Stephen King's Desperation Actors: Tom Skerritt, Steven Weber, Annabeth Gish, Charles Durning, Matt Frewer
Directors: Mick Garris
Language: English
Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of Discs: 1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Lions Gate
Release Date: August 29, 2006 Amazon.com: Technical Details - Add To Baby Registry - Add To Wedding Registry - Add To Wishlist - Tell A Friend - All Customer Reviews - All Offers Description Cross-country travelers on an isolated highway are arrested by a corrupt sheriff and jailed in a desolate town whose streets are littered with the dead bodies of local residents. The captives manage to escape, only to discover that Desperation, Nevada, is more than just a town gone wrong—it’s the terrifying source of unbridled evil. Amazon.com Director Mick Garris (Sleepwalkers), also recruited by Stephen King to remake The Shining, knows how to capture King's horror aesthetic on film. Desperation, based on a more recent King novel, is a pastiche of earlier King novelties, such as the psycho in uniform, this time Sheriff Collie Entragian (Ron Perlman), and dogs summoned by the devil, this time by TAK, an ancient Chinese demon. Desperation, Nevada has a collapsed mine full of Chinese immigrant ghosts, whose spirits are trapped with TAK until they're accidentally unleashed. The TAK-possessed local sheriff is killing everyone, save a few travelers who stumble through on road trips. In the opening scene, Mary (Annabeth Gish) and her beau are pulled over by Sheriff Entragian, framed by his placing of marijuana in their trunk, then read their rights with a Satanic "I will kill you" thrown in. Later, Steve (Steven Weber), Cynthia (Kelly Overton), and Vietnam vet John Marinville (Tom Skerrit), ride into town, and they too encounter the evil policeman's wrath. They all meet a brave, imprisoned boy, David (Shane Haboucha), with whom they team up to end the mayhem. Desperation uses blue and green lighting to embrace the funhouse look, and camera shots highlighting the Sheriff's deranged face make the film occasionally spooky. But the rehashed plot detracts from the fear-factor, leaving one to pine for earlier King story adaptations, like Misery, or Cujo.--Trinie Dalton |
