*** 1/2
Principal Cast: Peter O'Toole, Rose McGowan, Jennifer Going, Ben Affleck, Liev Scribner
Screenplay: Dean Koontz (from his 1983 novel) Director: Joe Chappelle
I'll be the first to admit it. I think Dean Koontz is a fabulous writer. But translating the work to the screen will never measure up to a novel's standard. That said, this is the best adaptation of a Koontz novel that has been produced by Hollywood.
The plot, in brief, is fairly simple. Two sisters come home to a small mountain town only to find that it's deserted. A few surviving deputies are left, but the force that took the town is still there. And it starts to toy with them. The military gets called in and is wiped out and only an old man with an unusual theory has any idea as to what is going on.
Major subplots get thrown out but most of the book's spirit remains intact, despite major cuts to the story. The action gets streamlined as does the character development. The suspense, however, remains intact. There's a marvelous use of sound to put people on edge.
Joe Chapelle does a good job with the material. Confronting the monster unfolds a lot like John Carpenter's "The Thing." In fact there are shots that are obvious homage's to that scarefest. That's perfectly fine.
I haven't had much experience with the movie horror genre and I imagine that more experienced critics have ripped this movie apart with some of its cliches. I got my entertainment.
Koontz has said that he won't allow anymore of his books to be made into movies unless he's writing the screenplay and producing in some fashion. If this is an indication of the work that gets produced, then I'm looking forward to more.
C. 1998
Neal Richardson
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