STORM OF THE CENTURY (1999) ***

With Storm of the Century, Craig R. Baxley directed one of the better Stephen King TV mini-series.  It’s not perfect, as it’s a little slow to start (it played better when it was strewn over three nights when it originally ran on television as opposed to trying to watch it on home video in one sitting), but there are some legitimately great moments here.  The ending is rather terrific, too.  It just takes a while to get there.

Storm of the Century is similar in many ways to King’s less successful Needful Things.  It’s set in another little Maine town where gossip gets around at lightning speed.  A stranger then waltzes into town who somehow knows everybody’s secrets and uses it against them, causing mistrust, chaos, and eventually death.

Colm Feore is the mysterious stranger, Andre Linoge, who arrives just ahead of a big snowstorm.  His first order of business is to murder an old woman.  As he’s being arrested, he tells constable Mike (Tim Daly), “Give me what I want, and I’ll go away”.  He takes him into custody and soon, Linoge begins manipulating the townsfolk into committing suicide and/or murdering their loved ones.  Finally, Linoge reveals his purpose, and much to Mike's horror, the town is all too eager to go along with it.

King’s screenplay might’ve worked better as a two-parter than a three-parter.  That said, when it cooks it really cooks.  There are passages that unfold like one of King’s novels (the script was written directly for television).  He always saw himself as a “putter-inner” than a “taker-outer”, so even though some of these stretches are a little on the slow side, most of them have their moments and/or payoffs.  Sure, there are some eye-rolling sequences here and there (like when Linoge is flying around the clouds with the town’s children like a cross between Superman and the Pied Piper), but then again, so do a lot of the King mini-series from the era.  Whenever Feore is front and center and turning the screws to the hapless citizens, it’s some damned fine stuff.

Daly (whose Wings’ co-star Steven Weber was in another King TV adaptation, The Shining) is quite good.  He gives one of his best performances, and capably holds down the fort whenever things threaten to spin out of control.  It’s Colm Feore who steals the movie as the icy cold evil entity who holds the town hostage and demanding a sacrifice.  He also gets all the best lines, and while his catchphrase “Born in sin?  Come on in!” is a bit repetitive, it’s a lot of fun to watch him chew the scenery.

Sure, some of the CGI effects have aged poorly.  Sure, there are some lulls in the action.  However, the final half-hour is about as good as King TV gets.  It may be a little wonky here and there, but Storm of the Century’s final act contains some truly chilling stuff.