OP, I organized the stream of consciousness I vomited all over comments into an actual rec list. Originally I just wanted to suggest Archive 81 as your next watch but I think my adderall ran out and this happened. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Archive 81 - Suspenseful. Eerie. Also, who doesn’t love found footage?! It wasn't renewed for a second season (an actual crime!) but season one feels more open-ended than cliffhanger, so don’t let that stop you from enjoying it!
Red Rose is another series I watched around the same time as Archive 81. It’s a British miniseries about teens downloading an app on their phone that promises to fulfill their desires but actually makes terrible things happen. Which kind of reminds me of the movie Choose or Die, a straight-to-Netflix horror movie about one of those 80s text-based video games (think Zork) where the game interacts with the world around you, and if you don’t do what it says, terrible things happen (see also the movie Countdown).
Red Rose reminded me of the Stephen King miniseries 2002’s Rose Red. It’s from the golden era of Stephen King television events. Don’t get me wrong! Welcome to Derry is appointment TV, no doubt! But are you really living if you haven’t seen Halloweentown’s own Kimberly J Brown using the power of her mind to defeat a possessed house?! And also drop boulders on people.
And then Rose Red got me thinking about all the other awesome Stephen King miniseries I’ve seen. Controversial opinion, but the 1990 miniseries IT is so much better than the recent movies! (Did you know that our very own Becky Rosen (Emily Perkins) plays young Beverly Marsh in the 1990 version?! My sharp-eyed spouse recognized her without even having to look it up.) It’s got Tim Curry as Pennywise! Seth Green as young Richie Tozier! Richard Thomas (John Boy Walton, himself), John Ritter, Tim Reid, and so many familiar faces that it’s a who’s who of 90s television A and B-listers!
Other great golden-age Stephen King miniseries:
1993’s Needful Things A town turns on itself! Ed Harris! Max von Sydow! Bonnie Bedelia!
1999’s Storm of the Century A town turns on itself. Again. (I'm sensing a theme here.) Hints of the lost colony of Roanoke + Tim Daly forced to make an unimaginable choice.
1994’s The Stand The only version of The Stand that has ever been filmed! (Wait, what about the 2020 vers— Shhh! I said it’s the only version of The Stand that was ever filmed!) Molly Ringwald, Rob Lowe, Laura San Giacomo, Gary Sinise, Corin Nemec (forever Parker Lewis Can’t Lose to me!), Kathy Bates, Ed Harris (Wait! Wasn't he just in Needful Things?!)
1995’s The Langoliers!!! Oh, how I love this one! Bronson Pinchot (or as I like to think of him, Balki Bartolomous of 1986 classic sit-com Perfect Strangers fame), takes a nap, wakes up, and finds that most of the passengers have disappeared. And he. Loses. His. Shit!
1979’s Salem’s Lot Starring David Soul! Bonnie Bedelia’s in this too — it’s like Stephen King only recognizes half a dozen actors and wants to put them all through the torment nexus. The 1979 version is the A+ version, but the 2004 (Rob Lowe! Again!) and 2024 versions aren’t terrible.
And, oh yeah, how could I forget 2004’s Kingdom Hospital ?!?! Kingdom! Hospital! Thee show of all time, hear me out!!!! One season. Andrew McCarthy. Ed Begley Jr. Bruce Davison. Our very own Julian Richings (Supernatural’s OG Death himself). And —somehow — Ty Olsson too! There's a giant anteater and a secret society. There are ghosts! I can't explain it — just watch.
Brief thoughts on a few other Stephen King miniseries:
11.22.63 — Not terrible, but not good either. Read the book instead; it’s fantastic. The Institute — A good recent series, and I hope it’s renewed, but the book is even better. Chapelwaite — Incredible! Kind of (or maybe actually) a prequel to Salem’s Lot. (Also, what's up with Adrien Brody in this? How is he so attractive?! We should start an investigation!)
Non-Stephen-King horror or horror-adjacent recs:
2019’s Evil 4 seasons, and if you can watch season one’s Halloween episode and not be so scared you almost pee your pants, then I just don't know about you! 2008’s Fringe 5 seasons, and another controversial opinion: Fringe is better than The X-Files (she says, ducking for cover!). Also, Joshua Jackson and Anna Torv are so attractive that I think they may have been grown in a lab. Something else to investigate. 2022’s The Devil’s Hour 2 seasons, with a 3rd promised. It's got Peter Capaldi! It’s so twisty, that I had to watch season one twice to understand what was going on. Worth it!
And, finally, take a huge helping of Heathers, add a twist of Scream, and a few tablespoons of American Horror Story. Throw it all in a blender and you’ll get 2015’s Scream Queens 2 seasons.
"Come on, Chanels. It is appletini o'clock!”
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