He’s recuperating from his grief in the arms of one of his wife’s best friends, Polly Chalmers, but she has a certain haunted dark side that might ultimately make her more enemy than comforter. In the lead role we have Sheriff Alan Pangborn – haunted by the inexplicable death of his wife and son, a death with more hints of suicide than accident. Needful Things is essentially the story of a town, and it’s the town’s collective voice that eventually breaks into an accusatory yammering that turns dislikes into outright violence, yet we do have a central cast of characters, which is a must with so many players and so many connections, all exploited by Mr. It’s the essential corrupt essence of our own longing that is the ultimate monster here. In the end, it’s a dire warning against materialism but also something else – perhaps gullibility, perhaps our desire to live in a dream world instead of encounter the hardships of the real world, perhaps the need to look backwards instead of forwards. Teeming with memorable characters and the usual heady morals of a Stephen King novel, Needful Things is a slow paced wonder with a lot of heart and soul (literally). Gaunt is always right and the bargain isn’t over until he says so. But didn’t the sign in his shop always warn you – buyer beware. And with this influx of prized possessions comes deceit and horror, always backed by the at-first dulcet tones of Mr. Gaunt just has one little ask – a harmless prank – something childish, for sure, but for that extra special possession that just speaks to your soul, well, you’d do just about anything.Īnd that’s how it starts, first with an 11 year old boy who desperately wants a Sandy Koufax baseball card and then slowly, one by one, through the entire town from a pair of Elvis’s glasses to carnival glass lampshades to a cure for agonizing pain. Of course, if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Needful Things has everything from trash to treasure, and the prices (never displayed) are all very reasonable. Enter Leland Gaunt, one very special shop owner who has a deal you cannot refuse.
But underneath all these southern mannerisms is a powder keg of old resentments, fears, and misinformation. Its divisions even appear quaint – the biggest stink being between the Baptist and the Catholic Church as they debate the morality of the latest public fundraiser – Casino Night.
The little town of Castle Rock has seen a lot – from gruesome murders to rabid dogs and trapped children – and yet many still call it home and on the surface it’s a quiet, uneventful home.
0 kommentar(er)
