User reviews

Stephen King created an unnerving miniseries with "Storm of the Century", about a blizzard in a Maine town bringing a stranger (Colm Feore) who tells everyone "Give me what I want and I'll go away." And this guy isn't kidding. Not only does he know everything about everyone, but he's got something ugly in store for anyone who challenges him. Some scenes in the movie are very likely to make your blood freeze. And I agree with a previous reviewer that people shouldn't complain about the ending: things can't always be sugar-coated (this is Stephen King, remember).

All in all, this is really impressive, and you're sure to like it. You may never trust anyone again after watching this. Also starring Debrah Farentino, Casey Siemaszko and Jeffrey DeMunn.

I guess that we're all little teapots in some way or other...

Always liked Stephen Kings books and some of his films were great and others not as interesting, with horrible endings which made very little sense. This film in my opinion was fantastic and held my interest right to the very end and his conclusion to the film was even better than I expected. Storm of the Century was very creepy with all the snow covering this small lobster town and then a man with an ugly cane coming to the door of a very old home; and an old lady drinking tea inside hears the door bell and struggles to use a walker to see who is at her door. It is from this point on that the film never stops giving you the creeps and chills up and down your spine. This strange man keeps saying: "Give Me What I Want and I will Go Away" and the guy really means it. Stephen King even makes an appearance on a broken TV Screen, so watch out for his brief showing. Enjoy

As good as this story is, and it really is, it would have been better if it didn't take until the very last hour out of 4 to learn what Linoge wants, hence the 6 star rating. It really needed to be 2 parts or even a single 2 hour movie. It drags and drags and drags until things finally get anywhere. It actually reminds me of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" especially in the last hour. The cast is OK and good at making you hate the characters you're supposed to hate and sympathize with others suffering under an inept arrogant politician and the burden of secrets kept. In spite of its slow pacing, it's still a good story about keeping secrets in an isolated small town and their consequences.

Stephen King's 'Storm of the Century' is more than I expected. Compared to Stephen King's other movies (that he himself adapted/wrote), I place it up there with 'The Stand' and 'Rose Red.' An offland Maine island is under attack from two forces (or are they really one?): a fierce storm and the mysterious André Linoge. The former takes out the power lines and radios, forcing the townsfolk to gather together in the basement of the town hall. The latter shows a mysterious power to manipulate the objects (and people) around him. I was very impressed by the performance of Tim Daly in this. He did a great job as the lead role. The real charm of this movie to me was the community spirit the town showed. The characters (as in all Stephen King's works) are very believable. The way they pull together in this miniseries was particularly endearing. Overall, I'd give it a 9/10. Not something you should miss if you ever have the chance.

Sad. Sick. Twisted. Not anything unusual for Stephen King. This is the story of on 99% honest and 100% good man's struggle to save his town and their children. Mike Anderson (Timothy Daly) is the constable of a small town on an island off the coast of Maine. This movie is the story of his attempt to save the town from a mysterious and supernatural stranger who appears in their midst in the middle of the "Storm of the Century". Sadly, the town is full of corrupt, cowardly, and weak-willed people, making the task that much more daunting and impossible. You will watch as Mike Anderson throughout the movie tries to do that which is right and proves that he was the only strong willed and honest person within that town. But it is to no avail, as in the end Mike Anderson loses that which matters to him most as the town caves in to the strangers demands and intimidation. Its a well produced, yet horrible story, with a very dark and sad feeling that makes your blood boil in the end, because the people of this town are so astoundingly pathetic, corrupt, and pitiful.

No Spoilers here. One of my favorite 10 movies, and easily the best made for TV movie ever. Storm of the Century reaches the highest level of suspense of any movie I have ever seen. I have watched it 5 times now, and am amazed at how linear it is for its length. Not a minute is wasted.

As with every great film it is not for everyone, but keep in mind that no movie is rated above 9.0 here, and that some people will not like it because it was made for TV, is Stephen King, is long, isn't packed with CGI or gore, or isn't a comfortably predictable Hollywood story. Don't let the fact it isn't rated 8.0+ fool you-this is an outstanding movie.

Absolutely anti-Hollywood (I love it for that as well), this is much more like an independent film not trying to be artsy. Few big name stars, no wasted sub-plots to draw in general audiences, no special effects wedged awkwardly in, not packed with pretty people who cannot act or out-of-place one-liners. This is a pure horror/suspense movie.

If you want a movie you can predict the ending to within 10 minutes, or settle down comfortably to another familiar rehashed horror story, pass on this one-it is original, chilling, and as gripping and memorable as any movie you will see. Like any horror suspense movie, you won't get the full effect if you have it on at noon while surfing the net and chatting on the phone. I most closely would compare it to Silence of the Lambs or The Ring in tension and flow, but without the shock value. The tension and eeriness this movie creates is palpable.

