This is a documentary that I meant to watch last October for a horror movie challenge I do every year, but life and time got away from me. I decided to sign up for Screambox for a year as they have interesting new horror movies and documentaries that I wanted to check out. This was one that I watched while working.
Now I wasn't old enough to remember when the television mini-series hit. When I started to expand my horror film base, Stephen King adaptations and reading his works was where I started. My sister and I rented this from the video store. I believe we also bought the VHS soon after. A slight problem is that I think I watched this out of order the first time. That didn't bother me too much though as I fell in love at that young age with this story.
This is a great documentary. They interview so many people behind the scenes like Tommy Lee Wallace, Lawrence D. Cohen, Bart Mixon and Richard Bellis. That is just scratching the surface. What I like here is that they give trade secrets and the issues they endured getting this made. This gets coupled with the on-screen talent like Tim Curry, Richard Thomas, Seth Green, Dennis Christopher, Richard Masur, Tim Reid and Emily Perkins. Again, that isn't everyone. We learn about how the children became friends and how they bonded with the adults to make this work seamless. It was interesting to hear the casting and the issues that they had with the network to get this to show how Wallace intended.
I would also say that this is a well-made documentary. They do well at splicing in clips, both from what aired and showing behind the scenes footage. It gives you a deeper understanding and for those that loved this mini-series, appreciation. Having checked this out now, I'm even more curious to revisit now that I know. I enjoyed my time with this quite a bit and worth a watch for fans for sure.
My Rating: 8 out of 10.
