Storm of the Century

Plot synopsis:
A voiceover says that he's learned a lot in life since she was in Maine through a natural disaster. He says that the inhabitants of Little Tall Island (Maine) are normal people, with tastes and interests like everybody else and that they are able to help each other if need arises. In a series of beautiful scenery shots, we reach one of the islands, where a group of fishermen are putting away their heavy cargo. One of them, called Sonny Brautigan (Peter MacNeill) says that the approaching storm doesn't scare him: he's seen them all.Mrs Pickwick leaves with her groceries helped by two children. She says that the weather is still good, so that she could not have anticipated such a strong storm. Ferd Andrews (Adam LeFevre) is worried because the radio has said that it's going to be a heavy snowfall throughout, but his mate at the Little Tall Rescue Volunteer Service tells him that problems never cross the strait, and that's why they live in the island. The storm killed 15 people in Florida and the Great Plains, that's how serious it's going to be.The voiceover says that the first person who saw Andre Linoge (Colm Feore) was Martha Clarendon (Rita Tuckett). He was the last person sweet tea-drinking Martha saw. Andre doesn't need his silvery walking stick to walk on. Martha is deeply distressed by the news broadcaster, who says that two storms are meeting right on top of the state of Maine. She feels Andre is there even before he rings the bell. She has problems to walk. Behind the door, Andre looks like a distorted cruel clown. He says some weird things about somebody who was born from sin. When Martha asks him to repeat whatever he's said, her walking aid is pushed aside. Soon, the TV goes on and on while Andre looks around. The yellow gloves and stick are covered in blood. Andre sits down to watch TV and drink Martha's tea calmly. He sings a sing-song which says "I'm a Teapot". He looks satisfied while staring at the commercial of a video called  Punishments of God , filled with loose images of natural disasters.At the local supermarket, people are buying their last food. People are panicking, except butcher Michael Anderson (Tim Straw), who thinks that people are panicking because of a straw. Mike is also the Constable of the town. One of the till tells him that his wife is having a little problem at the local kindergarten. Katrina Withers (Julianne Nicholson) also works there, and is probably attracted to Mike. He tells Alton 'Hatch' Hatcher (Casey Siemaszko) to get on with the distribution of meat while he goes to the phone. Pippa Hatcher (Skye McCole Bartusiak) is crying because other children have put her head through the railing of the stairs because she didn't want to share her tea sandwich. Now, Pippa's parents have overheard their conversation and they're worried. Both go to see Molly (Debrah Farentino) at Wee Folks Daycare. The rest of the children mock Pippa, asking Molly if they can feed her, as it's clear that Pippa has eaten, but she says she's still hungry. One of the children says that once, he fed a monkey in a zoo. Don "Donny" (Spencer Breslin) and Harry gesture as apes do. Don pushes Ralphie because he's told, and Mike tells Don that if he's a bully, he'll be bullied. Pippa can't even explain how she put herself in such a position. Mike presses her nose and tells her to close her eyes, as that button will make her head smaller. Mike and Hatch laugh joking it off.A street basketball player, teenager Davey Hopewell (Adam Zolotin) realises that Martha's front door looks weird and that the walking aid is tangled to a side. Andre is concentrating, with pupil-less black eyes. Davey enters to inquire about Mrs Clarendon's health. He goes to the sound of the TV and sees her dead. Andre tells Davey that he won't play in the NBA, not even in his high school team, because he's too slow and too short. Why doesn't he approach him to skip some painful events in his future?. Davey runs away for dear life, screaming that Mrs Clarendon has been murdered, leaving behind his basket ball. Andre wrecks the TV.Island-Atlantic Realty owner and town mayor Robbie Beals (Jeffrey DeMunn) tells Mrs Jane Kinsbury (Lynne Griffin) to give Davey some whiskey. George Kirby (Jack Jessop) asks him whether he should wait for Constable Mike Anderson or not., but Robbie dismisses him. Robbie drives to Martha's home while Hatch and Mike arrive to the shore. Hatch is still reading the emergency procedure. Mike wonders at the bell in the downtown monument. In the city hall, Betty Soames (Norma Edwards) complains that officers must have a secret memorandum about the weather. Radio dispatcher Ursula Godsoe (Becky Ann Baker) already knows about Pippa's incident, blaming dumb parents Hatch and Melinda (Soo Garay). She also says that everything's ready: they can feed 300 