This is not a slasher/gore movie, and you will get a chance to know the main characters of Little Tall Island, as well as see an original portrayal of antagonist Colm Feore (who perfectly nailed his role). Yes, Anthony Hopkins would have ALSO been great for this role, but I don't think better. If you are chilled by hearing "I'm a Little Teapot, short and stout..." afterwards, you'll be here posting great reviews as well.

When a serious and damaging storm signals the arrival of a mysterious stranger on a small island off the coast of Maine, his rampage of terror across the inhabitants forces them to make a horrifying decision when they learn his true intentions for arriving.

This one turned out to be quite decent and pretty enjoyable. The setting is great, as the snow-fallen town looks suitably chilling and provides a wonderful blanket for the events to follow, generates some nice suspense and generally works well. The development of his plan and why he's there are both chilling, with the first half being devoted to his arrival and incarceration, the second a demonstration of his power and the third being his whole plan creating a very nice ark that culminates in some good stuff through each offering. With a lot more deaths on hand, the second is generally more entertaining than the others as there's some pretty nasty deaths on hand as we get to see him assert his power over the town in the middle of the storm so there's plenty of good times throughout this part, though again most of the segments do have a great scene throughout. It does have a couple of rather big flaws, though, mainly in the fact that it takes forever for the secret of what he wants to come out, and when it does, it feels a little underwhelming since a lot of time has been spent on it being this big secret yet it's entirely underwhelming. As well, a lot of stuff here seems padded out due to it's mini-series origin with a lot of scenes that really don't need to be there at all or could've been shortened to keep this moving along at a little swifter pace. All in all, not one of his better efforts in the field but certainly worthwhile enough.

Rated Unrated/PG-13: Violence, Language and children-in-jeopardy.

As a fan of Stephen King I always thought that all the movies or series except "IT" weren't really good although the books were great. As I started watching "Storm of The Century" I didn't have any expectations and thought I would give up in 30 mins or so because it lasts 4 hours + but I was wrong. Although I saw many of the cast first time act, I think most of them did a great job. The story is incredible and the surroundings fit in great. I didn't realize how the time pass and at the end of it I wished it would go on. The story itself has many things in it. Horror, drama, tragedy, crime and even romance. Definitely worth to watch and worth the time spend watching it. 9 out of 10.

"Give me what I want and I'll go away," demands the black-eyed, stocking-capped stranger Linoge (Colm Feore), who appears in a quiet island community on the verge of the worst storm in decades and brutally bludgeons an old lady to death. Tim Daly, the town sheriff and voice of reason and moral strength, locks up the quiet madman, but the deaths pile up as Linoge acts them out from his cell like a murderous mime pulling psychic strings. Stephen King, whose original teleplay is his best work for the screen since The Stand, transforms the sleepy burg into a Peyton Place of guilty secrets and criminal activity ripped from under a blanket of small town normality while the white-out of the snowstorm completely cuts them off from civilization. Director Craig R. Baxley nicely maintains an icy tension while the waiting game goes on, perhaps a little too long, before Linoge finally reveals "what he wants" and the drama turns into a struggle for man's soul in miniature. The more ambitious special effects and set pieces sometimes disappoint but are more than made up for in King's knack for turning the mundane into the macabre (the children's song "I'm a Little Teapot" has never sounded more sinister) and a few brilliantly realized sequences, the best of which occurs when townspeople are literally yanked out of existence while watching the storm. Storm of the Century is one of the most successful translations of King's brand of horror to the screen.

I'm afraid I have to disagree with the majority of reviewers here and say that I thought this was a load of claptrap. The plot was thin to say the least and the entire thing was completely devoid of any subplots that might have made it interesting. It absolutely lacked humour of any sort - some light relief would have increased the tension by contrasting with it - as it was this was merely a cobbled-together list of "interesting ways of making people die", followed by a rather trite "people have to make a choice" ending. After about the third (well, the second) death this all became very tedious. This set the tone for the whole thing.

Parts of it were cut from the whole cloth of other King stories. The fact that Flagg - sorry, I meant to say Linoge - knew "things" about Islanders came straight from the "poison pen" idea in "Needful Things", the "making people suffer at a distance" idea from King's truly awesome creation of Randall Flagg in "The Stand" (though without any of Flagg's depth) and the violence from Bob Gray (Pennywise) in "It". These were blended in such a way as to include only the more sensational and gory aspects without any of the creeping horror present in the originals. All it needed was a few Tommyknockers and a murderous car and we'd just about have had the full set!

Part of the problem is that Linoge is omnipotent - there is no way the islanders can beat him. No attempt is made, in any case. So the essential "good versus evil" struggle is missing, leaving the viewer only to wonder rather wearily how the final and inevitable capitulation would come.

