Oh, there is nothing that can bring a smile to my face quicker than a Stephen King story sent for review. Whether his books or film/TV adaptations, more often that not it means I’m going to enjoy myself. I am one of his ‘constant readers’ and have devoured most of his adaptations, whether assigned to review them or not. Surprisingly, I had never read his 1991 novel, nor seen the 1993 adaptation. Until it arrived this week! So how does it stack up to the countless King tales on offer?

Set in King’s oft used fictional town Castle Rock, Needful Things tells the tale of bric-a-brac dealer Leland Gaunt (Max Von Sydow) setting up shop to tempt the sleepy township’s folk. He has an unusually insightful view of the varying customers that come knocking, for a fella who just arrived, as well as a knack for having exactly what they have always desired. He is affable and generous with his prices, but to quote Mr. King himself: Caveat Emptor (Let the buyer beware). Gaunt’s charms and wears always come with a cost, seemingly low, starting with pranks and quickly escalating to betrayal and ruin and murder. Can the townsfolk get wise and save their town before it’s too late?

The concept of this story is wonderful. A schemer of otherworldly power charms his way into a town and, like a cancer, corrupts and destroys it. A true wolf in sheep’s clothing tale. Sadly, the execution of this concept in Needful Things doesn’t work. Gaunt is supposed to be charming and unassuming but, as written in this film, is off kilter and creepy from the outset. His ‘temptations’ (usually proffered with horrendous dialogue) are delivered with the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the forehead. It makes the varying townsfolk seem witless. Yes, he is supernatural, seemingly omnipotent even, but there is no finesse or believability to his manipulations.

There are some top shelf actors in this piece, directed by Charlton Heston’s boy Fraser, but not even they can sell the characters fully. Ed Harris plays the Sheriff that gets wise with suitable panache, but as written devolves into a bland motivational speaker to win the day. The late J.T Walsh’s corrupt councilman turns in an almost infantile performance. I could go on but for the sake of brevity you have a bunch of consummate actors trying to make really characterisations that needed work.

The film was theatrically released (to not much fanfare) but doesn’t look particularly cinematic. There was, in fact, a 4-hour TV cut broadcast (including in this 4K set) but it does nothing to save its poor character work. The film, as a whole, isn’t dynamic; its MO repeats over and over in the same way, the same situation for the most part. It’s repetitious and uninteresting. This one, I’m sad to say, was a bit of a slog for me. No smile on my face after sitting through two different cuts of Needful Things. Hard pass for me.

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Edition

Theatrical Cut 4K / TV Cut BD / 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Home Video Distributor: Kino Lorber
Available on Blu-ray - July 25, 2023
Screen Formats: 1.33; 1.85:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A

VIDEO

Important to note: the theatrical edition of this film is a native scan 2160p, region free scan, but the TV cut is a region locked 1080p upscale. The 4K delivers a very clean looking print indeed. Colours are natural and consistent, blacks are detailed and flawless, and the Dolby Vision/HDR highlights give wonderful contrast and delineation. This may not be a stylish looking movie to begin with, but Kino LORBER have presented it pristinely here.

AUDIO

Delivered here is a decent DTS-HD 5.1 surround mix (theatrical only) that serves the listening experience with everything you need. This is an intimately set story, with a lot of talking in rooms, so don’t be expecting a show mix. Having said that, when things do escalate, whether breaking windows or blowing shit up or fights, the sound design is suitably robust. Dialogue is clean and centred, environmental elements are reproduced cleanly as well. The music soars through in some moments. It’s a solid piece of work. The TV cut gets a serviceable (and maybe fitting for an underwhelming flick) DTS-HD 2.0 stereo mix.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• Archival audio commentary

Special Features:

Not much here. 4K has a legacy director’s commentary from a previous release. The blu-ray has a more interesting 20-minute feature with screenwriter W.D. Richter talking about his interpretation of King’s novel (it apparently isn’t faithful).

• The Devil is in the Details
• Trailer

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 121 mins
Director: Fraser C. Heston
Writer: Stephen King; W.D. Richter
Cast: Max von Sydow; Ed Harris; Bonnie Bedelia
Genre: Horror | Thriller | Crime
Tagline: Buy now. Pay later.
Memorable Movie Quote: "The young carpenter from Nazareth? I know him well. Promising young man. He died badly"
Theatrical Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: August 27, 1993
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: July 25, 2023.
Synopsis: 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.