people for three days and 150 for double time.Robbie enters Martha Clarendon's home. He approaches Andre from behind. Andre says that Robbie was with a hooker when his mother died - a mother who he had kept in a disgusting rad-filled asylum for years; she'll be waiting for him to go to hell, where she'll cannibalize him for eternity, as hell is repetition. Robbie runs away after touching the basket ball. Robbie calls Mike Anderson. Tess Merchant (Beth Dixon) tells him to wait until Anderson picks it up. Robbie waits outside with a gun, and Anderson unlocks his from a drawer.It starts to snow. The fishermen say that, when they can't see the horizon, it's time to go to the shelter, bell or not bell. Robbie summarizes everything, but he lies about what Andre said to him. Mike tells Hatch to give him the shotgun if he doesn't feel alright. Hatch says he's OK. Andre looks happy when he's arrested. Hatch is so stupid he didn't even unlock his shotgun. Andre starts eating Martha's cookies. Hatch closes Martha Clarendon's door, because if not, the snow will damage everything.Melinda picks up Pippa and Buster (Stephen Joffe). Katrina tells Molly about Martha's death. Angela "Angie" Carver (Torri Higginson) is driving Melinda and her children. Molly decides to pick Ralph Emerick 'Ralphie' Anderson (Dyllan Christopher) and go in search of his father. When Hatch and Mike take Andre away, Robbie wants to go with him at all costs, but Mike tells him to go help Ursula. Robbie is left behind, as Andre repeats to him that hell is repetition. Mike finds it strange that Robbie has told Andre his name, but Robbie says he can't remember, but that he may have.Mike will have to call State Police to get rid of Andre, but with the bad weather, they're stuck with him in the meantime. Mike realises that the broken-down TV was on at the beginning, but that later on, it stopped. Andre shows monster teeth to nobody in particular. Andre breaks the key of the local prison with his eyes - jail is in the backside of the local supermarket store. Hatch has to cross the store with all customers to open the jail from the inside. Andre tells Mike that he'll leave town when the townspeople give him what he wants. When Mike asks him what he wants, he just smiles. Hatch can't open the door, it's stuck. Robbie uses pure force to no avail. Andre tells Mike not to forget what he's just said, and adds that when the moment arrives, they'll talk. Everybody stares at Andre, and Andre seems to be enjoying it. He acknowledges Peter Godsoe (Ron Perkins), the owner of the shrimp company, who is surviving bad times with a marijuana business, then Kat Withers, who's pregnant and is thinking about an abortion, but who hadn't even told teenaged Billy Soames (Jeremy Jordan), the father.Mike pushes him to get a move on. Ralphie appears from behind, running. Andre picks Ralphie up, so that Mike can't hurt Andre without hurting his son. But Andre is sweet to Ralphie, and gives him a fairy kiss on his nose, as Mike usually does. Andre puts Ralphie down with care, and says that he's tied up only because he wants to. Billy threatens Andre so that he speaks up. Andre pushes him down and makes him bleed with telepathy, or whatever that was; he tells Katrina to ask Billy what he knows about Jenna Freeman (Nicky Guadagni), and her brother Kirk (Denis Forest	) immediately inquires what Andre knows about her. Andre says that horses is not the only thing Jenna likes to ride in summer. Mike tells everybody to keep away from Andre.Mike frisks Andre, and takes his blood-stained gloves. Mike is nervous because Andre touched his son. He wants to find his wallet and some ID. Mike pushes Andre. He unties Andre's boots. Finally, Andre is put inside a jail. Then, they check the back door, but it opens and closes easily. Robbie messes Mike some more pulling rank. Hatch doesn't want to be left alone with Andre Linoge.Ursula and Hatch lose contact with Machise because the antenna has fallen down. Sweet old lady Della Bissonette (Joan Gregson) asks if he's killed Martha. Mike tells everybody to leave, that the store is closed because he's got to care about the prisoner, but asks some men to stay: Pete - who denies the marijuana charge -, Kirk, Robbie, Billy, Johnny Harriman (Leif Anderson), Sonny and Jack Carver (Steve Rankin). Molly takes Ralphie home. Mike has to go back to Martha's to close the house.Andre - or the storm - leave the town without light. Andre's red eyes shine in the dark. Hatch and the marijuana seller are watching Andre, when the emergency generator starts working.Mike tells Tess to go home. She wonders why he's arrived, or why he's killed Martha. Mike organizes some shifts to watch over Andre. If the storm calls out for an evacuation, the watchers won't be able to go down to the city hall for the shelter, as they can't mix Andre with the