31 Days of Horror: M-o-o-n, that spells The Stand (1994)
As we embrace the final week of October, and this spooky season comes to a close, it would feel nearly sacrilegious to not discuss something from the mind of Stephen King. To satisfy this requisite, we're looking at the 1994 miniseries The Stand.
An adaptation of one of his longest novels, which was originally published 1987 and rereleased unabridged in 1990, The Stand aired on ABC as a four-part miniseries. It is a dark fantasy horror centering on the few survivors of a global pandemic.
The ensemble cast includes Molly Ringwald, Rob Lowe, Ed Harris, Shawnee Smith, Matt Frewer, and Laura San Giacomo.
After an experimental flu variant escapes a government lab, over 99% of the population is wiped out. Two opposing figures named Mother Abigail (Ruby Dee) and Randall Flagg (Jamey Sheridan) appear to the immune survivors in their dreams, guiding them to their respective communities to prepare for a final confrontation.
The miniseries may not be the creepiest or most traditional entry on this year’s 31 Days of Horror, but it carries elements that make it an excellent series to watch during the final week. The nearly six-hour epic is perfect to binge on a rainy day-in (or a sick day, though that may not be the best thing to watch while ill).
The miniseries, like the novel, is more akin to an epic. It is a rollercoaster of characters and converging stories that portrays the ultimate battle between good and evil. The evil is plenty, and Sheridan’s portrayal of Flagg carried the terrifying charm of someone who can either choose to protect you or choose to kill you. He is a resourceful, mystical psychopath who has inherited a new world after the plague. But the terror is not just limited to Flagg.
The most terrifying sequence in the miniseries is when the character Stu Redman (Gary Sinise) escapes a government hospital littered with the corpses of the plague victims. He has been kept in an exam room since the pandemic started, and after breaking out he slowly walks through the fluorescent hallways of the building. The floors are covered with swollen, diseased bodies. Just before he makes it out, a fever-crazed doctor grabs him, extending an invitation to eat chicken with him in the dark.
While The Stand is certainly not the most frightful thing to watch around Halloween, it’s early 90s tone, excellent acting, and chilling sequences make this post-apocalyptic tale one to include in the horror repertoire.
In 2020, Paramount + aired a new, star-studded adaptation in the form of a nine-episode miniseries. In 2025, it was confirmed that Doug Liman was attached to direct a new feature film adaptation of the novel.
Comments