Needful Things poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Max von Sydow, Ed Harris, Bonnie Bedelia, Amanda Plummer, J.T. Walsh ... see more see more... , Ray McKinnon , Duncan Fraser , Valri Bromfield , Shane Meier , Melvin Allen , Gillian Barber , Lisa Blount , Robert Easton , D.J. Jackson , Tamsin Kelsey , Campbell Lane , Deborah Wakeham , Don S. Davis , Gary Paller , Bill Croft , Frank C. Turner , Sarah Sawatsky , Eric Schneider , Stuart Aikins , Barbara Cohen , Mary Gail Artz , William Morgan Sheppard , Lochlyn Munro

Satan opens an antique shop in a small town and lures the residents into evil actions in this supernatural chiller. Based on a novel by the prolific Stephen King, the film bears many of the author's t... read more read more...rademarks, such as the New England setting and the focus on regular people tempted by the forces of supernatural evil. Here, the enticements toward bad behavior comes from the "Needful Things" shop, owned by new resident Leland Gaunt (Max von Sydow). Gaunt's shop offers an odd collection of goods, each of which happens to be the object of desire of a local resident. Instead of money, however, Gaunt demands that townspeople perform a series of simple pranks. He has a plan, and these actions escalate until the town is at violent war with itself. The residents are brought to life by a talented cast, led by von Sydow's suave devil and including Ed Harris as the local sheriff, J.T. Walsh as a corrupt politician, and Amanda Plummer as a seemingly innocent baker. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Flixster Users

47% liked it

16,484 ratings

Critics

27% liked it

22 critics

R, 2 hr.

Directed by: Fraser Clarke Heston

Release Date: August 27, 1993

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: December 22, 1998

Get It:

Stats: 575 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

needful things needful things Needful Things Needful Things
Upload a Photo | View All Needful Things Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (575)

  • ajv2688
    May 23, 2011
    ajv2688
    Could you imagine having a store where you can get just what you really need? But then it turns out to be evil? Awesome, right? Watch this movie, based on a King novel, it's really cool, and I highly recommend it.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    January 29, 2011
    StarCrossedVoyager
    Ed Harris did a good job. ... ...
  • Deano78
    October 25, 2010
    Deano78
    Disappointed to say the least. I've not read the book but I'm a big fan of Stephen King and so many of his stories have gone on to be great films....despite what a lot seem to think? This is very average though and pretty straight forward. A good cast line up with a lot of well k... read morenown faces, now if not back in '93. Apparently a lot has been left out from the book as well. One for die hard fans maybe.
  • TheGame90
    August 18, 2010
    TheGame90
    It was fun. One of the better Stephen King books made in to film i would think
  • ythelastman89
    June 4, 2010
    ythelastman89
    I actually really like this and think it captures what made the novel so great, you get the sense of a community going crazy. Ed Harris is the perfect Sheriff Pangborn and by far the shining moment of the entire movie, but it's also a very well made movie. The attention to detail... read more and crazy characters are all touched on, it only enhances the world set up in The Dark Half. While it's not perfect or one of the best Stephen King movies, it's nowhere near bad.
  • ScoopOnline
    December 9, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    I have seen this Movie so many times. It is not exactly a Horror, it is a Mystery. A profoundal difference.
  • matertenebraum
    July 17, 2009
    matertenebraum
    Set in the small township of Castle Rock - a fictional location created by Stephen King - 'Needful Things' is the tale of an antiques shop run by Leland Gaunt, the Devil himself, played by Max Von Sydow. As the proprietor of the New England business, Gaunt gets his claws into the... read more town, just as antiques dealer Straker did in the King masterpiece 'Salem's Lot'.

    Sheriff Alan Pangborn (Ed Harris, 'The Creepshow' & 'The Stand') does not buy the salesman's evil pitch. He sees straight through Gaunt's evil plan immediately.

    Incidentally, Pangborn also turns up in King's 'The Dark Half' and is played in the subsequent movie by Michael Rooker. Ace Merril from 'Stand By Me' also appears in King's novel but is omitted from the movie. In fact there is much missing from the movie that can be found in the novel, but this is always the case with Stephen King adaptations. The movie does not let fans down, though ... the characters are well acted, dark and moody ...

    Gaunt practically buys his way into the township, offering the residents antiques of their choice in return for payment of their souls. It is up to Pangborn and Polly Chambers (relation of Chris Chambers in 'Stand By Me' aka 'The Body') played by Bonnie Bedelia ('Salem's Lot') and schoolboy Brian Rusk to bring down Gaunt.