Nothing much new here, except an unpleasant feeling that King really has finally run out of ideas. One thing I did notice - Linoge was wearing a belt with a snake buckle. Wasn't it Randall Flagg who wore one of those in The Stand? If so, perhaps King himself was making a kind of apology for ripping off his own character to make this dreadful potboiler!

As a huge storm hits the isolated town of Little Tall Island, a stranger comes to town with a simple message.

But what does the stranger (Colm Feore) want and can the police (Tim Daly) keep the town together with the biggest snow storm any of them has experienced and these dark threats hanging over them?

As people start dying it seems increasingly unlikely.

A morality tale that seems to be missed by many Stephen King fans, this story is well written. There are some moments in the written for TV Mini-Series that don't quite ring true but on the whole a well crafted TVM. The finale should resonate for any parent out there and there are huge hints at the purpose of the stranger throughout, if you look for them.

Things to look out for: finale, the decision put before the town, loads of spooky effects, nice animated cane handle, spotting Stephen King

Rating: good enough though not quite as disturbing as could have been, worth watching.

A small village off the mainland is about to receive a huge winter storm. It won't be just another storm for them. A strange visitor named Andre Linoge comes to the small village and gives the residents havoc. He knows everything about them, and when he tells the truth about one of them, that person denies it.

There is some sort of connection between Stephen King and television, though I do not quite know what it is. Many of his films have been turned into TV mini-series. Some are quite good. "It", for example, is somewhat legendary, as is "The Stand". And then you get duds like "The Langoliers", which really should not even exist.

This is in the middle, maybe more good than bad. In some sense, it has elements of "The Stand" or "Needful Things", with its villain who seems to be devil incarnate. Perhaps they are all the same character? But it may also have a weakness in being a mini-series. It might run too long and might be too repetitive. People will disagree on this.

Every parents worst nightmare! Another one of Stephen King's awesome creations added to my list of favorites. You have to have plenty of time on your hands to watch it. However trust me on this, it's worth it! Stephen King is the only one possible who could make a snow day a horrifying! A must see!

I was skeptical of this film when I first set my eyes on watching it with my boyfriend. It seemed long and drawn-out, and I didn't have much interest in watching a horror film for hours on end.

When the first episode started, you were introduced to every-day life in the town and a murder that happened. But as the episode progressed, more and more mysteries popped up and into the second episode, a mysterious being emerged and made itself present to the town folk to demand something of them.

This suspense was maintained throughout the second episode and into the third one, where there was a climactic ending.

Overall, I'm glad I did watch it because it was enjoyable and suspenseful to the end. It didn't seem as long as it did, and well worth the watch if you're into mystery and horror. Good acting and highly entertaining.

This is absolutely my favorite Stephen King movie adaption, maybe that is because it was written for T.V by the man himself. This mini-series is awesome and absolutely scary. The ending will just leave you breathless and how horrifying to think of what to do as a parent. I love King's books, because they are not necessarily about the "monster", they are human studies and the scary part is the victims' reactions to the monster as this movie shows. What a superb ensemble cast. This movie rocked and really makes you think about faith, family, and your neighbors and friends. It is four hours long but it keeps you enthralled every minute. I started watching this one night at 2 in the morning after a late night shift delivering pizzas while in law school, and I managed to stay up all four hours to watch the whole movie, that's how good and enthralling this movie is.

'In this world you have to pay as you go… Sometimes all you have.' says Mike Anderson played by Timothy Daly, as this 3 hour long mini-series begins. The story revolves around a group of people who all live in Little Tall Island, whom, in the midst of a powerful storm receive the visit of a very mystic man by the name of Andre Linoge (Colm Feore) who receives the island's attention by murdering an old lady and strangely remaining inside her house. As it is all planned, Mike immediately arrests him… The one thing he doesn't know is that basically this man is a demon who knows all the townsfolk's dark secrets: from the lack of Mike's honesty on finishing his college degree (by cheating), marijuana dealing for a way of living, to a man who pokes one gay guy's eye but secretly fascinating with the way his hair falls on his face. Yes. The guy is evil… And has an agenda. 'Give me what I want, and I'll go away' is written all over the place, as Mr. Linoge tries to prove his point by killing and manipulating some of the beloved island's residents. It's all a matter of time till Mike & Friends find out what is it that He wants… At first I was kinda sceptic because all the killing was unnecessary, by just saying what he wanted. But it made sense… He had to prove that He was evil so the towns folks would understand his power, and it makes even more sense in the end. The end is the greatest part of this series… It's Stephen King. He does not like happy endings. I have not red the book so i'm solely basing on what I saw. And what I saw was pretty damn great: Its scary, it really is and it's better than some of the recent efforts Hollywood has been trying to make with horror flicks. You really get involved with this people and with the fear that they are living… It wouldn't have worked as a movie, but it sure did has a mini-series. I loved it.