Needful Things (1993)

Based on Stephen King’s 1991 novel of the same name, Needful Things (1993) is an American horror film directed by Fraser C. Heston. In the small town of Castle Rock, Maine, a mysterious man named Leland Gaunt arrives in a sinister-looking black car and opens an antique store called ‘Needful Things’. The establishment offers various items with great personal value to its residents, some clearly possessing supernatural abilities like a pain-relieving pendant or a toy that predicts horse race outcomes. However, these items come at a price – both in cash and in small ‘favors’ requested by Gaunt, usually in the form of pranks played on neighbors. Among his first customers is a boy named Brian Rusk who trades 95 cents and a practical joke on his neighbor Wilma Wadlowski Jerzyck for a rare Mickey Mantle baseball card.

Gaunt makes quite an impression on the folks in town, often playing tricks on them. One such victim is Danforth Keeton, a dishonest boat salesman and gambler who took $20,000 of the townspeople’s taxes to pay off his gambling debts. When Sheriff Alan Pangborn exposes Keeton’s deceitful actions, he turns to Gaunt for help and expresses his disdain for those who mockingly call him ‘Buster’ Keeton. In an attempt to assist Keeton with his troubles, Gaunt offers him a toy racehorse that can accurately predict the outcome of any horse race, giving him the opportunity to recoup the stolen money before anyone discovers the truth. Meanwhile, Gaunt also sells Frank Jewett a prized first edition of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.