"Kingdom Hospital" (2004): Starring Andrew McCarthy, Bruce Davison, Diane Ladd, Ed Begley Jr, Jack Coleman, Brandon Bauer, Megan Fay, Jennifer Cunningham, Lena Georgas, Jodelle Ferland, Jamie Harrold, Allison Hossack, Sherry Miller, Del Pentacost, Suki Kaiser, Kett Turton, Julian Richings, William Wise, John Cassini, William B. Davis, Lorena Gale, Christopher Heyerdahl, Eric Keenleyside, Michael Lerner, Peter MacNeill, Brenda McDonald, Duncan Minett, Peter New, Ty Olsson, Paul Perri, Gerard Plunkett, David Quinlan, Benjamin Ratner, Callum Keith Rennie, Ryan Robbins, Zak Santiago, Alan Scarfe, Gary Sekhon, Ron Selmour, William Morgan Sheppard.....Director Craig R. Baxley, Screenplay Stephen King, Richard Dooling, Tabitha King.
Some are familiar with the original mini-series "Kingdom Hospital" by Lars Von Tier but this was mainly the work of horror novelist Stephen King and Director Craig R. Baxley, who had just finished the mini-series "Rose Red" and "Diary of Ellen Rimbauer" for TV in 2002 and 2003. 2004's "Kingdom Hospital" is therefore a remake with the newest special effects/computer digital effects, and because Stephen King is behind this, it was going to draw attention. It was on ABC channel 7 and despite the fact that many people did in fact watch it (myself included) the series was not a big hit. This was due to the overall production. It looks like a horror comic book come to life, this feeling further enhanced by the very animated and exaggerated CG imagery of giant anteaters, pale children-spirits, odd camera angles, graphic scenes of blood and pain, etc. This was due to the cinematography by David Connell, no stranger to this type of thing. This is worse than "The Stand". The premise: A children's hospital was burned to the ground years ago in a terrible fire, later rebuilt but the new doctors and patients must deal with the issue of the restless ghosts of the children. Furthermore, there are other dark secrets in this labyrinthical and frightening hospital. The very idea of a haunted hospital can seem risible and corny, but if they had done a better job of direction and writing, it would have worked. "Rose Red" was wonderful because it did not suffer from the excess that this series has in spades. Possibly the only good thing about this is the music by Gary Chang and a few moments of real horror and supernatural thriller moments. But this is not Stephen King's best. His glory days are far behind him as "Carrie" "The Shining" "Misery" and others are classics of horror-thriller. This is not. This is pure commercial nonsense, with characters who are unrealistic, with a lousy script, too much mystery (similar to the ABC show "Lost") to the point one can easily believe the writers are making it up as they go along and don't even know the answer to the mystery themselves. This is a lousy lousy mini series and not to recommended.
Some are familiar with the original mini-series "Kingdom Hospital" by Lars Von Tier but this was mainly the work of horror novelist Stephen King and Director Craig R. Baxley, who had just finished the mini-series "Rose Red" and "Diary of Ellen Rimbauer" for TV in 2002 and 2003. 2004's "Kingdom Hospital" is therefore a remake with the newest special effects/computer digital effects, and because Stephen King is behind this, it was going to draw attention. It was on ABC channel 7 and despite the fact that many people did in fact watch it (myself included) the series was not a big hit. This was due to the overall production. It looks like a horror comic book come to life, this feeling further enhanced by the very animated and exaggerated CG imagery of giant anteaters, pale children-spirits, odd camera angles, graphic scenes of blood and pain, etc. This was due to the cinematography by David Connell, no stranger to this type of thing. This is worse than "The Stand". The premise: A children's hospital was burned to the ground years ago in a terrible fire, later rebuilt but the new doctors and patients must deal with the issue of the restless ghosts of the children. Furthermore, there are other dark secrets in this labyrinthical and frightening hospital. The very idea of a haunted hospital can seem risible and corny, but if they had done a better job of direction and writing, it would have worked. "Rose Red" was wonderful because it did not suffer from the excess that this series has in spades. Possibly the only good thing about this is the music by Gary Chang and a few moments of real horror and supernatural thriller moments. But this is not Stephen King's best. His glory days are far behind him as "Carrie" "The Shining" "Misery" and others are classics of horror-thriller. This is not. This is pure commercial nonsense, with characters who are unrealistic, with a lousy script, too much mystery (similar to the ABC show "Lost") to the point one can easily believe the writers are making it up as they go along and don't even know the answer to the mystery themselves. This is a lousy lousy mini series and not to recommended.