The Stand

TV Mini Series
1994
Not Rated
1h 30m

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

40K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

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Dystopian Sci-Fi Supernatural Fantasy Supernatural Horror Adventure Drama Fantasy Horror Sci-Fi

After a deadly plague kills most of the world's population, the remaining survivors split into two groups - one led by a benevolent elder and the other by a malevolent being - to face each o... Read allAfter a deadly plague kills most of the world's population, the remaining survivors split into two groups - one led by a benevolent elder and the other by a malevolent being - to face each other in a final battle between good and evil.After a deadly plague kills most of the world's population, the remaining survivors split into two groups - one led by a benevolent elder and the other by a malevolent being - to face each other in a final battle between good and evil.

Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

40K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,317

181

Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 2 Primetime Emmys
- 3 wins & 7 nominations total

Episodes4

Browse episodes

TopTop-rated 1 season 1994

• 1994

Molly Ringwald

Frannie Goldsmith

• 1994

Jamey Sheridan

Randall Flagg

• 1994

Laura San Giacomo

Nadine Cross

• 1994

Ruby Dee

Mother Abagail Freemantle

• 1994

Ossie Davis

Judge Richard Farris

• 1994

Miguel Ferrer

Lloyd Henreid

• 1994

Corin Nemec

Harold Lauder

• 1994

Matt Frewer

Trashcan Man

• 1994

Adam Storke

Larry Underwood

• 1994

Ray Walston

Glen Bateman

• 1994

Rob Lowe

Nick Andros

• 1994

Peter Van Norden

Ralph Brentner

• 1994

Bridgit Ryan

Lucy Swann

• 1994

Kellie Overbey

Dayna Jurgens

• 1994

Bill Fagerbakke

Tom Cullen

• 1994

Rick Aviles

Rat Man

• 1994

Chuck Adamson

Barry Dorgan

• 1994

User reviews330

7.140.1K

Featured reviews

mattkratz

M-O-O-N, that spells good!

I enjoyed this one. If you can make it through the several hours and four tapes, you'll like it too. It has some truly scary moments, and Jamey Sheridan makes a terrific Flagg. The cast gets an A(Gary Sinise especially), and you'll like it. Comparisons between this and the book wouldn't be fair (as with most Stephen King works), but you'll like both. I did. If anything, it is definitely worth a look. *** out of ****

8shadsemail

This is the one to watch

It is cheesy at times but holds very true to the original story and was directed by someone competent which cant be said for the new one.

I have read the book and the extended version King released later and would suggest reading the original Stand he released first, then watch this movie.

Forget the 2020 remake even exists, much like 2020, its a dumpster fire.

7Uriah43

A Satisfactory Adaptation of the Book

This mini-series begins at a secret government lab in California that accidently releases an extremely lethal modification of the flu into the air which quickly infects everybody within the vicinity. Realizing the danger that this virus poses to his family, a security guard by the name of "Charlie Campion" (Ray McKinnon) hurries out of the compound and--with his wife and small child--drives as fast as he can in order to put distance between them and this horrific contagion. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts the virus takes hold and in a state of complete exhaustion he eventually succumbs to the disease and crashes into a gas pump at a grocery store in East Texas. Naturally, this sudden development brings out all of those inside the building-which then exposes all of them to the virus as well. So, with containment no longer possible, the virus soon spreads to all parts of the country leaving most of the population dead within weeks. The small number of people who do survive become split up into two factions with the main characteristic being a specific vision that each of them have. Those who are essentially good dream of an old black lady by the name of "Abigail Freemantle" (Ruby Dee) who beckons them to join her in Nebraska. The other dream involves a sinister man named "Randall Flagg" (Jamie Sheridan) who urges his followers to come to Las Vegas and join him. And it's this split that results in the horrors yet to come. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, having read the book by Stephen King a couple of years prior to this film, I have to say that I was a somewhat disappointed overall in that it didn't quite capture the dark horror to its fullest extent. But then, more often than not, that's typically the case for films based on novels anyway. In any case, this movie still managed to combine enough of the original suspense with some decent acting all around and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

karma-9

Not as bad as I expected it to be

I have to admit that I didn't start watching The Stand with great expectations.. but, surprisingly enough, I didn't find it all that bad. The acting definitely was done well, and considering that it must have been quite a chore to turn such a huge novel into a film, I must say that, despite a few little goofs, the directors have done a really good job.

SCHAGELA

Don't judge a movie by it's length or whatever happened to Rita Blakemoor

Over-all I found 'The Stand' an acceptable TV-production. One couldn't be bothered with the length, esp. if you know the book.

