Search - Rose Red on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Movie Release: 2002 DVD Release: 05/14/2002 Format: DVD Edition: Television Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 2 Number of Discs: 2 Run Time: 4 hrs 14 mins Studio: Lions Gate Total Copies: 55 Genres: Horror, Haunted House Film

Horror specialist Stephen King claimed that his TV miniseries Rose Red was inspired by a number of sources, ranging from Shirley Jackson's -The Haunting of Hill House (twice filmed as The Haunting) to Ripley's Believe It or Not to -Moby Dick. Residents of San Jose, CA, however, quickly realized that King's story owed a great deal to their own city's legendary "haunted" mansion, Winchester House. Rose Red was set in motion when psych professor Joyce Reardon (Nancy Travis), defying her tongue-clucking boss Professor Miller (David Dukes, who died during production), set about to investigate reports of paranormal phenomena in Rose Red, a crumbling and foreboding Seattle mansion. According to legend -- and a great deal of physical evidence -- Rose Red was a "living" entity in its own right, adding extras wings to its structure and rearranging its furniture whenever it felt like it. There has also been a number of mysterious deaths at the mansion, which Joyce believed were the handiwork of a ghost: Ellen Rimbauer, the insane wife of Rose Red's architect. Inviting a quintet of psychics (social misfits all, of course) to spend a weekend at the mansion, Joyce was determined to solve the mystery of Rose Red -- and, she hoped, to conjure up Ellen's hostile spirit. Thereafter, the miniseries adhered to the proven formula, with characters foolishly wandering off alone to meet their individual demises, and with such time-tested lines as "Superstitious nonsense!," "Honey -- are you in there?" and "Oh, no! AIYEEEE!" wafting through the mansion's drafty corridor. The outcome of the story -- and the fate of the survivors -- seemed to rest in the hands of Annie Wheaton (Kimberly J. Brown), an autistic teenager with astonishing telepathic skills. Premiering January 27, 2002, the three-part Rose Red posted ABC's best ratings in months, despite an almost universal drubbing by the critics. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Nancy Travis - Dr. Joyce Reardon
Matt Keeslar - Steve Rimbauer
Kimberly J. Brown - Annie Wheaton
David Dukes - Professor Miller
Judith Ivey - Cathy Kramer

Stephen King puts pen to paper and paper to celluloid with the spooky haunted house TV movie Rose Red. Lion's Gate's work on this 1.33:1 full-frame transfer is great, sporting solid colors and dark black levels. While there are quick moments where the image tends to appear a tad soft, overall this is a very nice transfer with a pleasing appearance (especially for a TV movie). The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround in English, French, and Spanish. This 5.1 soundtrack is very well-mixed with a multitude of eerie, atmospheric sounds to scare even the most steel-hearted viewer. No distortion or hiss was detected in any of the dialogue, music, or effects. Also included on this disc are English and Spanish subtitles. This two-DVD set includes a very nice array of extra features, starting with a commentary track by director Craig Baxley, producer Mark Carliner, and a few brief appearances by some of the crew. This is a very long and engaging commentary that slows down a bit at the end, though overall, there are some interesting and informative stories to be heard. A 50-minute documentary titled "Bad House: The Making of Rose Red" is in-depth and features interviews with cast members Nancy Travis, Julian Sands, Matt Keeslar, Judith Ivey, and Melanie Lynskey, as well as author Stephen King. This feature chronicles the film from development to production to airing and should give viewers a better understanding of how it came to the screen. "Unlocking Rose Red: The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer" is a nearly half-hour faux documentary that is interesting, if a bit trite. Finally, there are some storyboards of three separate scenes, a gallery of artwork from the conceptual stages of the film, and some video promo spots for other Lion's Gate movies. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide