NOW SHOWING
Satan opens an antique shop in a small town and lures the residents into evil actions in this 1993 Castle Rock Entertainment supernatural chiller, Needful Things.
Based on the Stephen King novel, the film bears many of the author's trademarks, 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.
Needful Things was directed by Fraser Clarke Heston and the screenplay written by W.D. Richter.
A Note on Film Ratings
The movie ratings system is a voluntary system operated by the Motion Picture Association of America and the National Association of Theater Owners.
The ratings are given by a board of parents who comprise the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA). CARA Board members view each film and, after a group discussion, vote on its rating. The ratings are intended to provide parents with advance information so they can decide for themselves which films are appropriate for viewing by their own children. The Board uses the same criteria as any parent making a judgment ? theme, language, violence, nudity, sex and drug use are among content areas considered in the decision-making process.
In general, the films shown by Reel To Real fall into the PG-13 through R range.
Here is how the movies we have scheduled so far stack up:
Stranger Than Fiction . . . . . MPAA/CARA rating: PG-13
Needful Things . . . . . . . . . MPAA/CARA rating: R
Signs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MPAA/CARA rating: PG-13
Frailty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MPAA/CARA rating: R
Night of the hunter . . . . . MPAA/CARA rating: Not Rated
(films prior to 1965 were not rated under this system) but this one would probably squeak in under the PG-13 rating.
The Exorcist lll . . . . . . . . MPAA/CARA rating: R