Not very well casted but what would you expect from a 6-hour B-movie? The second part - the second 3 hours that is - I enjoyed more than the first. I guess it had to do with the thickening of the plot, even knowing the story by at least reading the book 3 times, the long version. Very nice to see a bit of 2 great stars like Kathy Bates and Ed Harris. (both uncredited) Their part might have been longer though, pity. I don't think choosing Jamie Sheridan for the role of RF was bad, but what would you say if a character like Michael Madsen had played this??? Anyway JS reminded me of MM somehow. Another good choice was Gary Sinise as Stu Redman. He made me think of Tom Hanks sometimes, good acting! Something that really bothered me was how Stephen King - who wrote the teleplay - messed up his own story. Rita Blakemoor being omitted is hardly acceptable for the viewers who also read the book, whatever version. (only one reviewer noticed it so far!) It certainly put Larry Underwood in a different situation and some others too, like Lucy Swann. On the other hand - if anyone had to be neglected - King could have left out the Joe-character as he did not add much to the movie. There were also pieces I could not remember from the book. The first one: a meeting between Abagail and Randall Flagg not far from the beginning, where the blood came gushing out of their hands. Another one was the shooting from a window by Julie Laurie when Tom and Nick left her alone. (comments anyone?) 6 out of 10 for this one.

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
For years it was planned to make this story into a theatrical film, directed by George A. Romero. Stephen King did many drafts to make it of a suitable length for a feature film, and when he couldn't get it short enough they considered breaking it into two separate films before finally letting Rospo Pallenberg write a draft. But before they could make it, King was offered the chance to make this mini-series for television.

Goofs
When Nick and Tom first meet Ralph, they are headed in opposite directions, but going to the same place. Nick and Tom get into Ralph's truck and head back the way they came from, yet they are all allegedly headed to Nebraska.

Quotes
Scientist: [Stu wakes up from a nightmare, sweating, breathing heavily before getting his bearings and sitting up, taking a TV remote and about to turn the TV on when an obviously-infected scientist, Dietz, enters wearing no protection, holding a mysterious object behind his back, and walks up to his bed] Well... how we feelin', Stu?
Stuart Redman: [stares at Dietz, speaking after a couple seconds] Fine.
Scientist: "Fine"... always "Fine"...
[as he monologues the following, the camera pans across a control panel outside of Stu's room, showing a pile of files of people from Arnette, Texas, all of them stamped DECEASED except for Stu's, Geraldo, the guinea pig who'd been acting as a miner's canary for Stu's air, laying dead in his cage, and a deceased scientist next to it, both of them having succumbed to Captain Tripps which has taken the Vermont Center]
Scientist: ... I respect that.
[coughs]
Scientist: All the tests we ran on you... and we never found a single immunity vector, not one.
[brief coughing fit]
Scientist: Come, I'm curious; how would you explain it, Stu?
[cough]
Scientist: Have you been touched, by God?
[slightly more serious coughing fit]
Stuart Redman: [stares at Dietz while cautiously and slowly standing up and turning to face him before gesturing at Dietz's hand behind his back] Watcha got behind your back?
Scientist: [chuckles and puts his other hand behind his back as well, switching the mysterious object to his other hand before showing the empty hand that was holding the object before he starts coughing, Stu begins to slowly approach Dietz, who points the "mysterious object", now revealed to be a gun, at Stu] Ah!
Stuart Redman: [stares nervously at the gun and backs off] I see...
Scientist: Do you?
[line unintelligible]
Scientist: I wonder...
Stuart Redman: [looks to the door, then back to Dietz before nodding towards the door] Where's your buddy, Denninger?
[he begins slowly moving sideways to the door, maintaining eye contact with Dietz, who begins doing the same]
Scientist: Oh... he's dead...
[moves the gun to his other hand]
Scientist: ... they're ALL dead... everyone except for me...
[points to Stu with the gun]
Scientist: ... and thee.
Stuart Redman: And you're here to take care of me, is that it?
Scientist: Hole in one!
[coughing fit]
Stuart Redman: [Shaking his head] Why?
Scientist: "Why?"...
[brief expression of thought before he looks to Stu again, still pointing the gun at him]
Scientist: Because I've decided a chicken-fried piece of crap like you doesn't deserve to live... not with so many good men dyin'.
Stuart Redman: [scoffs, sounding disgusted] Those "good men"... caused this mess.
Scientist: [contemptibly, with a tone and expression of disgust, blowing off what Stu said] Ohhh...
[Stu dramatically points the remote at Dietz and turns the TV on, the static distracting him long enough for Stu to attack, the two men begin fighting each other]

Alternate versions
The version most widely seen now on DVD and Blu-ray differs from the original TV broadcast and Worldvision home video release. Among numerous small changes to credits and transitions (for instance removing many of the fades to black for commercial), it also restores explicit footage to two scenes and adds a third altogether.
The death of Dayna in Randall Flagg's office is more graphic, with Flagg picking up and tossing away her bloodied dead body after she commits suicide by throwing herself onto a jagged glass frame; the original version instead cut to the lobby downstairs, where people look up uneasily upon hearing Flagg roar.
Nadine and Flagg's "wedding night" is longer, with more reaction shots of Nadine and additional shots of Flagg unzipping his pants and positioning himself.
A short scene has been added in which Flagg drives back to Las Vegas the next morning, with Nadine (with her hair bleached white) in the passenger seat.