HallowScream - The Stand (1994)

       Hey guys, Chuck here, and it's time for the spookiest event of the year: HallowScream. Now, we've previously talked about the 2020 adaptation of Stephen King's novel The Stand. But, I know for a fact that many out there probably prefer the original 1994 miniseries adaptation over the new one. So, to kick off HallowScream this year, we will be going into the 1994 adaptation of The Stand. 

       Directed by Mick Garris and written by Stephen King, this version of The Stand boasts an all-star cast that includes Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Laura San Giacomo, Corinthians Nemec, Jamey Sheridan, Adam Storke, Peter Van Norden, Ray Walston, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Miguel Ferrer, Shawnee Smith, Bill Fagerbakke, Matt Frewer, and Rob Lowe, with additional performances by Ed Harris, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kathy Bates, Richard Lineback, Patrick Kilpatrick, Ken Jenkins, John Landis, Sam Raimi, and Stephen King. 

       So, The Stand opens at a military base in California, where gate guard Charles Campion is instructed to lock down the gate to the base, but instead he desperately gets his wife and child out. But, not in time, as the virus that broke containment on the base also infected Campion and his family, until Campion succumbs to his illness at a gas station in Arnett, Texas, dying in the arms of Stu Redman. At another military base, General Starkey orders the town locked down, and anyone who got near Campion to be taken to a CDC facility in Stovington, Vermont. 

      And, while inside the CDC facility, Stu appears to be completely asymptomatic of the virus that Campion spread, while everyone that came with him from Arnett has died from the affliction, as do all the doctors and staff. And, it's the same outside, as all across America, the virus, dubbed by the media as "Captain Trips," is spreading like crazy, and many Americans are dying from the illness. 

      However, there are a handful of individuals with a natural immunity to Captain Trips, and many of them are having dreams about one of two individuals: Mother Abigail, a kindly elder Black woman living in a rural house in Hemingford Home, Nebraska, and Randall Flagg, an enigmatic and mysterious man in denim that looks like a an evil mix of Garth Brooks and Fabio. And, a number of these immune individuals meet up, form groups, and make their way to join either Mother Abigail or Flagg. 

       Stu, of course, is one of those who is drawn towards Mother Abigail, and on his journey, he winds up at the home of a retired college professor named Glen Bateman, who likes with his dog Kojak. Stu and Glen are later joined by Fran Goldsmith and Harold Lauder, both the only two survivors from their home town of Ogunquit, Maine, and after a brief trip back to the CDC facility in Stovington, the four male their way to meet Mother Abigail. 

      However, the first to reach Mother Abigail are a group consisting of Nick Andros, a young deaf man from Arkansas, Tom Cullen, a mentally disabled man with a heart of gold, Ralph Brentner, a kindly trucker that gives them a ride, and a handful of others. After arriving at the home of Mother Abigail, and spending the evening there, Nick's group, joined by Mother Abigail, make their way to Boulder, Colorado, where others will join them. And, yes, Stu's group, which is joined by Dayna Jurgens and Judge Farris, is one of the groups, as are Larry Underwood, a New York musician joined by Lucy Swann and a boy named Joe. Also, a convoy that includes a man named Teddy Weizak, also reached Boulder, but with an unexpected passenger: a woman named Nadine Cross. 

      Nadine, who has initially escaped New York with Larry but left him and went off on her own, is one of those handpicked to be on the side of Flagg, as are the enigmatic Rat Man, a lunatic named Julie Lawry, patrol men like Bobby Terry and Russ Dorr, an imprisoned convict named Lloyd Henreid, and a dangerous pyromaniac named Trashcan Man. And, everyone that has been drawn in by Flagg has made their way to Las Vegas, which is where they're trying to rebuild in their own way. 

       So, those in Boulder work together to turn the electricity back on, clear as many deceased bodies as possible, and turn off appliances where they can. And, at a meeting of everyone that's gathered, it's decided that in lieu of a single leader, the nominees lead as a collected leadership. And, the leadership, known as the Boulder Free Zone committee, consists of Stu, Fran, Glen, Ralph, Larry, Nick, and Susan Stern. Unfortunately, Mother Abigail disappeared into the night, forcing the Free Zone committee to decide on what's to be done. And, their first order of business is to send scouts Westward to Las Vegas to observe and report on what Flagg and his followers do. The scouts? Judge Farris, Dayna Jurgens, and Tom Cullen. 