townspeople. Mike goes back to Martha to take some photographs with an old-fashioned Kodak camera. Written in blood on a wall, there's written GIVE ME WHAT I WANT AND I'LL LEAVE; however, when he goes to take the picture, the scribblings are not there. The same happens to Andre's silver walking stick. A window gives way, and snow comes in. Mike closes it up. Mike covers Martha's body with a sheet.Jack has to go back to watch over Andre. Buster is excited, but Angie is a bit afraid. The storm becomes stronger and stronger; the sea is about to destroy the pier; the lighthouse looks weak.In jail, Andre controls Pete so that he writes something, and gives him the answer to a crossword ALPE, so that Hatch doesn't feel suspicious. Cars start having problems to move around. Some old people already move to the city hall and the shelter. Men start commenting on what Andre said. Ursula comments that Robbie's grandfather was making soup in an old photograph in the 1920's, which comes to prove that in the Beal family there was sometime useful people. Fishing ship are like paper in the sea. Hatch needs to go to the toilet, and offers Pete something. Hatch wakes him up, and Pete says that he fell sleep with open eyes. Andre calls his alive silver stick, which looks like an snake. Hatch stares at it. A ship is pushed against a building. Lloyd Wishman (David Ferry) writes GIVE ME WHAT I WANT AND ILL GO in his car in a trance, the same as Pete hangs himself in a trance created by Andre's constant muttering. Right away, Lloyd kills himself with his own axe. When Hatch tries to save Pete, it's too late.Robbie learns that his warehouse has been demolishes by the savage sea, which in fact destroyed all the pier. Hatch reads Pete's admonishing over and over again.When Jack arrives with the watch shift, he finds Mike and Hatch brooding over Pete's body and trying to communicate with Ursula at the shelter. Nobody, and especially Fern, can understand why Lloyd has committed suicide, as he was about to get married. Mike sees Hatch's computer, with GIVE ME WHAT I WANT AND I'LL GO AWAY written in all the available places. Hatch talks to Ursula from the police car. William "Bill" Timmons (Hardee T. Lineham), from the Volunteer Little Tall Island Fire Brigade says that everything's really weird. Robbie Beals and Henry Bright (Christopher Marren) have gone to see to Lloyd's body. Henry's wife, Carla Bright (Jenn Griffin) is angry as hell, because Robbie has pushed Henry to go with him, and she's afraid that somebody is waiting for them to attack them. Hatch tells frantic Carla that Mike can't tend to that as well, as the situation at the jail prevents him from leaving. While Hatch is making his way back to the prison, he thinks he sees Andre at another car, but it's just a shadow among the heavy snowfall.Robbie and Henry read Andre's message at the fire brigade. Tress start falling down on top of cars. Andre is eeryly quiet. Mike sends Kirk and Hatch to look for Henry and Robbie while the roads are still open, probably only until midnight. Jack doesn't like the idea of remaining with Andre, but that's the way things are, Mike says. Jack and Mike admonish one another not to get close to Andre. They look at silent Andre. Robbie finds Hatch and Kird in the opposite direction. Hatch insists that Robbie and Henry go with him to the local prison, instead of going to the city hall, where Robbie wanted to go. Sally Godsoe (Cayda Rubin) and Carla are waiting for news of their husbands. Hatch won't dare to give the bad news to Sally, Pete's wife, as he says that that is Mike's job. Andre knows even the the university exam at which he copied so that he wouldn't lose his grant; Andre also mentions the time when Jack and two of his friends attacked a teenager who talked and walked strangely. The three guys decided to beat him up so bad that he's lost sight of his left eye. Andre also adds that none of the three guys wanted to admit to themselves or to each other that they liked the way his blond hair shaped his thin face. Andre keeps talking and talking, even though Mike tells him to shut up. Jack picks up Mike's gun and shoots him. Mike gets shot, but it's only a scratch. Andre gives Mike the blood-stained bullet. Hatch, Kirk, Henry and Robbie arrive to the jail, while almost everybody sleeps at the shelter.Ralphie is afraid of flying away like the straw and sand homes in the Three Pigs tale. Donny doesn't want to go to bed. He doesn't respect anyone. Sally is worried about Donny - Sally says that she will leave Robbie in the spring and take Donny with her. Katrina is pissed-off now that his secret is over. She is told to go and help Billy. Katrina admits that she had an abortion in Derry. Billy doesn't want to know anything else about Billy; Billy has a sweet face, as though he's never broken a plate, and she attacks