The Tommyknockers is a TV miniseries based on
Stephen King's 1987 novel. An alien spacecraft
has been buried beneath the Burning Woods near
the small rural New England community of Haven
for millions of years, but has now by chance
been unearthed by Bobbi (Marg Helgenberger)
while digging around in the woods behind her
house. The structure in the woods begins to
exert a glowing-green influence on the town,
causing the people to invent Rube Goldberg-like
gizmos, develop the gift of telepathy, lose
their teeth, and form a hive-mind mentality bent
on digging up the ship and revivifying the
desiccated aliens within.
Luckily, Bobbi's significant other is an
alcoholic poet (Jimmy Smits) who needs to learn
to face his fears. He also has a metal plate in
his head that prevents the hive-minders from
reading his thoughts and makes him immune to the
neon-green influence of the aliens. Ultimately,
it's up to him to save the day. Although the
acting is topnotch, especially from Smits and
Helgenberger, and there are plenty of gooseflesh
moments, there are also enough plot holes here
to fuel a very long and enjoyable evening's
conversation. Why do the aliens start in at this
time, when they've been causing legends in the
woods for ages? Where does an alien ship buried
for ages get all that dry ice? How does the
Smits character make a living as a poet?
One suspects that King's fine sense of New
England characterizations is given short shrift
here, and that the woods in his mind teem with
more alien thoughts than the TV miniseries form
could embody. Welcome appearances by congenial
actors abound, notably Joanna Cassidy, E.G.
Marshall and Robert Carradine. And there's a
slutty postal letter-carrier played
authentically by Traci Lords.
Directed by: John
Power
Written by:
Lawrence D. Cohen
Produced by: Jayne
Bieber
Original music by:
Christopher Franke
Cast:
Jimmy Smits .... Jim
Gardner
Marg Helgenberger .... Bobbi Anderson
John Ashton (I) .... Butch Duggan
Allyce Beasley .... Becka Paulson
Robert Carradine .... Bryant Brown
Joanna Cassidy .... Sheriff Ruth
Annie Corley .... Marie Brown
Cliff De Young .... Joe Paulson
Traci Lords .... Nancy Voss
E.G. Marshall .... Ev Hillman
Chuck Henry .... Chaz Stewart
Leon Woods .... Hilly Brown
Paul McIver .... Davey Brown
Yvonne Lawley .... Mabel Noyes
Bill Johnson .... Elt Barker
John Steemson .... Barney Applegate
Rick Leckinger .... Jingles
Peter Rowley .... Benton Rhodes
John Sumner .... Mr. Arberg
Elizabeth Hawthorne .... Patricia McCardle
Craig Parker .... Student Bartender
Kay Helgenberger .... Pearl
Larry Sanitsky .... Neurologist
Helen Medlyn .... Neurologist #2
Jim McLarty .... Dr. Etheridge
Daniel Bieber .... Boy at Vet
Timothy Bartlett .... Mr. Allison
Karyn Malchus .... Tommyknocker
