Stephen King: Ranking His Films From Worst To Best
21. Needful Things
Stephen King's messages don't tend to come very well-concealed but, well, that's part of his charm. He's a no BS kind of guy, refusing to couch his themes and worldview in anything but the most obvious of metaphors. Nowhere is that more apparent than in his 1991 novel Needful Things, about a mysterious antique store that sells whatever a customer really needs. But, as time goes by, each of said customers realises that their heart's desire comes at a price. The film's a fairly straight adaptation, aided by Max Von Sydow as the store owner who expects each customer to play a prank on another member of the town - the target and method of prank to be his choosing. It turns out his pranks are carefully orchestrated to play on long-bubbling tensions and rivalries in the town, ultimately leading to the populace tearing each other apart. Ed Harris is great as the town sheriff, but even he and Von Sydow can't quite elevate this to anything higher than late night Neftlix watch.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/