The Tommyknockers is no different from this, and even though it is some time since I read the book, there were blindingly obvious sections of the book that were either changed, missed out or glossed over for ease of bringing the book to the big screen.

That said, it's still an awfully enjoyable film, and even though at times it appears really amateurish and there are sections that seem badly acted and directed, it somehow comes over all the more pleasurable for this factor. Rather like the effect early Dr Who has.

The special effects are woefully tame and even allowing for the fact the film was made in 1993 I would have though a slightly bigger budget or slightly more time spent on them would have been possible.

Without giving too much of the plot away the story concerns the small Maine town of Haven and the inhabitants. One of them, author Bobbi Anderson trips over (literally) a strange buried object whilst walking her dog. As she uncovers more and more of the weird thing, strange happenings start to begin both in the town and to the other people. The only person seemingly not affected by this phenomenon is Bobbi's friend the poet Jim "Gard" Gardner. "Gard" a desperate reforming alcoholic has a metal plate in his head from a ski-ing accident and it would seem that this is protecting him from the power of the "Tommyknockers"

As in the book there's plenty more going on aside from this and the film certainly captures the main events.

Although there are no major stars to speak of, there are several actors you'll remember from other things. Robert Carradine, of Revenge of the Nerds fame makes an appearance, as does John Ashton who'll be best remembered for Beverly Hill Cop. Allyce Beasley is recognisable from "Moonlighting" and there are a couple more besides this that will ring bells. Jimmy Smits, who plays Gard, I'd only ever seen before in the awful thriller "Murder in Mind" but here he puts in a great act as the tragic poet and I found his performance extremely watchable.

The film is a long one, at just shy of 3 hours, it sometimes feels it's never going to end, but most of that time it's great fun.


Tommyknockers   September 7, 2005
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

Film adaptations of Stephen King novels are seldom as good as the books on which they're based, and really that's not surprising as it must be almost impossible to encompass the depth of history and character that Mr King gets into his novels.

The Tommyknockers is no different from this, and even though it is some time since I read the book, there were blindingly obvious sections of the book that were either changed, missed out or glossed over for ease of bringing the book to the big screen.

That said, it's still an awfully enjoyable film, and even though at times it appears really amateurish and there are sections that seem badly acted and directed, it somehow comes over all the more pleasurable for this factor. Rather like the effect early Dr Who has.

The special effects are woefully tame and even allowing for the fact the film was made in 1993 I would have though a slightly bigger budget or slightly more time spent on them would have been possible.

Without giving too much of the plot away the story concerns the small Maine town of Haven and the inhabitants. One of them, author Bobbi Anderson trips over (literally) a strange buried object whilst walking her dog. As she uncovers more and more of the weird thing, strange happenings start to begin both in the town and to the other people. The only person seemingly not affected by this phenomenon is Bobbi's friend the poet Jim "Gard" Gardner. "Gard" a desperate reforming alcoholic has a metal plate in his head from a ski-ing accident and it would seem that this is protecting him from the power of the "Tommyknockers"

As in the book there's plenty more going on aside from this and the film certainly captures the main events.

Although there are no major stars to speak of, there are several actors you'll remember from other things. Robert Carradine, of Revenge of the Nerds fame makes an appearance, as does John Ashton who'll be best remembered for Beverly Hill Cop. Allyce Beasley is recognisable from "Moonlighting" and there are a couple more besides this that will ring bells. Jimmy Smits, who plays Gard, I'd only ever seen before in the awful thriller "Murder in Mind" but here he puts in a great act as the tragic poet and I found his performance extremely watchable.

The film is a long one, at just shy of 3 hours, it sometimes feels it's never going to end, but most of that time it's great fun.