David Anders

Co-written by Stephen King, along with director Donald P. Borchers, this is a rather mean-spirited made-for-TV adaptation of KIng's short story. This time around angry, bickering couple Burton (David Anders) and Vicky (Kandyse McClure) wash up in the deserted town of Gatlin, Nebraska. They soon discover that the town is populated by a band of semi-feral children who have long since killed-off all the adults and are given to worshiping a strange entity referred to as He Who Walks Behind the Rows. This version of the story is reasonably faithful to KIng's original tale (albeit there is an exploding car somewhere in the mix) and even maintains the dark, downbeat ending of the story. Other than that the film is a total mess. The script is horribly bland and simply moves the action from point a to point b with little thought or imagination. The direction by Donald Borchers is flat and aimless and he gives the film a horrible bleached-out look. There is no atmosphere and the scenes that should be creepy are more than slightly laughable. The children lack any menace with the cult leader lacking any form of charisma and delivering his lines by robotic rote. Even worse is Kandyse McClure who delivers her lines in an annoyingly shrill, one-note fashion - it was relief when the children eventually did away with her.… (meer)