"Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King" (2006) TV mini-series

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

12 July 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

A television mini-series adaptation of Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Stephen King's collection of short horror stories.

Plot Keywords:

Stephen King | Elvis Presley | Anthology | Elvis | TV Mini-Series

Awards:

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Robert Mammone	...	Dr. Peter Jennings / ... (2 episodes, 2006)
Kodi Smit-McPhee	...	Brandon / ... (2 episodes, 2006)

Runtime:

480 min (8 episodes)

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

Central City Studios, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Coote Hayes Productions

Trivia:

During the entire episode of "Battleground," not a single word is spoken.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the "Crouch End" segment the Freemans are at an outdoor café in London the afternoon before heading to Crouch End. There is a clear shot of a passing Melbourne (Australia) tram in the background.

Quotes:

Lonnie Freeman: I won't go this way!

Movie Connections:

Features "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955)

Does Everything That Hollywood Doesn't to a Stephen King Story.

Just to avoid any possible confusion, the above summary of Nightmares and Dreamscapes is a compliment. I cannot tell you how many times I've seen Hollywood completely decimate and almost sacrilegiously destroy King's brilliant writing. Needful Things and The Runningman are the worst of these atrocities, although they are far from the only ones. The remake of Carrie... the sequel that has nothing to do with King's novel... The Lawnmower Man (Which King sued to be disassociated from)... Christine... among others.

This mini-series, however, does justice to King's works, and treats them with the respect that they deserve. The acting is incredible. I can hardly believe that they were able to get William H. Macy, William Hurt and the majority of the other actors and actresses that they did manage to get for the project. Each is casted perfectly for their role, from the well-known stars to the little known gems. The direction is smart and clean; the set designs stunning; the animation (Battleground) superb, and the adaptations flawless. Each episode perfectly embodies the story from which it was based off of, and I cannot find any flaws in their translation into this mini-series.

I find it ironic that some of the upcoming episodes don't feature stories from the actual collection Nightmares and Dreamscapes, although I suppose that they mean the title as a general one, as opposed to a specific one. At any rate, they were all well chosen, and I hope that more adaptations of King's work fall under this level of care and craftsmanship. I don't even mean novels specifically. I hope that ALL of his stories are likewise adapted as such, although I would indeed love seeing more adaptations of his short stories done this way (Especially "All That You Love Will Be Carried Away" and "In the Death Room").