Review Of Rose Red (TV Miniseries/Movie) by Stephen King
I watched Rose Red on DVD and felt thrilled by how the compelling main character is actually a house! Built in the early 1900s, this fictional mansion, which keeps building itself and expanding, eats people for breakfast, lunch and dinner (time of day seems to have no influence on the torture that this horrifying protagonist is capable of dishing out).
BASIC STORY SET UP:
When Parapsychology Professor, Dr. Joyce Reardon, played by Nancy Travis, decides to organize a research crew comprised of gifted psychics, empaths, an autistic teenager and an automatic writer, she claims that Rose Red is completely safe as a "sleeping cell" for researchers to investigate. Meanwhile, secretly, she schemes to fast-forward her writing and research career where she'll finally be adored and celebrated, professionally.
PHYSICAL FACTS:
The fictional story of Rose Red takes place in Seattle - and features a good amount of that city's scenic footage but Thornwood Castle, where the actual home stands and much of the film's footage was shot, is located in Lakewood, Washington (USA). If you're interested in staying in what is reported to be a legitimately "haunted facility" rooms can be rented since the castle now offers Bed-and-Breakfast services.
Here's the trailer.
While Stephen King's story claims the mansion was cursed because it was built upon ancient Native American burial grounds and three men in hard hats died during construction ... actor David Dukes (who played Dr. Carl Miller, head of the psychology department) really did pass away from a heart attack suffered during the film's shooting. That's why the series, Rose Red, is dedicated to him.
When Stephen King makes his signature appearance in this work (as he seems to do in all his films) he's delivering beer and pizza to a very frightened crowd of psychic researchers and unlike fans who want to massage King's feet -- fictional pizza customers treated him with utter disdain.
CAUTION:If you're looking for a horror film where you feel uplifted by the ending you may be disappointed. At least I felt disappointed when the house consumed my absolutely favorite character, Nick Hardaway, telepath and psychologist (played by Julian Sands) when he fights the demon-possessed carpet to save an automatic writer named Cathy Kramer (played by Judith Ivey).
CONCLUSION:
This is a very excellent film, one I will definitely watch again.
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