      Meanwhile, Nadine manages to manipulate Harold, who had been showing signs of growing animosity towards Stu, to turn on the people of the Boulder Free Zone, and he is drawn to some explosives that he uses to make a bomb. A bomb that kills Nick, Susan, and a few others, injures many more, and leaves everyone in shambles. At the same time that the bomb goes off, Mother Abigail returns, and is taken to the hospital, as is Fran. And, it's here where Mother Abigail, with her dying words, tells the quartet of Stu, Glen, Ralph, and Larry to go West, face Flagg, and make their stand. But, one of the four would fall on the way. 

      So, the quartet of Stu, Glen, Ralph, and Larry walk Westward. And, as Mother Abigail predicted, one of them falls and is too injured to keep going. Stu, who falls from the top of a washed out ravine in the highway, injures his leg and stays behind, with Kojak keeping him company. Larry, Glen, and Ralph, however, are captured just as they reach the outskirts of Vegas. Harold, while traveling to Vegas with Nadine, crashes and is severely injured, eventually pulling out his gun and killing himself. Nadine joins Flagg, is impregnated by him, and she eventually jumps out of a window in Flagg's Vegas penthouse. As for the three scouts: Judge Farris is killed by Bobby Terry, Dayna kills herself in Flagg's office, and Tom makes a clean getaway, managing to evade Russ Dorr and a party out looking for him. Tom manages to reach Stu, and rescues him, helping get him back to Boulder. 

      In Vegas, Flagg offers to release Glen, Ralph, and Larry, but Glen mocks him, and Flagg forces Lloyd to kill Glen. Larry and Ralph are taken to the center of Fremont Street, where they're strung up for execution. But, one of Flagg's followers, Whitney Horgan, speaks out against the senselessness, and is zapped by Flagg. Trashcan Man, who has been working an old military base, arrives with a nuclear warhead that's been leaking radiation, and Julie freaks out and trips on Whitney, and is also electrocuted. The energy rises from the remains of Whitney and Julie, forms the Hand of God, and detonates the bomb, destroying Las Vegas. 

      On the way back to Boulder, Tom nurses Stu back to health thanks to some spiritual guidance from Nick, and the two return to Boulder, and are greeted by Teddy, who informs Stu that Fran's baby came early and has the flu. But, she recovers, and the doctor determines that she'll be fine. And, Stu, Fran, Lucy, Joe, and Tom look in on Fran's baby, and hope for a brighter future. 

        Okay, so the plot of The Stand is fairly complex, but is portrayed in a manner that was easy to follow. And, unlike the 2020 event series adaptation, the 1994 miniseries version plays each part as its own feature length movie, with each part leading into the next one. But, what made this version so memorable is the cast. Some of the best performances came from the likes of Gary Sinise as Stu, Molly Ringwald as Fran, Ruby Dee as Mother Abigail, Bill Fagerbakke as Tom, Corinthians Nemec as Harold, Matt Frewer as Trashcan Man, and Rob Lowe as Nick. And, while I certainly enjoyed Adam Storke as Larry, Peter Van Norden as Ralph, Ray Walston as Glen, and Ossie Davis as Judge Farris, I must admit that I've kinda grown somewhat detached from Jamey Sheridan's portrayal of Randall Flagg. I dunno, I think that it was a product of its time, and as I mentioned before felt like an evil mix of Garth Brooks and Fabio. I think that Alexander Skarsgård's portrayal of Flagg in the 2020 version was a lot more menacing. 

      But, of course, there are a lot of elements typical of a Mick Garris adaptation of Stephen King's work in this version of The Stand. For instance, Mick Garris had a tendency of bringing in other film directors, typically of the horror genre, in supporting roles. In The Stand, Garris had director Sam Raimi as Bobby Terry, which was pretty cool, and director John Landis as Russ Dorr, which while certainly a neat addition, felt somewhat out of place. And, as the Nostalgia Critic put it, Landis looked like "Leonard Maltin with a pop gun" in his scene. 

        And, much like other Mick Garris adaptations of Stephen King's work, the visual effects are of the times and clearly dated. In terms of the cinematography, directing, and acting, The Stand is fine, and is arguably the best of the miniseries adaptations of Stephen King's books. But, the makeup and creature effects, especially the digital effects, clearly show their age. 

       But, it's as I said. The 1994 version of The Stand is an absolutely amazing retelling of one of Stephen King's most celebrated books. And, even with the newer, darker adaptation from Josh Boone, the original miniseries by Mick Garris is definitely the more memorable version and is still a standard among Stephen King adaptations. And, even with elements I enjoy in the newer version a bit more, I still prefer this version of The Stand overall. 

      Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and we're sticking around the '90s a bit longer, because next time for HallowScream, we're taking a look at Universal's 90's action-horror favorite: The Mummy. Stay tuned, because we're just getting started.