Product Description

The terrifying tale of a town beseiged by evil. The inhabitants of a picturesque sleepy little town on a small island off the coast of main find themselves completely cut off from the rest of the world when they are hit by the worst storm of the century. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 03/22/2005 Starring: Tim Daly Colm Feore Run time: 248 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Craig R. Baxley

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5148 in DVD
• Brand: Lions Gate
• Released on: 1999-06-22
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 256 minutes

Amazon.com
"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. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

King's Confusing Morality Play...
Stephen King's "Storm of the Century" is a good flick. Yet many King fans will attempt to associate it or transpose this work - don't bother. This movie is NOT based on any of his, or Bachman, books. Instead, this is King's evolvolution into a a very visual movie producer attempting to unbind himself from his book writing persona. He accomplishes this grand task in "Storm of the Century."

Based on a Maine island preparing for the snow storm of the century in 1989, the movie is based on a stranger, Andre Linoge, who kills a elderly woman for no evident reason. Then, he escalates into a bizarre evil force that captivates a small Maine island whos occupants have a hard time dealing with the truth. Mr. Linoge seems to know every evil act committed by the island's occupants: cheating, lying, bodily harm, and adultery. Instead, they seem oddly comfortable living in denial. "Give Me What I Want And I Will Leave" is the ongoing testement for Mr. Linoge. His methodology for death, with the help of his murderous cane, is often pointless and grotesque at times. The significance of this cane is never mentioned. Yet I was very pleased and quite surprised by Mr. King's ability to develop his characters so deeply. The Constable, played by Tim Daly, is wonderfully acted and developed. In "Storm," viewers quickly become familiar with the many Islanders only after the first hour. The unfortunate problem is that King doesn't develop the antagonist, Andre Linoge (great acting by Colm Feore!), no where nearly as some would have liked. Instead, throughout half of "Storm," you'll find Linoge's character sits and stares. When Linoge does speak, it shows wasted time on and underdeveloped character.

The ending is both vivid yet a letdown. Mr. Linoge's whole intent seems overkill while the Islanders reactions often understated. I think viewers will either love or hate it. Either way, viewers will enjoy the beautiful scenery, vivid photography, and colorful charecters in "Storm of the Century."

King's Best Since The Stand, Disturbing to the Hilt!
This was absolutely the best thing on television in 1999. Stephen King's best mini-series since the adaptation of The Stand. King's portrayal of a close knit, secret enshrouded Maine town has become one of his trademarks. Not since Salem's Lot has a King created town been host to such a delicious evil. I was truly fascinated by Colm Feore as the supernatural villain who only asks that the town gives him what he wants. And what he wants no one should ever give willingly. This was one of those "I can't believe that just happened" type of movies. The fact that a film of such devious quality was made for television is again a testament to Stephen King's appeal. Half the stuff in this movie I was surprised even passed the censors. But boy was I glad it did. My only disappointment was that King didn't turn this into a book. The screenplay is fantastic but a companion novel would have been such sweet frosting. This movie is a confirmation that Stephen King hasn't gone soft with age, he's only gotten better. Like a fine wine or more appropriately a can of beer.

Scary but Slow-Moving
I have mixed feelings about Storm of the Century. While I did wait with great anticipation for each installment of the mini-series, I must admit I thought the plot moved VERY slowly. Lenoge was a great villain - he was creepy and quiet and deadly. Every time his teeth turned into fangs I got goosebumps. There were many suspense-filled moments but few scenes of sheer terror. It's like the anticipation builds and builds and then falls flat. I kept waiting for the movie to move along faster in pace, but this thing went slower than my Ford on a cold Winter day. Okay, so having said that - I will admit that every night AFTER I had finished watching each part of the series, I was so tense that I couldn't fall asleep unless a light was on somewhere in the house. So I guess for all my condescension about the plot - I was effected by the movie on some level. One of the good things about this movie was the setting -- an island cut off from the mainland by a terrible snow storm - its inhabitants literally prisoners of the environment - so that when you add a supernatural maniac (who seems to have an affection for the song "I'm a little teapot" ) who wreaks havoc - you have the basis for an entertaining movie. I just wish it had moved at a faster pace and that it had reached the climactic scenes earlier.