Needful Things: Extended TV Cut (1993)
Fraser C. Heston’s 1993 adaptation of Stephen King’s Needful Things did not fare well upon release. Despite having a robust cast of character actors and good production values, it was neither a critical nor commercial success. In more recent years there has been a growing critical reassessment of the film and its lack of success has mainly been attributed to audience fatigue. The eighties and nineties saw a wealth of King adaptations on both the big and small screen. It is also worth noting that condensing the sprawling and character filled books of Stephen King is an incredibly difficult thing to achieve within the parameters of a two hour movie. Which is why the TV miniseries has often proved a more successful format. Which brings me to the extended version of Needful Things that was prepared for television shortly after its theatrical release.
The plot of Needful Things is straightforward. A new antique shop opens in the quiet coastal town of Castle Rock and its charismatic owner, Leland Gaunt (Max von Sydow) has an uncanny ability of discerning his customer needs and providing them with some item that is their heart’s desire. Yet these transactions are often dependent upon a “small service” to be carried out and it is not long before the seeds of discontent are sowed in Castle Rock. As arguments become feuds and feuds end in murder, Sheriff Alan J. Pangborn (Ed Harris) becomes increasingly suspicious of Leland Gaunt and his shop “Needful Things”. As ever with Stephen King, the literary strength of this story stems from the plausibility of his characters and the credibility of small town life that he depicts. These sumptuous details that exist on the page usually have to be cut to the bone when adapting for film. It certainly was a criticism levelled at the theatrical release of Needful Things.
However, shortly after a disappointing box office release, Cable TV network TBS commissioned distributor Columbia Pictures and director Fraser C. Heston to create a longer miniseries edit of three hours, that could air in a four-hour TV time slot with commercial breaks. Hence an hour of previously unused material was added back into the film which mainly extends or appends existing scenes. We see far more of the relationship between Sheriff Pangborn and his fiance, Polly Chalmers (Bonnie Bedelia). There is more exposition of Leland Gaunt manipulating young Brian Rusk (Shane Meier) and the feud between Wilma Jerzyck (Valri Bromfield) and Nettie Cobb (Amanda Plummer) goes through several stages of escalation before ending in murder. The most standout new material is an entire subplot about Cora Rusk (Lisa Blount) who becomes infatuated with a bust of Elvis Presley.
Director Fraser C. Heston integrates the new material skillfully into the extended TV cut subtly changing the pacing and making this version of Needful Things a much slower burn. It remains very much Max von Sydow’s film and the atmosphere increases noticeably when he is on screen. His performance is effortlessly sinister and charming. As this was a version prepared for nineties television there have been some concessions made to that medium. Some profanity has been replaced with alternative, less extreme dialogue but the violence from the theatrical edit remains. The extended TV cut is also presented in an aspect ratio of 4:3 to fit the television sets of the time. Fraser C. Heston has stated that this longer edit is not a director's cut and that he prefers the theatrical edit. Although still flawed, it certainly provides an alternate take on one of Stephen King’s best stories.
