Desperation (TV 2006)

When a sheriff arrests a writer, a family, a couple, and a hitchiker and throws them in a jail cell in the deserted town of Desperation, they must fight for their lives.

Director:

Mick Garris

Writers:

Stephen King (novel), Stephen King (teleplay)

Stars:

Tom Skerritt, Steven Weber, Annabeth Gish

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Skerritt	...	John Edward Marinville
Steven Weber	...	Steve Ames
Annabeth Gish	...	Mary Jackson
Charles Durning	...	Tom Billingsley
Matt Frewer	...	Ralph Carver
Henry Thomas	...	Peter Jackson
Shane Haboucha	...	David Carver
Kelly Overton	...	Cynthia Smith
Sylva Kelegian	...	Ellie Carver
Ron Perlman	...	Collie Entragian
Sammi Hanratty	...	Pie Carver
Ewan Chung	...	Shih
Alain Uy	...	Cha'an
Trieu Tran	...	Young Viet Cong
Tom Parker	...	Young Johnny

Storyline

En route to Lake Tahoe for a much anticipated vacation, the Carver family is arrested for blowing out all four tires on their camper. Collie Entragian is the arresting officer, the self-made sheriff of a town called Desperation, Nevada, and the quintessential bad cop. Unbeknownst to the Carvers, Entragian regularly sniffs out passerbys on this stretch of road, and in fact has done in nearly every resident of his hometown. He can also change form and summon the help of creepy creatures, including scorpions, snakes and spiders.

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Plot Keywords:

sheriff | jail | nevada | writer | mine | 

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Taglines:

Evil lives here.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and gruesome images

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 May 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stephen King's Desperation

Filming Locations:

Bisbee, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Television, Buena Vista Television, Sennet-Gernstein Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally written to air as a two part miniseries but the ABC Network chose instead to show the entire film on one evening in a three hour time slot.

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Goofs

When Cynthia gets in Steve's moving truck, you can see her wireless microphone transmitter antenna in her right rear pocket.

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Quotes

Collie Entragian: [looking at Peter's license] I see you're an organ donor.
[smiles]
Collie Entragian: Are you sure that's wise?

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Connections

References Twilight Zone (1959)

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Soundtracks

"Good Lovin"
(uncredited)
Performed by The Rascals

User Reviews

Possibly the worst Stephen King film ever

This has to be, by far, the worst movie adaptation of a Stephen King book ever, and that's definitely saying something.

The script is absolutely terrible, with the characters saying some of the most unbelievable and bizarre comments that I've ever heard. The acting is sufficiently B grade for a bad horror film, and the plot fantastically predictable.

One of the most painful things about the movie is the complete lack of a connection between the actors or characters. Where you expect an emotional connection between two characters, there always seems to be a void -- especially between the mother and her son, and the couple in the car. Even when the script indicates a strong emotional connection, there is no spark between the actors.

Like with most Stephen King adaptations, the storyline skips ahead rapidly in parts, with characters discussing issues which were introduced in the book but omitted in the movie -- so they come as a complete surprise, or just as a confusing side remark that leaves the audience wondering where the heck it suddenly came from. Unless you've read the book, it can make for a disorienting experience.

Unless you're an absolute masochist, steer clear of this one -- there's absolutely no value in it.