Storm of the Century
Review by Peter Syslo

STORM OF THE CENTURY (1999) is the other film, like MIND HUNTERS, that deals with the mystery of the disappearance of the first settlement at Roanoke , Virginia . Again, I thought that it was a neat tie-in with the Thanksgiving holiday – c’mon people, let’s get to work on some fanfare for Thanksgiving. The turkey is the only thing that is specifically “Thanksgiving” oriented; there are neither movies nor music that focus in on the holiday. I think I’m going to start composing some Thanksgiving music and cash in on this paucity in the holiday market. While we’re at it, let’s get some Thanksgiving horror scripts rolling because I have a great idea for an opening shot with death by an oven mitt and …

STORM OF THE CENTURY is written by Stephen King and is directed by Craig R. Baxley. The miniseries/movie stars Tim Daly, Colm Feore, Debrah Farentino, and Casey Siemaszko. The story centers on a small town off of the coast of Maine – a mysterious man named Andre Linoge (Feore) rolls into town, as a blizzard is about to hit. All hell starts breaking loose as people are found murdered and mysterious things start to happen. The police chief (Daly), his wife (Farentino), and his son are caught in the middle of all this chaos and the town is extremely uneasy with captured-murderer Linoge. People start to turn against each other and everyone suspects that there is something more to their prisoner. As the film plays out, they find that Linoge has a definite plan for the town and they realize that they must try to stop him.

I admit, I am not the biggest Stephen King fan; I’ve read maybe two of his books and I like some of his movies (whether he was directly involved or not). Probably my favorite King movie is CREEPSHOW, followed by THE SHINING (more Kubrick than King), CARRIE, CHRISTINE, PET SEMETARY, CUJO, SALEM ’S LOT and a few others from that 70s – 80s era. Actually, STORM OF THE CENTURY ranks up there with those – though it was too long in places, it really was a good story.

The atmosphere of the film is one of the things that I like best about it; you almost get that same serene-yet-dangerous atmosphere of the Overlook Hotel, in THE SHINING. The blizzard is the perfect backdrop for this story and it really gives a sinister tone to Linoge, who is violating all of the comfort and “coziness”. You also have the comparison of this town, with the Roanoke settlement and it adds even another dimension to the story. The suspense steadily builds throughout the 4+ hours until the final leg of the film and then you have a second building of suspense after you learn of Linoge’s true plan. So, you really are held captive by this story – or at least I was.

When the final secret is revealed it is sort of anti-climatic - you almost expect something bigger - but when it sinks in and you put yourself in that position, you realize the power of it all. Tim Daly and Colm Feore were exceptional adversaries and they were just great as the leads in this film. That is one thing that I have to say about STORM… , it is a very serious film and a very steady film, you really don’t have any comic relief or any silly characters with disgusting habits, to break the mood (except for the makeup effects of Linoge, at the end – he kind of looked like something from THE DARK CRYSTAL). Even the child actors kept within the serious mood of the piece, which is always a gamble with children in film (those kids ruined JURASSIC PARK – soooo annoying).

Cutting to the chase, I liked STORM OF THE CENTURY. As with any other King vehicle, it may dwell a little too long on descriptive details, but the result of that is very rich characters and a slow, steady rhythm. The movie is a long journey, but that constant, building suspense kept me interested and I wanted to see how it all turned out. It is strange, but I also know that it was good by the way that I felt after it was over – I felt very unsettled, even a little down. I guess that’s a testament to a film if it evokes some emotional response from you. So, if you are looking for a good way to spend a winter evening, give STORM… a try; it is like older King, in a way, but it feels different from a lot of his work, as well. At the end of the day, though, King fans are like Beatles fans – everyone has a different favorite and it is alw ays a matter of debate – to each his own.