her to avoid saying that he was unfaithful with Jenna. Katrina says that Billy admits now that it's his baby because it's not anymore; but if she had something before, he would have thought it was somebody else's, and would have accused Kat of sleeping around to get out of the situation. Jack realises that Andre is doing some strange gestures. Kat realises that Billy is a cowardly person. Andre is using Billy as a puppet, and he takes a McCally tin and hits sobbing Katrina in the head with it... Luckily, in the last second, Billy won't dare. Andre says that Kat's right, Billy's a coward, and directs his silver stick to hypnotize Katrina. Katrina takes the stick and attacks Billy from his back.At the shelter, TV won't work. Katrina screams afterwards, but nobody really listens to her. Joanna Stanhope (Kathleen Chalfant) goes out to see what was that, even though her annoying mother tells her to stay at the shelter. Ursula has this strong bad-omen feeling. Ursula wants to go out to see what happens, and takes a message from Molly telling him to go to the shelter and use the rest of men, who are not doing anything at all. Molly is in charge from that moment on. Kat admits to Joanna that she has killed Billy in spite of loving him. Kat blames the wolf-head stick, who forced her to kill him. Joanna and Ursula go to the supermarket to talk with Mike.Mike realises that there is nothing to identify Andre, not even brand in his clothes. Robbie finally admits that Andre has said something about his mother. Andre just sits and waits. Hatch starts thinking that Andre isn't human.Kat sings the "I'm a Teapot" sing-song. Linoge doesn't answer when Andre asks about his stick. Robbie suggests Mike to kill Andre: what happens in the island remains in the island, exactly like what Dolores Clayborne did to her husband during a solar eclipse. Mike says that THEY would know so themselves. Ursula and Sally arrive to the prison, and see Pete's dead body. Mike holds Ursula.Mrs Kissbury takes care of Katrina. The rest of townspeople tell her to put rat poison in her tea in revenge for having killed Billy. Sonny and Acton suggest taking her to jail. Mr Stanhope tells them to go do something useful. Cora Stanhope (Myra Carter) is about to go to sleep. The generator is starting to fail at the shelter.Ursula is in shock. Joanna repeats what Kat said: the wolf-head stick made her do it, so it'd be better if Joanna not even touch it. Mike and Hatch need to talk outside. Meanwhile, Andre starts singing "I'm a Tea-Pot" again, and Cora repeats his words: she is dressing up to sleep. Hatch doesn't like the idea of being left on his own with Robbie and Andre; he has started to think that Andre is holding them ransom, and not the other way around.Lights fickle for a brief second. Cora sees the stick, exactly like her father's. Andre tells Mike to go, as - scornfully - they will be alright on their own. Andre shows sharp animal teeth. Somebody enters in the shelter's toilet, refrains from screaming and steps back. Katrina is given out some sleeping pill and is put to bed like a child. Andy Robichaux (Richard Blackburn) has to calm Mary Hopewell (Gaylyn Britton) down. Mike returns back to the shelter with Ursula and Joanna. Sandra Beals (Nada Despotovich) sees that Cora has drowned herself in the washbasin.The lighthouse gets damaged by the high waves. Jonas Stanhope (Richard Fitzpatrick) will be told by his wife - he's the elderly man who complained about Cora's rudeness.Back at the jail, Robbie, Hatch and Kirk are playing cards, and checking the watch through a mirror placed in a certain way. Robbie feels he sees his mother (Kay Tramblay) in the prison cell, instead of Andre. She's calling out for him - after all, that's all she wanted to do before dying - to see him one final time. Robbie picks up a gun and points to her / him saying: "You've caused pain enough in my town." Molly says goodbye to Mike at the shelter - and she suggests that they get rid of him somehow, because he'll be never found guilty by a court of everything he's done. Mike stares at her in disbelief. The rest of men in the jail realise what Robbie wants to die - Andre speaks but Robbie sees his mother. His mother tells her that she'll be waiting for him, and that she'll eat his eyes out, because "hell is repetition, and who was born in sin is invited". Robbie can't kill her/Andre because his gun has turned into a snake. He is pushed outside. Andre picks up his roaring stick. Hatch can't get in the room, filled with light as though it were an alien sighting. Hatch enters and faces Andre, who has become a very elderly cloaked man. He makes his jail explode from the inside and insists that he'll go as soon as he gets what he wants. When Mike arrives, Hatch tells him that.Andre leaves. He walks calmly surrounded by the roaring storm. It's midnight. The