Day 039: Rose Red

A researcher invites a group of psychics to a supposedly haunted house. The idea is to establish a connection to the spirits within Rose Red.

It isn’t long before they succeed and a terrifying force is unleashed upon them. The spirit of the former own, Ellen Rimbauer (Julia Campbell) s the least of their worries. Can Professor Reardon (Nancy Travis) and her motley crew even survive the experience?

Technically this is a mini-series and TV adaptation, not a movie. This does show in the quality of the production and cinematography. However this is not enough to ruin this piece, indeed it somehow adds a closeness to the work that is hard for big budget movies. Having said that though, the cost of this TVM is a reported $30 Million +. That means that the Rose Red mansion itself is truly stunning.
There are other, better, psychics versus haunting movies, Thirteen Ghosts for example, but this is nicely done and though there are few surprises along the way the movie has a deserved cult following. But at four hours, the movie lacks an edge that would have made it stunning. It is not as perfect as the price tag or Stephen King’s aspirations should have made it.

Things to look out for: Stephen King‘s cameo, library floor, unusual meat in the fridge, the gorgeous house itself, the statue in the garden, the arboretum
Released: 1990
Certificate: 12
Cast: Nancy Travis, Matt Keesler, Kimberly J Brown, David Dukes, Julian Sands, Julia Cambell,
Rating: worth watching over an afternoon, recommended

Part of the Stephen King Collection.