Storm of the Century

Castle Rock, a recent series also by Stephen King, also has a stranger in town/trouble premise, though not the only one. There's something about both shows that really makes one think, as if such horror was not quite as far away as other horror movies you might have seen, sort of eerily familiar. Anyway, that's how it bites me. Nuts and bolts is easier. The acting holds this piece above many others. It's very very good. And it's a very large cast, so hats off to casting as well. There are so many (necessary) close-ups that any hint of wooden or uncommitted performance would be tagged straight away. As that never happens, hats off to the director too, it must have been gruelling. I could only get hold of the second half, and I thought that was too long. In the third quarter the effects are brilliant, and nicely edited as well, particularly where two timelines needed to be related. The last quarter is where I docked a point. There were effects that simply did not need to exist, as if the director had an incurable soft spot for old theatre pulley effects. If ever this movie is redone that needs to be thought about. It didn't spoil the ending in any intellectual way, I enjoyed the ending, but I thought it noticeably old-fashioned. On the plus side, the storm itself is a marvel of cinematography. All up this is classic horror from a very inventive mind, and, if you are lucky enough to run across it, well worth chasing.

Stephen King's 'Storm of the Century' is more than I expected. Compared to Stephen King's other movies (that he himself adapted/wrote), I place it up there with 'The Stand' and 'Rose Red.' An offland Maine island is under attack from two forces (or are they really one?): a fierce storm and the mysterious André Linoge. The former takes out the power lines and radios, forcing the townsfolk to gather together in the basement of the town hall. The latter shows a mysterious power to manipulate the objects (and people) around him. I was very impressed by the performance of Tim Daly in this. He did a great job as the lead role. The real charm of this movie to me was the community spirit the town showed. The characters (as in all Stephen King's works) are very believable. The way they pull together in this miniseries was particularly endearing. Overall, I'd give it a 9/10. Not something you should miss if you ever have the chance.

Beginning with Salem's Lot in the 1970's, there have been scads of memorable TV adaptations of prolific horror author Stephen King's books and short stories.

STORM OF THE CENTURY could very well be the best of the bunch. It excels due to King's uncanny ability to insinuate unthinkable horrors into believable small town settings. Here, he captures the life of Little Tall island, complete with its personalities and local flavor.

The characters are built up and fleshed out, so that it actually matters when bad things start happening to them. Tim Daly is quite convincing as the sheriff, as are the other residents.

Colm Feore is exceptional as the mysterious stranger, Andre Linoge, one of television's all-time greatest horror villains. His slow takeover of the town is systematic and wickedly effective.

Network TV owes a lot to Stephen King, especially in this case. The "mini-series" format is perfect for this story. It allows it to unfold in a more natural, unhurried way.

Highly recommended...

Sad. Sick. Twisted. Not anything unusual for Stephen King. This is the story of on 99% honest and 100% good man's struggle to save his town and their children. Mike Anderson (Timothy Daly) is the constable of a small town on an island off the coast of Maine. This movie is the story of his attempt to save the town from a mysterious and supernatural stranger who appears in their midst in the middle of the "Storm of the Century". Sadly, the town is full of corrupt, cowardly, and weak-willed people, making the task that much more daunting and impossible. You will watch as Mike Anderson throughout the movie tries to do that which is right and proves that he was the only strong willed and honest person within that town. But it is to no avail, as in the end Mike Anderson loses that which matters to him most as the town caves in to the strangers demands and intimidation. Its a well produced, yet horrible story, with a very dark and sad feeling that makes your blood boil in the end, because the people of this town are so astoundingly pathetic, corrupt, and pitiful.

"Give me what I want and I'll go away," demands the black-eyed, stocking-capped stranger Linoge (Colm Feore), who appears in a quiet island community on the verge of the worst storm in decades and brutally bludgeons an old lady to death. Tim Daly, the town sheriff and voice of reason and moral strength, locks up the quiet madman, but the deaths pile up as Linoge acts them out from his cell like a murderous mime pulling psychic strings. Stephen King, whose original teleplay is his best work for the screen since The Stand, transforms the sleepy burg into a Peyton Place of guilty secrets and criminal activity ripped from under a blanket of small town normality while the white-out of the snowstorm completely cuts them off from civilization. Director Craig R. Baxley nicely maintains an icy tension while the waiting game goes on, perhaps a little too long, before Linoge finally reveals "what he wants" and the drama turns into a struggle for man's soul in miniature. The more ambitious special effects and set pieces sometimes disappoint but are more than made up for in King's knack for turning the mundane into the macabre (the children's song "I'm a Little Teapot" has never sounded more sinister) and a few brilliantly realized sequences, the best of which occurs when townspeople are literally yanked out of existence while watching the storm. Storm of the Century is one of the most successful translations of King's brand of horror to the screen.