Needful Things (1993)

Featured Audience Ratings

• AJ V

  
  Could you imagine having a store where you can get just what you really need? But then it turns out to be evil? Awesome, right? Watch this movie, based on a King novel, it's really cool, and I highly recommend it.

• Sophie B

  
  Ed Harris did a good job. ... ...

• Dean !

  
  Disappointed to say the least. I've not read the book but I'm a big fan of Stephen King and so many of his stories have gone on to be great films....despite what a lot seem to think? This is very average though and pretty straight forward. A good cast line up with a lot of… More
  Disappointed to say the least. I've not read the book but I'm a big fan of Stephen King and so many of his stories have gone on to be great films....despite what a lot seem to think? This is very average though and pretty straight forward. A good cast line up with a lot of well known faces, now if not back in '93. Apparently a lot has been left out from the book as well. One for die hard fans maybe.

• Martin S

  
  It was fun. One of the better Stephen King books made in to film i would think

• Conner R

  
  I actually really like this and think it captures what made the novel so great, you get the sense of a community going crazy. Ed Harris is the perfect Sheriff Pangborn and by far the shining moment of the entire movie, but it's also a very well made movie. The attention to detail… More
  I actually really like this and think it captures what made the novel so great, you get the sense of a community going crazy. Ed Harris is the perfect Sheriff Pangborn and by far the shining moment of the entire movie, but it's also a very well made movie. The attention to detail and crazy characters are all touched on, it only enhances the world set up in The Dark Half. While it's not perfect or one of the best Stephen King movies, it's nowhere near bad.

• Wahida K

  
  I have seen this Movie so many times. It is not exactly a Horror, it is a Mystery. A profoundal difference.

• Cassandra M

  
  Set in the small township of Castle Rock - a fictional location created by Stephen King - 'Needful Things' is the tale of an antiques shop run by Leland Gaunt, the Devil himself, played by Max Von Sydow. As the proprietor of the New England business, Gaunt gets his claws… More
  Set in the small township of Castle Rock - a fictional location created by Stephen King - 'Needful Things' is the tale of an antiques shop run by Leland Gaunt, the Devil himself, played by Max Von Sydow. As the proprietor of the New England business, Gaunt gets his claws into the town, just as antiques dealer Straker did in the King masterpiece 'Salem's Lot'. Sheriff Alan Pangborn (Ed Harris, 'The Creepshow' & 'The Stand') does not buy the salesman's evil pitch. He sees straight through Gaunt's evil plan immediately. Incidentally, Pangborn also turns up in King's 'The Dark Half' and is played in the subsequent movie by Michael Rooker. Ace Merril from 'Stand By Me' also appears in King's novel but is omitted from the movie. In fact there is much missing from the movie that can be found in the novel, but this is always the case with Stephen King adaptations. The movie does not let fans down, though ... the characters are well acted, dark and moody ... Gaunt practically buys his way into the township, offering the residents antiques of their choice in return for payment of their souls. It is up to Pangborn and Polly Chambers (relation of Chris Chambers in 'Stand By Me' aka 'The Body') played by Bonnie Bedelia ('Salem's Lot') and schoolboy Brian Rusk to bring down Gaunt. Typically 'Needful Things' is set in small-town Stephen King Maine --- a part of the world that will forever be associated with the horror author. The scenery is stunning, especially the coastline. There is plenty of action as well as a thriller feel and some very amusing moments too. Fans of 'Salem's Lot' will identify with this film, notably the similarities in story and characters. Evil invades a small town, slowly influencing its inhabitants, especially the obligatory young boy (related to King's own childhood escapades perhaps?) So enter 'Needful Things' and indulge your curiosity. But a little curiosity shop this is not. Probably one of the better Stephen King adaptations.

• Jason S

  
  A pretty good adaptation of the King book. The cast does a really good job and Sydow as the devil works really well. If you like the movie I recommend you read the book as a lot more happens in the story than they are able to put on screen.

• xGary X

  
  Yet more of Stephen King's brand of Twilight Zone hokeyness is transferred to the silver screen, and it's a similarly lame experience. Max Von Sydow slums it as a shop keeper who sells the usual small town stereotypes their hearts desire in return fo.r pranks that set the… More
  Yet more of Stephen King's brand of Twilight Zone hokeyness is transferred to the silver screen, and it's a similarly lame experience. Max Von Sydow slums it as a shop keeper who sells the usual small town stereotypes their hearts desire in return fo.r pranks that set the townsfolk against each other. The flat direction and made for TV cast do not aid what is an extremely low concept "horror" film in which the scariest thing is Von Sydow's oral hygiene. Not the worst King adaptation I've ever seen, but that that would be one TALL order...

• Emily A

  
  Dude, the guy in this movie is one of the greatest villains ever. Demanding favors and playing people off against each other; he didn't even need to be supernatural in origin for him to be frightening. The villain isn't so much him though, as it is human pettiness, greed and… More
  Dude, the guy in this movie is one of the greatest villains ever. Demanding favors and playing people off against each other; he didn't even need to be supernatural in origin for him to be frightening. The villain isn't so much him though, as it is human pettiness, greed and weakness. He just exploits it. Movies that showcase what we hate most about ourselves are the scariest, I find. Like in zombie movies, the real villains aren't really zombies, but the traits in people that come to the forefront when they're trying to survive. This isn't even them trying to survive though, which is the scary part. They bite into each other to get desired trinkets, which is the most unsettling thing.

• Dr Blood  

  
  All this Stephen King "set in a small New England town" stuff can get a bit humdrum after a while, but this is one of the better "the devil comes to town..." stories.

• A.D. V

  
  Someone remake this PLEASE!

• Jeffrey M

  
  Not one of the better Stephen King adaptations, Needful Things doesnâ(TM)t have a compelling script, characters, or mood. It has the vibe of a TV movie, with unconvincing melodrama. There is some good work to be had, especially from Ed Harris, but most of the characters lack any… More
  Not one of the better Stephen King adaptations, Needful Things doesnâ(TM)t have a compelling script, characters, or mood. It has the vibe of a TV movie, with unconvincing melodrama. There is some good work to be had, especially from Ed Harris, but most of the characters lack any depth. Far from being scary, Needful Things succeeds mostly at being bland and predictable.

• Lee K

  
  By all means the worst book adaptation around. Please read the book first it was 1000 times more intriguing or scarier then the movie.

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