Rebecca McNutt on Eerie Indiana and Needful Things

[froodle]

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. This is the basic premise of Needful Things, one of the strangest Stephen King books I've ever read starring a really well-developed antagonist and a great balance of horror and fantasy. The story seems simple enough, a typical town sheriff pitted against Leland Gaunt, the mysterious and creepy owner of a shop that gives the citizens of Castle Rock anything they want for no price at all - but of course, everything has a price, and the people who don't ask why are left to regret it later. As a strange bout of madness grips the town and things start to get dangerous, the book takes a very sinister turn.

If you've ever watched the 1990's show Eerie Indiana's episode featuring a sinister investor who turns a small town shop into a hub of madness for desperate shoppers, or if you've ever watched Gremlins, you'll definitely like the kind of spooky store atmosphere Needful Things casts out. Stephen King crafts brilliant characters as usual, and though the Maine setting is a bit old considering it's chosen for almost all his books, the plot itself and the surprising events which unfold are definitely worth it.