Emmy says:
Without knowing the liberties this screenplay has taken from the book, some of the earlier bits of information are jarring and seem like a poor choice. After the conclusion they do, however, make sense. The limited costume for Mort definitely accentuates the depths to which he has sunk. The music provided a background level of tension that heightened the sense of impending dread. A very good adaptation of the short story. 8/10.
Jeff says:
I’ve been meaning to watch this for years, and the Stephen King Watch-a-long has finally given me the opportunity. Was it worth the weight? Not especially. Another King adaptation where all the interesting bits are left out. To be sure, this was necessary – even for a short story – to keep it under 100 minutes. There were changes that didn’t need to be made, and I feel like the ending spoiled what King had intended. Still, decent acting from pre-‘eccentric’ Depp – which is just as well since it’s just him for over half the film. This was an odd little story when King wrote it, the adaptation is an odd little film. I guess that’s fitting, in the end. 7/10.