    Typically 'Needful Things' is set in small-town Stephen King Maine --- a part of the world that will forever be associated with the horror author. The scenery is stunning, especially the coastline. There is plenty of action as well as a thriller feel and some very amusing moments too. Fans of 'Salem's Lot' will identify with this film, notably the similarities in story and characters. Evil invades a small town, slowly influencing its inhabitants, especially the obligatory young boy (related to King's own childhood escapades perhaps?) So enter 'Needful Things' and indulge your curiosity. But a little curiosity shop this is not. Probably one of the better Stephen King adaptations.
  • superclerk25
    May 2, 2009
    superclerk25
    A pretty good adaptation of the King book. The cast does a really good job and Sydow as the devil works really well. If you like the movie I recommend you read the book as a lot more happens in the story than they are able to put on screen.
  • garyX
    December 13, 2007
    garyX
    Yet more of Stephen King's brand of Twilight Zone hokeyness is transferred to the silver screen, and it's a similarly lame experience. Max Von Sydow slums it as a shop keeper who sells the usual small town stereotypes their hearts desire in return fo.r pranks that set the townsfo... read morelk against each other. The flat direction and made for TV cast do not aid what is an extremely low concept "horror" film in which the scariest thing is Von Sydow's oral hygiene. Not the worst King adaptation I've ever seen, but that that would be one TALL order...
  • MidnightMadwoman
    September 15, 2007
    MidnightMadwoman
    Dude, the guy in this movie is one of the greatest villains ever. Demanding favors and playing people off against each other; he didn't even need to be supernatural in origin for him to be frightening. The villain isn't so much him though, as it is human pettiness, greed and weak... read moreness. He just exploits it. Movies that showcase what we hate most about ourselves are the scariest, I find. Like in zombie movies, the real villains aren't really zombies, but the traits in people that come to the forefront when they're trying to survive. This isn't even them trying to survive though, which is the scary part. They bite into each other to get desired trinkets, which is the most unsettling thing.

View All Needful Things Reviews

Critic Reviews

Stefan Birgir Stefansson
June 11, 2007
Stefan Birgir Stefansson, sbs.is

any movie that has the devil laughing to ave maria must be worth something

Jake Euker
March 9, 2004
Jake Euker, F5 (Wichita, KS)

Overlong, over-produced Stephen King byproduct. Forget it along with Firestarter, In the Mouth of Madness, Maximum Overdrive, and all the others.

Rob Vaux
May 18, 2003
Rob Vaux, Flipside Movie Emporium

Max von Sydow has some good lines, but he delivers them in an utter vacuum.

Alex Sandell
April 1, 2003
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum

I needed to get out of this thing long before the insipid finale.

Ryan Cracknell
February 1, 2003
Ryan Cracknell, Apollo Guide

Save your soul for something more important. Full Review

Clint Morris
September 17, 2002
Clint Morris, Moviehole

One of Stephen King's better film adaptations

Chuck Rudolph
July 25, 2002
Chuck Rudolph, Matinee Magazine

A fine adaptation of one of Stephen King's best novels, it almost manages to surpass the book solely on the strength of Von Sydow's glowering villainy.

Rob Gonsalves
January 1, 2000
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

Pop Needful Things into your player with no particular expectations and you might find it a worthwhile distraction. Full Review

Chris Hicks
January 1, 2000
Chris Hicks, Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Appropriately enough, the film climaxes with a series of huge explosions, each bigger and louder than the one before. Full Review

Brian Lowry
March 26, 2009
Brian Lowry, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • 1408
    1408 (69%)
  • The Lawnmower Man
    The Lawnmower Man (75%)
  • Salem's Lot
    Salem's Lot (60%)
  • Firestarter
    Firestarter (57%)

More Movies like Needful Things

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Needful Things : Watch Free on TV

Needful Things Trivia

  • In Shephen King's Needful Things. Who played Sheriff Panghorn?  Answer »
  • In the small town of Derry,Maine a new store owner offers each person a bargain on the "gift of their dreams" in exchange for a "small" favor. Which begins to turn the town's people against one another. What movie am i talking about?  Answer »
  • Who wrote the books that this moves are based on: Needful Things Misery Storm of the Century The Dark Half and several others  Answer »
  • David Morse did NOT star in which of the following movies  Answer »
More Needful Things Trivia

Movie Quizzes

Create a Quiz |

All Quizzes

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Needful Things to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?