(Ape caricature art by Richard Smith)
Written by Lucas Hardwick, Contributing Writer
In Collaboration with ATLRetro
Welcome to Apes on Film! This column exists to scratch your retro-film-in-high-definition itch. We’ll be reviewing new releases of vintage cinema and television on disc of all genres, finding gems and letting you know the skinny on what to avoid. Here at Apes on Film, our aim is to uncover the best in retro film. As we dig for artifacts, we’ll do our best not to bury our reputation. What will we find out here? Our destiny.
NEEDFUL THINGS – 1993
3 out of 5 Bananas
Starring: Max von Sydow, Ed Harris, Bonnie Bedelia, Amanda Plummer, J.T. Walsh
Director: Fraser C. Heston
Rated: R
Studio: Kino Lorber
Region: A
4K UHD BRD Release Date: July 25, 2023
Audio Formats: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit); English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz), 24-bit)
4KVideo Codec: Codec: HEVC / H.265 (77.50 Mbps)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1, 1.85:1
Run Time: 120 minute theatrical cut, 191 minute TV cut
My pastor at Pleasant Union General Baptist Church in Beulah, Kentucky would spin some of the scariest hellfire and brimstone sermons every Sunday hoping to recruit a few more souls for the Almighty, always preparing for when the roll is called Up Yonder. The irony is, everyone in our church was already capital S — Saved — but a little redundancy for the sake of running down the Devil wasn’t gonna stop an old country preacher like Brother Harold.
One of the most profound takeaways from my days in that little church was when Preacher would make the astute observation that the Devil made sure to be present at every service, because how else was Satan supposed to make life a living hell for all God’s children if he wasn’t infiltrating their very institution of faith. It’s no secret that the sanctimonious foundation of many churches is often throttled by petty scandal and trivial gossip as the veneer of faith is occasionally pulled away to reveal real human beings capable of sin outside the four walls of Baptisthood, and it’s these graceless instances are what the Devil lives for, stirring up strife amongst our brethren.
Yay, verily, transient antique shop owner Leland Gaunt (Max von Sydow) never comes right out as the Devil incarnate, but his dirty dealings aren’t too far removed from the nasty habits of Old Scratch when he arrives in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine to set up shop peddling everyone’s deepest material desires in exchange for raising a little hell. NEEDFUL THINGS is the story of a few good people who all have a little dirt on each other as they’re suckered by the tyranny of nostalgia contained within long lost high school jackets and the fuzzy memories of baseball cards conveniently available in Gaunt’s Needful Things boutique. And the only payment required for these passive articles is the vengeful bloodletting of neighbor against neighbor, resulting in weaponized turkey doo-doo, dog-skinning, and a bitch-slappin’ knife fight that has no right to be as thrilling as it is.
Based on the novel by Stephen King, NEEDFUL THINGS is director Fraser C. Heston’s debut feature film. If the name sounds familiar it’s because Fraser is the son of that Heston, the Heston, as in Charlton. Director Heston’s filmmaking career officially began with a couple of TV movies for TNT, TREASURE ISLAND (1990) and the Sherlock Holmes yarn CRUCIFIER OF BLOOD (1991), both starring none other than dear old dad.
My most thorough criticism of any movie over 90 minutes is that they’re 20 minutes too long, but in the case of NEEDFUL THINGS, the 191-minute extended TV cut offers the adequate exposition needed for a cast of this many characters with this many subplots. The theatrical version hits the ground running, but it falls short of building up the emotional impact of the film’s more violent moments, and when there are churches to burn down, suicide attempts, poo-poo slinging, white magic, and human dynamite, well, you need a little breathing room.
The performances of von Sydow, J.T. Walsh, and Amanda Plummer drive the film along no matter which cut you choose. Max von Sydow’s Gaunt is a dark, seductive presence who even manages to keep a straight face while firing off puerile dialogue like “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” and “Oh, you wussy!” Most of von Sydow’s performance remains in both cuts and is probably the chief element that elevates the feature above what would otherwise be a pretty decent TV movie-of-the-week.
J.T. Walsh’s Danforth “Buster” Keeton spends his first moments on the screen violating the third Commandment, screaming profanities at the local authorities, and doesn’t let up. Driven mad in his attempt to reconcile his own misuse of local funds, and becoming obsessed with the children’s toy that accurately predicts horserace winnings, Keeton’s story culminates in an intense personal denouement after weaponizing a hammer.
And God bless Amanda Plummer for being the only cast member to attempt to use a Maine accent. Plummer’s Nettie is the local quirk who killed her abusive husband and is set on pulling life-altering pranks after she buys back a special knick-knack from Gaunt once broken during her troubled marriage. Nettie gets blamed for breaking windows at Wilma Jerzyck’s (Valri Bromfield) house because she thinks Wilma killed her dog, and the two wind up duking it out with kitchen utensils in one of the wildest, least-talked-about brawls of the 90s.
Ed Harris does what Ed Harris does in these roles: plays the intense, mildly brooding, mostly cranky hero who just wants everything to go back to normal so he can move along with trying to propose to his arthritic girlfriend; typical American Dream stuff. By the end of the film, his Sheriff Alan Pangborn has his hands so full trying to settle scores all over town as it literally burns to the ground, he’s left with little choice but to give a big Captain Kirk-style speech talking everyone down in the film’s final moments, publicly pinning the blame on the common denominator, Leland Gaunt.
NEEDFUL THINGS is presented on high-definition Blu-ray disc from Kino Lorber. The release features audio commentary by Director Fraser C. Heston, an interview with screenwriter W.D. Richter, and best of all, the 191-minute TV cut of the film, which is absolutely worth it if you can carve out three and a half hours in your day.
Nobody’s perfect and neither is NEEDFUL THINGS, but the King / Heston / Richter combo makes a solid case for human weakness and its idolatry for material possessions. We’re all powder kegs when we don’t get what we want, and when the only day we care about praying is Sunday morning on the front pew, the Dayvul sits on the back row waiting to drive us home. Recommended.
When he’s not working as a Sasquatch stand-in for sleazy European films, Lucas Hardwick spends time writing film essays and reviews for We Belong Dead and Screem magazines. Lucas also enjoys writing horror shorts and has earned Quarterfinalist status in the Killer Shorts and HorrOrigins screenwriting contests. You can find Lucas’ shorts on Coverfly. Look for Lucas on Twitter, Facebook, and Letterboxd, and for all of Lucas’s content, be sure to check out his Linktree.
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