men wonders who his next victim will be.Mike and Hatch listen to Reverend Riggins (John Innes) on TV; he wants everybody to confess all their sins publicly.Images of people sleeping on the shelter.The voiceover from the beginning says that some 200 people survived the storm in the shelter, but those who stayed outside have disappeared. The Coast Guard have only found 4 bodies in the sea. The rest of the country has already started rebuilding, but not in Little Tall Island. Where are Robbie and Mike Anderson? This happened once in a little town Rineau, in Virginia, in 1587. There was only a clue: a word carved on a tree "CROATON" when everybody disappeared. The reporter finish saying that he's only sure of one thing: "Davey, you're too short to play bastketball." Riggins insists in confession. Everybody is jumping to the sea because they couldn't give him whatever he wanted. Everybody has had the same dream.Andre Linoge is at the surviving lighthouse; the problem is that nobody knows what he wants. The storm is raging on, and it's about to wreck the lighthouse. It becomes flooded... until it starts to fall down. Angie and Mrs Kinsbury disappear from the line of spectators. Everybody has to go inside fast. George Kirby, Bill Timmons, Artie Calver and others have also disappeared. Snow grows taller and taller.Mike, Hatch and some other men go out to look for the missing people: nobody can be left on their own. At the shelter, children learn and dance to the lullaby "I'm a Teapot", while Katrina looks still in shock. Robbie says that he hates that song. Robbie decides not to look for anyone; he wants to stay put until the storm dies away. Katrina overhears them and starts crying. Donny doesn't want to clean the mug which Kat has broken and leaves. He's such a brat! Mike realises that Linoge's name in the Bible is Legion.Ralphie hears Andre Linoge calling him, and mentioning the fairy kiss. He enters in a room which unlocks and locks itself after him. The generator is stuck with snow.Mike and his men take all the food to the shelter. Burt Soames (David Hughes) is calling out for the missing people. Mike sees the frozen face of Jane Kinsbury, and once again, she's written in blood GIVE ME WHAT I WANT AND I'LL LEAVE. Back at the shelter, Pippa points to the room where Ralphie is. He looks alright - although he says he's seen the man arrested by his father. Molly asks Ralphie where the man has gone, and he says he's disappeared. Molly checks Andre's present for Ralphie - it's for everybody in the island. The local priest, Reverend Riggins tells her not to open the bag. Molly sees some beautiful marbles - may they represent everybody's soul?Mike tells the story of Job in such a way that god feels nervous about Job, and that's why he used him to solve his bet with the devil. Angie arrives - with white hair. He insists in getting what he wants and that's why he let her go. That night, with all the townsfolk together in an assembly, he'll tell what he wants. Somebody pulled Angie from the line - he saw Andre and flew following the wolf-head stick. Police from the mainland were looking for them. Robbie asks why Andre can't take whatever he wants, but he can't - people have to give him what he asks for. When somebody asks hwy, somebody mentions that maybe it's because they know how to keep a secret. All the children look dazzled by something - they see the wolf-head stick moving around, but the adults in the room can't see anything. They all see the stick, touch it and faint. Pippa punches Melinda to touch the little dog.The children fly with Andre and his stick.The generator flickers, but the storm is beginning to recede. Octavia Godsoe (Nancy Beatty) thinks that the children will wake up as though nothing has happened. Meanwhile, they are all sleeping. Octavia tells Heidi St Pierre (Harley English-Dixon) to go for some more candles, because the generator is going to give in any second.Andre talks to Joanna: she was happy to see Angie leave. Andre uses her to threaten Mike: if he doesn't listen to him, she'll set herself on fire. Andre says that Riggins is a pederast who abuses of two girls. Mike tells him that Andre will only look at the bad things people do. He wants everybody to gather at 9 in the night. When Mike looks outside, he's not there anymore.At 9:00, everybody's there. Robbie tries to give a political speech. Finally, Andre Linoge appears. He tells Orville Boucher (Gerard Parkes) that he's stolen 14,000 from his company to pay for his gambling debts. Johnny set fire to the factory where he had worked in revenge for his dismissal. Lucien Fournier (Shawn Doyle) and Alex Haber (Victor Ertmanis) were part of the gang who took out an eye of a gay man who lives in Carnaby Street. Robbie sees his mother again. Robbie takes out his gun, but Andre tells him to drop it.They see the