There’s no question that Stephen King is one of the most accomplished creatives working in the world today. With stories like The Shining, Stand by Me, and It to his name, King is that rare writer whose works have become beloved classics in the realms of both literature and cinema, which is why it might still come as a surprise that the author actually considers one of his best tales to be a lesser-known horror series from back near the turn of the century. While it may lack the iconic status of something like The Shawshank Redemption, King pointed to 1999’s Storm of the Century as his “crowning television achievement” in a 2020 call with The New York Times.
Centered around a blizzard of biblical proportions that is about to descend upon the isolated community of Little Tall Island, Maine, Storm of the Century follows beleaguered constable Mike Anderson (Tim Daly), a doting father and husband who is forced to stop prepping for the storm when a murder is committed on the island by a man identified only by the name Andre Linoge (Colm Feore). At first assumed to be simply an unhinged serial killer, Linoge soon demonstrates several uncanny abilities, not the least of which is being able to seemingly unearth the darkest secrets long-hidden by Little Tall Island’s residents. When a series of horrific incidents follow Linoge’s incarceration, these residents are forced to reckon with a power they could never have imagined, setting the stage for a riveting tale that ultimately deserves to rank among King’s best stories to date.
Stephen King’s ‘Storm of the Century’ Balances the Best of the Horror Author’s Strengths
There’s a lot in Storm of the Century that will feel pleasantly familiar to longtime Stephen King fans, especially those nostalgically attached to the author’s long history of adaptations. Not only does the three-part miniseries feature a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo from the monster-maker himself, as well as continuing the author’s long tradition of connecting his most iconic stories through references to the clown-infested town of Derry, Maine, but Storm of the Century is also built out of the same tropes that define King’s narrative voice. The series boasts one of television’s most riveting deals with the devil, includes no small number of demon-possessed children, and even alludes to a psychic in the tragic character of Ursula Godsoe (Becky Ann Baker), nailing King’s familiar focus on a realistic setting invaded by supernatural forces beyond human comprehension.
What really brings Storm of the Century to life, however, is production value. As King himself pointed out to The New York Times, the crew behind the miniseries does a phenomenal job of evoking both the omnipotence of the story’s blizzard and the small-town setting that defines most King stories. By relying on practical effects and filming on-site in Maine, Storm of the Century truly makes Little Tall Island feel like a real place, sucking the audience into the story even further and making the island’s tragedies that much more unnerving. This grounded approach to storytelling doesn’t just stop at the show’s setting, either. As one would expect from a Stephen King story, Storm of the Century is largely memorable because of its riveting horror, and that horror primarily stems from the show’s expertly-written antagonist, Andre Linoge.
Unlike more recent Hollywood demons and monsters, Linoge is a memorable antagonist not because he possesses a terrifying CGI design, but because the character’s words can do just as much damage as his appearance. By relying more on verbal manipulation, subtle flashes of Linoge’s true form, and indirect manifestations of Linoge’s powers, Storm of the Century makes Linoge feel like a larger-than-life threat and one of King’s most thrilling villains. Much of what makes Linoge so terrifying can also be attributed to Feore’s incredible portrayal, with the actor perfectly embodying the cold amusement of a demon toying with humans in what ultimately feels like a cross between Hell and Hannibal Lecter. The villain’s unrivaled screen presence is what drives Storm of the Century to land its dramatic climax, cementing the series as one of the best King stories ever told in any medium.
‘Storm of the Century’ Is the Peak of Stephen King’s TV Writing
Aside from being a major achievement on its own, Storm of the Century is also the direct result of King’s long road to producing quality television. Notably, despite the high quality of recent Stephen King adaptations on television, such as The Outsider and 11.22.63, the author’s output in the early days of his television career was far more uneven. While some earlier projects and 1994’s The Stand proved King could adapt his own material with great success, the acclaimed author struggled throughout the 1990s to leave an original mark on television. Following King’s all-but-forgotten work on 1991’s The Golden Years and the mixed reception to his work on The X-Files, Storm of the Century finally capped off decades of effort on King’s part to write an original hit on television, proving that the author’s literary voice could be successfully lent to a thrilling miniseries.
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It’s no wonder that, in hindsight, King would consider Storm of the Century his crowning achievement on television. With an 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes and 84% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, the project certainly connected with viewers, even surpassing the reception of many of King’s adapted works. Considering just how well the production and King’s writing merged to create such a memorable miniseries, Storm of the Century feels like one of those passion projects that inexplicably managed to combine all the right pieces at the perfect time, and the miniseries has only stood out more since its initial release for that very reason. Not only did the series serve as a major inspiration for Mike Flanagan‘s later hit, Midnight Mass, but with King’s next original series, Rose Red, receiving a lukewarm reception in 2002, Storm of the Century undoubtedly remains the best showcase of King’s ability to write for television.
‘Storm of the Century’ Demonstrates Stephen King’s Versatility as a Writer
More than just being one of King’s favorite projects, the miniseries testifies to the author’s mastery of multiple mediums and creative versatility, highlighting why he remains such a pivotal figure in the cultural zeitgeist. While King has certainly endured his fair share of box office disappointments and cinematic flops, there’s something inspiring about being able to go back and appreciate the great work that came out of the writer’s unwavering perseverance to succeed in television.
During a time when it feels like many franchises, directors, and even actors can suffer irreparable damage from even a single underwhelming project, Storm of the Century is proof that the most powerful stories emerge from persistent effort. Rather than staying in his creative lane or focusing exclusively on horror novels when his first television efforts didn’t pan out, King’s commitment to the full extent of his craft has resulted in a memorable miniseries that rightfully solidifies him as one of the most successful writers in history.