice. That's God's way, always will be. Your will is still free. Do as you will. There's no set of leg-irons on you. But...this is what God wants of you."
After a global epidemic of "superflu" wipes out 99% of the population, the United States lie in ruins. As the survivors adapt to the new world order, they begin to have odd dreams. Some dream of a kindly old black woman. Others dream of a dark man with no face...
Adaptation Decay
Significant but Honorable. Stephen King wrote the teleplay to 1994's The Stand based on his 1978 novel (not the thousand-page "director's cut" he released in 1990). The book is widely regarded as King's best work of fiction, an epic dark fantasy couched in Old Testament sensibilities. It's also a tremendously violent work, which makes an ABC TV movie perhaps the least likely home for it. While network restrictions mute some of the drama, the tele-film doesn't shy away from dead bodies, and, with King writing, and the six-hour runtime (originally broadcast in four two-hour events), the flick hits nearly all the important beats from the original novel. Which might be a bummer for those who remember how the original novel climaxes. There are a few significant changes, like the loss of dueling journals, and King combining the pill-popping Rita Blakemoor with devil-betrothed Nadine Cross (which works better than you'd think).
The Stand sure as hell isn't perfect, as it contains a miscast Molly Ringwald and some hideous CG effects. Mick Garris's direction veers from the suspenseful to the workmanlike to intentional camp, as with a tawdry Showtime-style seduction between virginal loser Harold (Corin Nemec) and Nadine (Laura San Giacomo). These elements could've led to a patchier affair, but the excellent cast keeps the film consistent. Gary Sinise is perfect as everyman Stuart Redman, and he's surrounded by veterans like Ray Walston, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, and, most impressive of all, Matt Frewer as schizo pyromaniac "Trashcan Man." His fidgety anti-hero drives the film into its later apocalyptic chapters. Those chapters feature the heroes walking across the Rockies toward their titular "stand," and, backed by W. G. Snuffy Walden's simple guitar work, the images evoke Americana without going overboard. As with the novel, the supernatural stand-offs are never quite as engaging as the survivalist drama, but The Stand retains the page-turning energy of King's classic story.
But Is It a Good Halloween Movie?
Not at all. If you want some good Stephen King mini-series creepiness, watch Storm of the Century. It's not on this list since it was originally written for television, but it's damn good telefilmery with a hell of an ending.
Kingwatch 2012
There aren't any references to other King works, but the man himself plays good-natured hick Teddy Wiezak, and Garris stuffs the flick with his horror director friends.
Clockwise from top left: Stephen King & Mick Garris, John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), Tom Holland (Fright Night), and Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead)
But You Know What Sucks?
12. Maximum Overdrive
(Stephen King, 1985)
Even in a turn-off-yer-brain way, there's little to recommend in Maximum Overdrive, the only film Stephen King ever directed himself. A loose reworking of his story "Trucks," Maximum Overdrive gets a few points for how proudly dumb it is, with one man dying at the hands of a vengeful soda machine, another guy learning from an ATM that "you're an asshole," and a climactic moment that involves a waitress armed with a bazooka shot to hell by a sentient gatling gun. You won't find that in The Green Mile. There are a few moments of zany pleasure ("We maaade youuu!"), but the flick drags its heels with dull romance, dull truck stop dissension, a predictable resolution, and none of the wit found in similar siege horror flicks like Tremors or Demon Knight. The soundtrack by AC/DC features a silly heavy-metal riff on the violin shrieks of Psycho, but like the rest of the film, it wears out its welcome pretty damn fast.
A Stephen King Halloween
01. ?
02. ?
03. ?
04. ?
05. Stand By Me / Dreamcatcher
06. The Dead Zone / The Mangler
07. Misery / Sometimes They Come Back
08. The Mist / Firestarter
09. "Battleground" / Creepshow 2
10. Creepshow / "The Road Virus Heads North"
11. Dolores Claiborne / The Tommyknockers (TV)
12. The Stand (TV) / Maximum Overdrive
13. 1408 / The Lawnmower Man
14. Christine / Silver Bullet
15. Cat's Eye / Thinner
HM. Hearts in Atlantis / The Shining (TV)
A Stephen King Halloween
01. ?
02. ?
03. ?
04. ?
05. Stand By Me / Dreamcatcher
06. The Dead Zone / The Mangler
07. Misery / Sometimes They Come Back
08. The Mist / Firestarter
09. "Battleground" / Creepshow 2
10. Creepshow / "The Road Virus Heads North"
11. Dolores Claiborne / The Tommyknockers (TV)
12. The Stand (TV) / Maximum Overdrive
13. 1408 / The Lawnmower Man
14. Christine / Silver Bullet
15. Cat's Eye / Thinner
HM. Hearts in Atlantis / The Shining (TV)
I'm enjoying this countdown. As I mentioned on facebook I had issues with the Flagg casting, but I liked a lot of the other choices, especially Sinise. This is one I'd love to see remade for HBO or some other ballsy network. I now picture Javier Bardem as Flagg for some strange reason.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't enjoy Maximum Overdrive on any level. It was just a crappy mess of a movie.
Same here on "The Stand." Ben Affleck was rumored to direct it for a little while there, and that could've been interesting. He did a good job with the low reality of movies like "Gone Baby Gone" and "The Town"; it'd be cool to see him apply that to a supernatural story.
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