children flying contentedly. If the children die flying, they will die in life as well. Andre is old and dying, and he wants one of the eight children who are sleeping to take care of him. Mike refuses to give him any of the children, but even Molly has to disagree with him. They have half an hour to decide and choose one of them to go with Linoge, or they will throw themselves to the sea. Roberta Coign (Helen Hughes) asks if they believe Linoge.Mike says that they should refuse and stay together, but people are afraid that in that case, he will let them fall. Mike tells them that they will condemn themselves. Mike doesn't want Ralphie to enter the deal, but Molly accepts for him. Mike doesn't want Molly to touch him. The rest of the people hold Mike down when he wants to leave. Everybody votes yes, but for Mike.Linoge appears with the small bag of stones: all white except for one black. Jill Robichaux (Arlene Mazerolle) begins and one parent for each child choose afterwards. Molly has chosen the black stone. Mike cries in despair. Molly accuses him of playing dirty, but he refuses the charges.An old Andre says goodbye. He picks up Ralphie's body. Molly says that Ralphie will never belong to him, but Andre says he'll learn to call him father. Linoge flies away with Ralphie, while Mike goes after him. He offers anything he wants but for Ralphie, but Linoge refuses.Molly sees a psychologist (Martha Burns) in Machais. She hasn't slept with Mike ever again. Officially, Ralphie was one of the people who got lost and never come back, like Bill Tommins.Mike leaves the island, in spite of Hatch's words and of Robbie's offering him the constable position forever and ever.Mike takes the ferry out.9 years have gone by and he's never come back there. He goes to San Francisco. He became a police officer there, after returning to his studies. He became an FBI agent. He's kept in touch through the media: Melinda suffered a heart attack at 35, Molly and Hatch got married, Jack and Angie Carver got divorced, he committed suicide, leaving his money to the one-eyed guy, Robbie Beals rebuilt the factory and hired Kirk to manage it. Sandy disappeared on a boat having written CROATON on the boat.There, in San Francisco, Mike sees Andre and Ralphie (Matt Koruba) walking by. Ralphie has Andre's teeth. Mike goes after them, but he loses sight of them in Chinatown.Mike didn't even tell Molly. Mike says that, at night, he thinks he made a mistake, but in the morning light, he did the right thing.--- written by KrystelClaire

Tags: paranormal, murder

Review:
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
This is absolutely my favorite Stephen King movie adaption, maybe that is because it was written for T.V by the man himself.
The rest of the cast does well enough (despite some highly variable Maine accents), but short of seeing how many scary ways you can kill people on network TV, at the end of the day there really doesn't seem to be much here..
If they wanted authenticity King should have found actors from Maine.The town manager was the only one who sounded a tiny bit like a Mainer.
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".
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.
Unfortunately for me, I watched Storm just long enough to become interested in what Linoge wanted.
There's no big lesson to be learned at the end, yes non-predictable, but who would want to spend four hours for a stupid ending to one of Stephen King's worst films.
With his long meditative silences interrupted by stinging verbal attacks that bring to light the town's peoples darkest secrets and his vague mantra "Give me what I want and I'll go away", he is the definition of menacing.The one thing that surprised me about the screenplay, that was written by Mr. King, was a glaring historical inaccuracy.
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".
Craig Baxley directs the script written by Stephen King inspired by his novel "The Storm of the Century".
"The Storm of the Century" provides viewers with some very interesting characters whose lives a disrupted by a mysterious stranger, who happens to appear in their tiny island town during the worst snow storm on record.
All he will tell them is "give me what I want and I'll go away." Throughout the three part mini-series, they try to find out just what it is he wants...which of course turns out to be something that will traumatize the lives of the islanders forever.Some may wonder why it took three "episodes" to discover what it was the villian wanted, but I think writer Stephen King made the right decision.
By the end of part 3, I was really liking them all(which rarely happens in movies), but "standouts" include Tim Daly, Casey Siemaszko, Jeffrey DeMunn, and particularly Becky Ann Baker as one of the distraught islanders and Colm Feore as the bad guy.
