"Rose Red" (2002) TV mini-series

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Craig R. Baxley

Writer (WGA):

Stephen King (written by)

Release Date:

27 January 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

There's No Place Like Home

Plot:

A group of people with psychic powers are invited to spend the night in a haunted house.

Plot Keywords:

Psychic | Psychic Power | Mansion | Professor | Haunted House

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 5 nominations

Cast

Nancy Travis	...	Prof. Joyce Reardon
Matt Keeslar	...	Steve Rimbauer
Kimberly J. Brown	...	Annie Wheaton
David Dukes	...	Professor Carl Miller
Judith Ivey	...	Cathy Kramer
Melanie Lynskey	...	Rachel 'Sister' Wheaton
Matt Ross	...	Emery Waterman
Julian Sands	...	Nick Hardaway
Kevin Tighe	...	Victor Kandinsky
Julia Campbell	...	Ellen Rimbauer
Emily Deschanel	...	Pam Asbury
Bobby Preston	...	Young Steven
Laura Kenny	...	Mrs. Kay Waterman
Tsidii Leloka	...	Sukeena
Yvonne Sciò	...	Actress Deanna Petrie

Also Known As:

"Stephen King's Rose Red" (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for terror/violence and some sexual references.

Runtime:

254 min (4 parts)

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Canada:14A | USA:TV-14 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | USA:PG-13 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Building 27, Sand Point Magnuson Park - 7400 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, Washington, USA

Trivia:

At the end of the 2nd part when Joyce is walking around in the ballroom, you can see her weight shift as Nancy Travis was pregnant at the time of filming,

Goofs:

Continuity: When Joyce spreads blood on her boss's face, some blood gets on his left shirt collar. In the next shot, as he yells at her, the blood is gone.

Quotes:

Nick: Gosh, the day before summer camp must have been a busy time in the Waterman household.
Emery: Shut up!

Movie Connections:

References Burnt Offerings (1976)

Soundtrack:

MOONLIGHT SERENADE

This is not for all you short attention spanners...

For the rest of you, though, this mammoth 250 minutes horror miniseries, is well worth the time. Stephen King has probably created one of his best screenplay-to-screen only works (not based on a novel) in "Rose Red", a chore usually not too successful ("Sleepwalkers", anyone?). This haunted house tale, about a creepy enormous mansion in Seatle, and the intrepid psychics that go there for a "field trip", boasts amazing production design and sets, fine acting, especially by Nancy Travis as the determined Joyce Reardon and Matt Ross as Emery ("Go and warn someone who isn't broke!), and decent special effects (especially considering this is made for TV). Although not everything is always clear, and although the middle part tends to sag a little, this is a high quality mini-series which amazingly manages to sustain interest through four hours of haunted house shenanigans, one of the most overused themes in horror. It's length also allows it to dedicate the first hour to character development and story buildup, so that when the characters walk for the first time into "Rose Red", we are almost as anxious as they are. this wouldn't have worked in a two hour film.