Needful Things

R

1993

2h 0m

Horror

List

32%

Tomatometer

28 Reviews

44%

Audience Score

10,000+ Ratings

When a creepy older man named Leland Gaunt (Max von Sydow) moves to a small town in Maine and sets up an antique shop, bad things soon follow. Gaunt has the remarkable ability of selling people exactly what they want most, but his ideal purchases come at a price that involves more than just money. Through Gaunt's manipulation, the citizens of the town gradually turn on one another, resulting in violence that Sheriff Alan Pangborn (Ed Harris) struggles to contain.

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Clifford Terry

Chicago Tribune

This is pulp moviemaking at its worst.

Rated: 1/4

Oct 4, 2019

Full Review

Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 3/5

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Needful Things is yet another one of those films based on a Stephen King story that inspires you to wonder why his stories don't make better films.

Rated: 1.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A sloppy romp that borders on camp.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 10, 2023

Full Review

Allison Rose

FlickDirect

As the film opens the picture quality is, in a word, awful. However, one minute in, everything changes and the 4K native (2160p) resolution kicks in putting everything in sharp focus with incredible detail.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 25, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Reserved for casual viewing and macabre escapism, Needful Things manages to be watchable and forgettable all at once.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 23, 2022

Full Review

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Beatingu83 L

Was a very good adaptation of the book. Good story. Entertaining.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/27/24

Full Review

Sean M

Needful Things is a fantastic book that has a lot of depth and complexity to it. There are lots of parts in the book where I LOL’d. Dialog and pacing are great. One of the things that also makes the book so great is the build up to the grand finale. Sadly, I don’t think a decent adaptation is possible for this book. The 1993 film is very cheesy and the acting is awful except for Sydow as Gaunt. He’s the best part. They deviate too much from the book and leave out nearly half the characters (they even leave Ace out and he’s a huge part of the story). There’s no build up at all. Alan doesn’t meet Gaunt til the end in the book. Why does Polly live in a diner? Why does Wilma live on a turkey farm lol? Brian throws apples instead of rocks lol? Why is Gaunt’s store in a house and not a regular storefront? There’s also no mention of Gaunt being a demon, which is what made the book somewhat spooky. This film is so watered down and shallow that it’s best to just read the book and not watch this. Hard pass!

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/28/24

Full Review

Dallas H

The original novel on which the movie is based would be one of my favorite Stephen King stories. It is a tremendously long story, nearly a thousand pages, depending on which publication you pick up. It is a sure thing the movie will be trimming the story down a bit if it is to fit within a two-hour time frame. With that said, I like this movie adaptation quite a bit. The filmmakers have incorporated several of the main story points from the book into the movie. But it still feels a little bit like an abridged version. I still get a kick out of watching it—such an enjoyable story filled with drama and chaos.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great cast, good execution. One of the better Stephen King films.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/29/23

Full Review

Russell H

Close to the book and Ed Harris is great. Some good characters

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Seppur a tratti ridicolo e grottesco, il film è un divertente passatempo dalla messa in scena semplice ma efficace.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

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Fraser C. Heston

Director

Max von Sydow

Leland Gaunt

Ed Harris

Sheriff Alan Pangborn

Bonnie Bedelia

Polly Chalmers

Amanda Plummer

Nettie Cobb

J.T. Walsh

Danforth Keeton III

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Synopsis

When a creepy older man named Leland Gaunt (Max von Sydow) moves to a small town in Maine and sets up an antique shop, bad things soon follow. Gaunt has the remarkable ability of selling people exactly what they want most, but his ideal purchases come at a price that involves more than just money. Through Gaunt's manipulation, the citizens of the town gradually turn on one another, resulting in violence that Sheriff Alan Pangborn (Ed Harris) struggles to contain.

Director: Fraser C. Heston
Producer: Jack Cummins
Screenwriter: W.D. Richter
Production Co: Castle Rock Entertainment, New Line Cinema
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $15.1M
Runtime: 2h 0m
Sound Mix: Dolby, Dolby SR, SDDS, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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