Go search them, and if you haven't seen "Storm of the Century", you don't know what you're missing.About the much talked about ending: I think that in life you must learn to let go and move on.
In this movie, Andre Linoge (Colm Feore) shows up in town right before a huge winter storm hits.
Linoge constantly states 'give me what I want, and I'll go away.' This means he wants a child to follow in his footsteps, but one of their children because island people can keep secrets for a long time.
It starts out with a simple family of three enjoying life in a small town when a snow storm hits, and Andre Linoge (brilliantly played by Colm Feore) comes to town to wreak some havoc.
Some people don't like it's ending, but for me it's the best thing in the movie.
This is the villain of Stephen King's first original mini-series, "Storm of the Century", which is by far the best thing he's ever done on television.
The best Stephen King ever adapted for the screen is by far and away "Storm of the Century."  This one was specifically written for TV, and it's a splendid  chiller (figuratively and literally) featuring only a few familiar names and a superbly evil performance by Colm Feore.
Compared to many other Stephen King offerings, it's delightfully low tech, a few blue light special scenes and a simple morph or two, but overall the story gets into your head and keeps you guessing while you watch vivid, yet realistic, characters slowly panic under the oppressive cloak of a mysterious man(?) named Andre Linoge.
Don't look for stunning effects, but if you want a true King story that will intimately haunt you, you should find "Storm of the Century" well worth the extended viewing time.
He oozes evil every time he appears on screen, making the children's song "I'm a Little Teapot" as chilling as "Hokey-Pokey" was for an "X-Files" episode that was also written by Stephen King.
Clearly, Linoge enjoys his work, and only the town constable is willing to make his Stand against him.Storm of the Century is a great ride.
This is one of the best Stephen King adaptations in a long time.
The best part about this mini-series: the ending wasn't sugarcoated (like so many other Stephen King adaptations).
It's well made; one of the best looking King movies, with its high production values and competent special effects (except for the flying scene)and sets.
Even though this is a mini series I bought it on DVD and saw the whole thing in one evening.It lasted over 4 hours,but it had good suspense through out the whole movie.I thought it was really good and the actors did a great job even though none of them are really famous.
The whole story has a great atmosphere,and it takes place on a little island during a storm.The only thing that bothered me about this movie is the ending.The ending made me really mad,you sit there waiting for everything to be solved so that it can be a happy ending,but no.
It makes you fee l like it's really going to knock you on your butt and then says "nah nah na boo boo!" Stephen King couldn't really think of a good ending but he leads you to think one is in store.
You may have to set 2 nights in a row to watch this unless you like sitting through long movies, which I love to do.
And it is true we live our lives telling each other tale fables that help us get through life with all the baggage we carry and try to forget the people we hurt and the things we do to others and in the end what goes around comes around and in this movie he certainly lets us know we all have to revisit our past and make sure we take responsibility for our actions.
If this had only been 2 hours it could have been enjoyable.At over four hours, it's almost unbearable.I don't understand how Stephen King is so popular, his movies always suck.This has a very slow moving story and it's hard to stay interested.What kept me interested was the promise of a storm coming and it never comes.Well it does but it has no bearing on the story.Early into the story all communication to the mainland is cut off but the roads are always clear enough to drive on.No one has a problem driving anywhere.But it's not a terrible movie.It's just way too long and it's not about a storm.Give it a shot if you have the time..
But while most narrated films lack a touch of sense and deeper meaning, Storm of the Century does a great job in enlightening the film as it also contributes to the story telling, character building and the composition of suspense.Furthermore, the film doesn't only rely on King's story telling and Baxley's directing capabilities.
However, one is advised to watch it as a ''normal'' extensive film.Having said that, I think it's correctly to state that The Storm of the Century is in the same league as Stephen Kings ''The Stand''.
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.
Stephen King is good at book-movie adaptations.
Colm Feore was spectacular as Andre Linoge, the mysterious visitor to Little Tall during the storm of the century.
On Little Tall Island, the inhabitants brace for a bruising blizzard, but no sooner has the snow begun falling than a mysterious stranger named Andre Linoge (the cool and menacing Colm Feore) blows into town, nonchalantly murdering an elderly woman; this act, like the blizzard, builds up in a slow burn of suspense and strange happenings, culminating in a climax that presses against the stripped-bare desperation of emotions in Shakespeare.
