Director – Mick Garris (Sleepwalkers, Critters 2)
Starring – Gary Sinise (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Green Mile), Molly Ringwald (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club), and Jamey Sheridan (Tim and Eric’s Bedtime Stories, CBS Children’s Mystery Theatre)
Release Date – 1994
Rating – 4/5
Blu Release – 3.5/5
Tagline – “The end of the world is just the beginning”
When I was growing up I spent a lot of time at my grandmother’s. My dad would often leave town a lot and I would stay with her. She absolutely loved the Sy-Fy Channel, which was Sci-Fi back then, and we would watch shows like Red Dwarf, Doctor Who, Lexx, The X-Files, and so on. When a Stephen King adaptation would get released she would often ask my dad to pick up the tape at the video store before he dropped us off.
I remember as a kid and The Stand miniseries was airing on television. I remember watching it with her but I don’t remember a lot about the show itself. When I caught wind of the blu release I remembered all the fun I had watching shows and movies with my grandmother so I reached out for a review copy and was lucky enough to get one. Thank you guys so much for allowing myself and Horror Society the opportunity to check this one out!
**Spoiler Alert**The film begins when a deadly virus is accidentally released in a testing facility. One of the guards panics and flees across country with his family finding himself in Texas spreading the virus along the way. Now everyone that has come in contact with it is suffering from flu like symptoms before dying. The remaining survivors of the plague are visited by two entities. The first is an elderly woman who shoes them the way of God while the other is a man dressed in denim who is the embodiment of evil. They are forced to choose which side of the coin they are on in a game much bigger than any of them suspected.**Spoiler Alert**
I honestly don’t remember a lot about The Stand when I watched it as a kid. I was around 8 when it aired but after revisiting it I have to say that the show is fucking fantastic. If I was a little older when it was released I would have appreciated it a lot more. It’s rare that I come across something with Mick Garris’ name on it and enjoy it so kudos to him.
The acting in this is great. There is so many amazing characters and performances in this one. If I wanted to be detailed about how amazing the performances in the film were I would be here all day mentioning each and every cast member. My favorite performances belonged to Matt Frewer and Bill Fagerbakke. Their characters were easily my favorite and their performances were so much fun.
The story for this one holds your attention in each and every scene. Religious horror can be very effective or extremely goofy. This mini-series teeters on that line between series dramatic horror and cheesy daytime gospels. I liked the approach the film had to the story with the slow build up and character development. Garris’ goofy approach to King’s stories does slip through in several scenes but it’s not enough to damper the overall mini-series. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and was very disappointed when the last episode ended.
Finally, this show has some seriously awesome practical effects and some of the worst 90s CGI I’ve ever seen. I loved the practical effects. The corpses and sick humans were fantastic. As the show progresses you get to really see the bodies decay over time. I also liked the way Flag looked once he transformed into the demon. Sadly, the CGI in the later scenes were completely laughable and almost ruins the power of the ending of the show. Whoever thought that was a good idea was clearly not paying attention.
Overall, The Stand is a fantastic King adaptation that is enticing and engrossing. The blu release is beautifully restored and full of some great extras. Check it out now because it deserves your attention.
Special Features:
Audio Commentary
Making Of
