"THE STAND"

• Stephen King, the Grandmaster of Horror fiction, drifts subtlely into SCI-FI with this epic mini-series. The novel was one of the most unsettling books, I have ever read. I read the original DOUBLEDAY edition first, and I was a bit reticent to read his update. Despite the renewed emphasis on Christianity, the rewrite was incredible.

• King was for many years, my favorite author. No one had ever fueled the furnace of horror, with the intensity that King generated. His early books, CARRIE, THE SHINING, SALEM'S LOT, etc.; paved the darkened pathway for a myriad of imitators, some downright plagaristic! The 1970's introduced a slavering public to a Renaissance in Horror. Suddenly, we were assailed by all manner of Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, and Psychopaths. As horrifying as the classical monsters could be; they were nothing compared to the "real" monsters that were walking our city streets with increasing bravado and impunity. The "Son of Sam", John Wayne Gacey, Jim Jones, the Ayatollah, Ted Bundy, and viscious street gangs; all conspired to take their place, for fame and fortune, and blood.

• This particular work addressed our heightened anxiety, over the helplessness we felt, in a society gone mad.

• Twenty-or-so years later, "THE STAND" finally made it to the screen. Albeit the small screen. A wondrous accomplishment for TV in particular! The novel was incredibly long, and felt to be unfilmable. Fortunately, the saga of "Captain Trips" finally came to fruition. The casting was amazing. Everyone seemed perfect for their respective parts. Rob Lowe was particularly outstanding, conveying the problems of a deaf-mute in an apocalyptic nightmare. Garris managed to capture the true spirit of good...and evil, in a taut, hauntingly familiar way. It was easy for the audience to identify with, or recognize characters from within their own respective communities. This revelation was probably the most frightening revelation of them all.

• This one is not for the kiddies; but it is for adults, young and old. Look close viewers. Mr. King is talking about you.

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