The Stand (1994)
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Survivors of a global pandemic must choose between a benevolent mother figure and a demonic supernatural entity.
The story
After a weaponized strain of influenza known as Project Blue is accidentally released from a secret U.S. Army laboratory in California, it rapidly spreads across the world, killing 99.4% of the global population. The remaining survivors are scattered across the country, beginning to experience dreams that summon them to join either the benevolent Mother Abagail, an elderly woman in Nebraska, or the sinister 'Dark Man,' revealed to be the supernatural Randall Flagg. These dreams force the survivors to choose sides in a looming spiritual and physical struggle for the fate of humanity.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
A weaponized influenza strain, 'Captain Trips,' kills nearly the entire human population. Survivors like Larry Underwood, Nick Andros, and Frannie Goldsmith begin receiving dreams from Mother Abagail in Nebraska and the demonic Randall Flagg. Flagg recruits Lloyd Henreid as his lieutenant to build an authoritarian society in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, survivors who reach Abagail's farm are instructed to establish a community in Boulder, Colorado, known as the Boulder Free Zone. Conflict arises as Harold Lauder, a resident of Boulder, secretly works for Flagg to destroy the community. After a bomb intended for Boulder's leadership kills several residents, Abagail sends Stu Redman, Larry, Glen Bateman, and Ralph Brentner on a journey to confront Flagg. After a series of desert hardships and captures in Las Vegas, a supernatural force manifests and detonates a stolen nuclear warhead, destroying Las Vegas and killing Flagg and his followers. The survivors return to Boulder to begin the long process of restoring civilization.
- First release year
- 1994
- Runtime (minutes)
- 366
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mick Garris
- Writers
- Stephen King · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Gary Sinise; Molly Ringwald; Jamey Sheridan · Randall Flagg; Rob Lowe · Nick Andros; Laura San Giacomo; Miguel Ferrer · Lloyd Henreid; Ruby Dee · Mother Abagail; Bill Fagerbakke; Corin Nemec; Adam Storke · Larry Underwood; Ray Walston; Matt Frewer · Trashcan Man
- Genres
- Post-apocalyptic; Fantasy drama; Horror; Disaster
- Themes
- Good vs. Evil; Survival; Religion; Pandemic
- Tone and mood
- Post-apocalyptic; Horror; Epic
- Premise and plot tags
- Supernatural; Zombie-like; Religious; Disaster
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Stand by Stephen King (1978 novel)
- Content notes
- Horror
- Reception
- The miniseries received generally positive reviews, with a 67% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 61 out of 100 on Metacritic. It was noted for its ambitious scope and large ensemble cast, though some retrospective reviews criticized its pacing.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 67% · review count: 24
- Awards and nominations
- Primetime Emmy Award · Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special · Win; Primetime Emmy Award · Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or a Special · Win
- Production trivia
- The project was originally planned as a theatrical film in the 1980s but was abandoned due to budget and scale.; The production moved from Boulder, Colorado, to Utah due to protests over local gay rights laws.; The jail sequences were filmed in the sex offender wing of the Utah State Prison.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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