Needful Things (1993) Review

Needful Things (1993) Review

In the quiet town of Castle Rock, a new shop has opened up, called Needful Things, owned by a mysterious old man (Max Von Sydow) who seems to know an awful lot about the townspeople for someone who just moved in. A kid goes to the store and the shopkeeper somehow presents the kid’s most desired item: a baseball card, signed by the player, made out specifically to him. When the kid touches the card there’s cartoony blue electricity and he has a weird vision, and this happens to nearly everyone who comes in contact with their much-desired items, which all mysteriously pop up in the store. 

The weirder part than the things just showing up is what the shopkeeper asks for in return. He wants the townspeople to pull pranks on each other, such as have the kid throw mud and turkey crap at a lady’s laundry. It seems innocent enough at first, but soon he has everyone violently turning on one another, and the town’s sheriff (Ed Harris) realizes this shopkeeper is more sinister than he first seems. 

Needful Things is not a good movie, per say, but it’s not a total blowout. The first half is a bunch of monotonous build-up of the characters—most of which are fairly interesting, despite being stock—and shows the pranks they pull, as I’ve mentioned. There also isn’t a clear main antagonist, but there’s plenty of indication that the shopkeeper is a bad guy. He seems good-mannered, but also secretly sinister. After nearly an hour of this watchable but slow build-up, it suddenly hits a point where two characters snap and take each other on in a brutal fight, and things pick up from there. 

The big reveal that happens later is the shopkeeper is actually none other than The Devil himself, which sounds like it’s a big spoiler, but really, it’s not played up as that big of a reveal in the movie, plus it says he’s Satan on the DVD packaging, and there are many, many unsubtle hints to indicate it long before it’s confirmed. I had no trouble guessing he was Satan after less than half an hour in. Unfortunately he doesn’t take on any form other than human, with his creepiest attributes being long yellow nails and brown teeth—basically looking like an old smoker. 

Nearly every actor gives it their all. Ed Harris is an excellent lead, and Max Von Sydow is unsettling but intriguing at the same time. First he battled the devil in The Exorcist, and now he is the devil; certainly an inspired casting choice. The only actor who comes off as a bit flat is Bonnie Bedelia, who starred in another Stephen King movie 14 years earlier, Salem’s Lot (which, coincidentally, also featured a creepy old British shopkeeper). 

The main issue I found with Needful Things was the basic premise. It’s really silly. I mean, Satan shows up as a shopkeeper to make people kill each other by having them pull pranks? It’s ridiculous, but if you don’t think about it too much and just go with it, it’s at least fun. Overall it isn’t scary, but does become creepier and more disturbing in the final act, and there are two or three stand-out moments of fright, one of which involves a dog, which really got me. 

Despite a slow first half, Needful Things is pretty entertaining, but middle-of-the-road overall. It has enough exciting moments to be worth watching, but it isn’t exceptional enough to be a must-see by any means. Just don’t take it too seriously, and you might have a fun time.