The old movie is good enough but made 14 years ago it's a little funny at some points(the giant spider for example) So take care people and don't stop reading King :).
Overall I liked this movie, the atmosphere that the storm put off was great for the situation.
This was waaaaaay toooooo loooooong and it felt like a recycling of Needful Things, which was a good book, anyway.OK, stop me if this sounds familiar: Maine, creepy guy comes to town, knows a lot of secret things about townsfolk, people scared, people quarrel, etc., etc.
I remember being impressed then and recently purchased the DVD.At a bit over 4 hours, it's quite a long movie but that extra time draws the viewer deeper and deeper into this tightly-knit island community during a huge snowstorm that isolates them from the mainland.High production values, believable characters and an incredible performance by Colm Fiore as the stranger, Andre Lenoge, keep this film appropriately chilling.Give it a watch on a cold, winter day with a good stock of hot cider and cinnamon doughnuts..
Compared to "The Stand" and "The Shining" (both of which I thought were excellent), "Storm of the Century" wasn't bad but it also wasn't King's best in terms of mini-series or story.
Overall, this sense of hopeless inevitability where evil triumphs strongly contradicts the tone of other epic King stories like "It" or "The Stand", where ordinary individuals manage to overcome seemingly undefeatable evils.While I'm sure King probably intended for this to be a sort of morality play, he could have made this entire movie the first half of a greater, with the second half involving Tim Daly's character pursuing Linoge for an ultimate confrontation..
After the masterful The Stand, The Storm of the Century is my favorite of King's t.v. movies.
Andre Linoge, played to perfection by Colm Feore, will send such delicious chills down your spine every time he gleefully hums the Little Teapot song that you'll be glad to give him what he wants..
In City Of Angels, watching Colm as Meg Ryan's failing love interest, I was waiting for him to say "Give me what I want and I'll go away" to her!!!I think the sheer horrific idea of having to give up a child to some one so evil was missed on all the people who didn't like this movie.
But I'm not here to change any one's mind.If you like King, and you like a good story, you'll love this movie.
With the DVD, not only do you lose the interminable commercials and the need to wait 22 hours between segments but in this case you get an amusing and enlightening recorded commentary by King himself (which is a great way to watch the film a second time).
The flip side is that if everyone waits for the DVD, the ratings will be lousy and they'll stop making these enjoyable "event" mini-series, like this, the Stand, or Merlin.This is great story, with stand-out acting by Tim Daly and Colm Feore and one of two others (there are of course the annoying over-actors and some really awful fake Maine accents).
The network gave him exactly what he wanted, but I doubt King will go away.Like similar Kingland effort THE STAND, this epic tale of good versus evil ends with eyes heaven bent.
One of King's best mini-series/movies.
Since I live in the town where Storm of the Century was filmed, I must admit I would have watched the whole movie whether it was entertaining or not.
The problem with Stephen King's stories is they read like they would make a great movie.
"Storm of the Century" was written & produced by King for TV, so there was no book to jack up unrealistic expectations of the movie.
Since there was no book to compare SOTC to, one could really see this was the central failing of many of King's filmed stories: the characters don't have that dirty heat that makes you either love them or hate them, and if you're not involved in the plight of a horror movies characters, often the horror just doesn't work.
I won't ruin it for viewers, but I will say that this stunningly realistic portrait of a small, tightly-knit Maine community torn apart by madness, depravity, and horrific bursts of violence, is, in my opinion, the best Stephen King mini-series out of all of them.(Even surpassing "It", which until now, was my favorite.) Tim Daly is brilliant, Debrah Farentino is good, but it is Colm Feore, as the sinister Andre Linoge, that is the standout in a brilliantly created, suspensefully realized television motion picture experience.
It seemed long and drawn-out, and I didn't have much interest in watching a horror film for hours on end.
A frightening movie adapted from Stephen King's book..
This is a great movie adapted from Stephen King's book.It is terrifying, mysterious and suspenseful with murder, lies and more.
Because he could just write it for television, "Storm" comes across as more direct than any of the other famous King mini-series such as "The Stand".
A mysterious evil stranger played by Colm Feore has come to town and wants something but doesn't spit it out until the fourth hour.
I watched few Stephen Kings movies before but didn't really like em much, so this was a big surprise for me.
This movie was around 5 hours long but well worth the time watching.