The Stand - Stephen King
When a government-run lab accidentally lets loose a deadly virus, the population of the world is decimated. Survivors begin having dreams about two figures: a mystical old woman, or a foreboding, scary man. As the story tracks various people, we begin to realize that the two figures exemplify basic forces of good and evil, and the stage is set for a final confrontation between the representatives of each.
After a government-spawned “superflu” wipes out more than 90 percent of the earth’s population, the devastated survivors must decide whether to support or resist the advances of a mysterious stranger from way down South (heh-heh) who wishes to claim this new world order for himself. Although the six-hour length makes it nigh-impossible to digest in one sitting, this well-paced adaptation of Stephen King’s apocalyptic magnum opus ranks among the best adaptations of the author’s work, with strong performances from Gary Sinise, Miguel Ferrer, and especially Jamey Sheridan as a good-old-boy version of Old Scratch. The opening scene, set to the strains of Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” is one of the most chilling things ever shot for television. Director Mick Garris is no stranger to King’s world, having also helmed Sleepwalkers, the recent television remake of The Shining, and the upcoming Desperation. –Andrew Wright
Tags: Stephen King