X
- 1993
- R
- Columbia Pictures
- 2 h 1 m
- 1993
- R
- Columbia Pictures
- 2 h 1 m
Summary A mysterious new shop opens in a small town which always seems to stock the deepest desires of each shopper, with a price far heavier than expected.
Directed By: Fraser C. Heston
Written By: Stephen King, W.D. Richter
- 1993
- R
- Columbia Pictures
- 2 h 1 m
- 1993
- R
- Columbia Pictures
- 2 h 1 m
Needful Things
43
6.4
Where to Watch
Summary A mysterious new shop opens in a small town which always seems to stock the deepest desires of each shopper, with a price far heavier than expected.
Directed By: Fraser C. Heston
Written By: Stephen King, W.D. Richter
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
43
22% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
44% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
33% Negative
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
43
22% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
44% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
33% Negative
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
Needful Things is the best Stephen King movie in years. It is, in a sense, a black comedy, but you have to be a little sick to laugh. I laughed. [27 Aug 1993, p.3F]
Needful Things is hardly a cinema milestone -- it's a bit too episodic in chronicling the downfall of the town, and some of King's best bits are glossed over in favor of some of King's worst bits, but all things considered, it's still a hell of a good ride.
It has ideas as well as jolts, themes as well as special effects, characters as well as gore. But, as adapted by writer W. D. Richter and director Fraser Heston, these Things seem disappointingly diminished, squeezed and stuffed into a box too small.
The screenplay by W.D. Richter (The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai) turns Needful Things into a pitch-black comedy -- a rather lifeless one, unfortunately. There are more laughs than scares, though the movie still carries a creepy undercurrent of nastiness that pops up periodically, to great effect. [27 Aug 1993, p.G5]
Moviegoers aren’t likely to be similarly spellbound, as Heston employs a too-slow buildup to an explosion of mayhem that incorporates gruesome violence with awkward attempts at dark humor.
Though this is by no means the grisliest or most witless film made from one of Mr. King's horrific fantasies, it can lay claim to being the most unpleasant. Why? Because when you strip away the suspenseful buildup to a King story, you're often left with mechanical moralizing and crude, sophomoric small talk. Needful Things has more of both than any film could ever need.
Slow-paced and repetitive, Needful Things is overlong and overwrought, and the whole thing should be promptly exorcised.
[27 Aug 1993, p.A]
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 17 User Ratings
6.4
41% Positive
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
41% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
18% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 17 User Ratings
6.4
41% Positive
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
41% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
18% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Awards
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Win & 5 Nominations
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards
• 3 Nominations
