Needful Things (1993)

I remember this book as deliciously full of dread -- it's a shame that what was so vivid and nerve-wracking on the page turns out flat and rather silly on screen. Part of the problem, I think, were the awful special effects. I remember, in particular, envisioning the pendant that one of the character receives for her crippling arthritis as shifting, almost imperceptibly, but enough to make the wearer aware of the movement and somewhat afraid of it. In the movie, however, all of the items impart a visible bolt of blue electricity to the receiver. Bo-ring.

At least they went ahead and embraced the camp. It would have been pretty sad if the filmmakers thought they were doing something important rather than simply a not-bad way to spend a couple of hours.

D+