Stephen King Reveals The 1 Thing That Surprised Him About His 1999 ABC Miniseries
Summary
- Stephen King expresses surprise at the dark content of his ABC miniseries Storm of the Century, highlighting how the show pushed the boundaries of broadcast TV.
- The miniseries features a villain named Andre who uses the dark secrets of the townspeople to cause chaos, creating multiple suicides and murders.
- The dark ending of the miniseries is reflective of King’s other horror works, since the author wrote Storm of the Century for TV.
Horror author Stephen King has revealed something that surprised him about the production of his 1999 ABC miniseries Storm of the Century. The show depicts a winter storm on the fictional Little Town Island, which brings with it a suspicious stranger named Andre Linoge. The newcomer seems to know the secrets of individuals in the town, which he uses to cause chaos. The series was a critical hit and is a well-remembered work from King.
Now, after promoting an article about the series, Stephen King has revealed his surprise at how dark ABC allowed the Storm of the Century miniseries to get.
The author responds to fitswimmer09 about how much the show was able to get away with despite being on broadcast TV. King also admits the ending of it is “dark,” underscoring just how much the series was able to push the boundaries of TV at the time.
While there are many works based on stories by King, the horror author wrote Storm of the Century as a miniseries screenplay.
Storm Of The Century Is Another Dark Stephen King Work
As Andre terrorizes the island during a winter storm, he uses the townspeople’s many dark secrets to cause multiple suicides and murders. He promises to stop the chaos, but only if the town gives him a child that he can train to become a powerful wizard, just like him. This leads to many dark sequences throughout the miniseries, cementing its antagonist as one of King’s greatest villains.
The ending of the miniseries is also dark, once the town decides to give in to Andre’s demands and deliver him a child. After a lottery, Ralphie Anderson ends up being given to the wizard, despite the protests of protagonist and Constable Mike Anderson. To accentuate the ending’s horrifying gut punch, an epilogue reveals the young boy becomes corrupted by the wizard, turning evil just like him.
Since the show was one of many actually written by King himself, the horror in its buildup and terrifying ending are similar to the many novels he’s penned. However, Storm of the Century is unique because of its memorable villain and how much the series could display despite airing on ABC. With plenty of terrifying moments throughout its 257-minute runtime, the miniseries is a key part of the creator’s impressive contributions to horror.
Source: Stephen King/Twitter
Storm of the Century
- Release Date:
- 1999-02-14
- Director:
- Craig R. Baxley
- Cast:
- Jeffrey DeMunn, Casey Siemaszko, Colm Feore, Debrah Farentino, Tim Daly
- Rating:
- PG-13
- Runtime:
- 257 minutes
- Genres:
- Fantasy, Thriller, Drama, Horror
- Writers:
- Stephen King
- Summary:
- A dangerous blizzard hits an isolated town and brings along a mysterious stranger intent on terrorizing people for his own desires.
- Cinematographer:
- David Connell
- Producer:
- Thomas H. Brodek, Robert F. Phillips
- Production Company:
- Greengrass Productions, Warner Bros. Television, Walt Disney Television, Rainfall Productions, Mark Carliner Productions
- Sfx Supervisor:
- Boyd Shermis
- Budget:
- $35 million
- Distributor :
- ABC
- Assistant Director :
- Andrew Shea
