Needful Things

Needful Things is a film directed by Fraser Clarke Heston in 1993.

Leland Gaunt (Max von Sydow) arrives to a sleepy little town and installs himself, opening a store in which he sells almost everything, all you need and all you don't need. Above all, things you shouldn't by from this person.

Even if you never should trust a salesman, this one is (perhaps?) worse, because it's the Devil himself in disguise!

When buying these things from monsieur Satan, it's always on condition that the buyers do this or that and after a while the sheriff Alan Pangborn (Ed Harris) becomes suspicious and starts to investigate the circumstances around some events in town.

The terror escalates and soon this calm little town is filled with fraudulent behaviour, corruption, violence and murder.

Unfortunately Gaunt has everyone in his power, even the clergyman (not surprising).

How is Pangborn going to get a grip on the situation?

I don't know how many 'devils' Sydow has done on screen the poor d... but on the other hand he is the only actor who's acted the part of both the Devil and Jesus, two important men in the history of man.

In this film there are more Nordic influences as the director uses music by Edvard Grieg (In the Hall of the Mountain King - not Stephen King).

The film is quite entertaining and in the end the Devil looses - or does he really?