A fanedit, upscaling the 1080p source to 4K with 5.1 Surround, runtime 1hr 54m
To inquire about this edit, email krausfadr at gmail dot com and include the word fanedit in the subject line.
intent
Modernize the film with a new score and color grading. As this is a Dark Tower related story, incorporate more Dark Tower references. Downplay the preachy tone and reduce the characters over-verbalizing thoughts, fears and motivations, as if this were a stage play. Frank Darabont incorporated a prominent theme about the danger of religious fanaticism, and this is still present but now shown more than told. Finally, tighten up action sequences and reduce dated VFX.
change list
Upscaled and enhanced 1080p source to 4K.
Modern color regrade, re-grained. Changed the red, pink, and orange tones found in films of the 90’s and early 2000’s to cooler greens and blues. Reduced overexposure.
Scored opening Dimension logo and beginning with 1382 Wyclif Gen. ii. 7 and Spiride in the Face of Hym a an Entre of Breth of Lijf by Akira Rabelais.
Added title card with a Dark Tower (Book 1) quote attributed to Jake Chambers.
Expanded the introduction with an establishing shot of the rural residence on the lake.
Now while David paints he has the movie, A Fistful of Dollars, playing in the background. This provides another tie-in to the Dark Tower, and it’s dialogue (you killed all four) brings some subtle foreshadowing.
We watch a short scene from A Fistful of Dollars. Clint Eastwood is the motivation for the movie poster David is painting.
Removed the movie title from the beginning.
Cut the fade to black between the night storm and the morning aftermath.
In the backyard, trimmed David narrating that they are walking to see the damage.
Added the score, Innocence, by Colin Stetson to the backyard scene when Billy is running around.
Cut the initial introduction of Mrs. Carmody arriving at the market and being a jerk.
Cut the soldier explaining that they were going on leave when that fact was already apparent.
The old man who runs in the store doesn’t keep repeating the same thing, that the mist took John Lee.
At the very first sign of trouble, Mrs. Carmody doesn’t immediately say, “It’s death.” She also doesn’t begin saying it’s the end of days right away.
The panicked mother goes into less detail about her kids and doesn’t repeat herself.
Removed the fade to black as David holds his hysterical son. Inserted a new shot of the mist consuming a rural road. Cut David sitting in a grocery aisle with his sleeping son as the older lady spouts out multiple levels of expository. Instead we cut right to where David sets his son down. These scenes scored with the song, Le Commencement, by Colin Stetson.
In the generator room, David hits his head but then does not trip and fall.
Removed Jim the redneck going into detail about what David does for a living and saying he’s sick to death of his bullshit.
Ollie doesn’t narrate the townies’ psychological need to solve a minor problem.
As we see the mist outside the loading dock door, scored in the song, Post Tropical Cyclone, by Yuuki Matthews.
Trimmed down much of the loading dock struggle with the tentacles for better action and less dated VFX. Re-scored the scene with Fallout, by Colin Stetson.
Jim doesn’t say the line about the big bird. David reacts faster to punch him in the face.
David doesn’t say, “and I got his fucking blood on me.”
Jim doesn’t say a filler line as he stands up after getting beat up.
Cut David’s line asking what the townies’ excuse is for being stupid.
Back in the market, Ollie doesn’t get all offended and go into expository when someone calls Brett Norton a windbag. Cut the windbag line.
Brett doesn’t get insanely offended when he’s told about the tentacles, and now his reaction seems balanced and believable, given the circumstances.
Trimmed a shot of the severed tentacle turning to liquid to remove dated VFX.
Removed Mrs. Carmody’s expository dialogue when praying in the restroom stall, and cut the line about not mocking her. Added scoring which includes Planning A Murder by Colin Stetson.
Cut Ollie’s line about denial being a powerful thing and Mrs. Carmody’s commentary about no court of appeals in hell.
Jim doesn’t move to physically attack Mrs. Carmody.
Cut Mrs. Carmody repeating “go out” and then her saying the “howdy do” line. Also cut her call to take sides, the saved and the damned.
Removed Mrs. Carmody making a show of holding up the blood from her mouth and Amanda saying she’s too Old Testament for her tastes. Also changed Mrs. Carmody’s dialogue here shorten to it and so she doesn’t call herself Mother Carmody.
Trimmed Mrs. Carmody’s line when the biker dude is leaving the market.
Removed the fade to black after they drag what’s left of the biker back to the market. Inserted a new scene of the town shrouded in mist with the sound of a creature buzzing by in flight.
Cut the scene with David instructing the townies how to use floodlights.
Scored the romantic scene between the young cashier and the young soldier using Lost at Sea by Ben Chatwin.
Multiple cuts throughout the scene with winged creatures attacking inside the market for better action and less dated VFX. Removed some actions which made characters look foolish.
Scored the scene between David and Amanda talking in the aftermath of the first battle using Memories by Colin Stetson.
Cut Amanda’s spoken internal narrative about thinking she’ll wake up in a rubber room.
Scored the burn victim aftermath scene with Burning Witches by Ben Chatwin.
Trimmed most of the predictions characters make about Mrs. Carmody, how she is going to sacrifice someone, and all the commentary about humanity.
Added score as the group walks through the mist and then inside the pharmacy. Used 1382 Wyclif Gen. ii. 7 and Spiride in the Face of Hym a an Entre of Breth of Lijf by Akira Rabelais.
Cut throughout the pharmacy encounter with the spiders to improve the action and reduce the dated VFX. The spiders don’t make faces, and the old lady doesn’t encounter a spider posing so it can be sprayed with a can of flaming bug spray. Removed action which made characters look foolish.
Removed the fade to black after the now smaller group returns to the market, having fled from the spiders. This required trimming up the scene afterward and using SFX on Jim’s crying.
Cut the line giving us a history lesson about Fidel Castro.
As they carried out the soldier to be sacrificed, added score using Drowning by CUTS. Mrs. Carmody doesn’t say the line about the beast smelling his blood.
Trimmed the almost satirical elements of Mrs. Carmody’s final sermon. They mock our humility and piousness? Hahaha.
Ollie doesn’t say “I shot her.”
Trimmed the dialogue and timing of leaving the market so David and Ollie are not pausing to have a casual conversation when they need to run.
Cut throughout the parking lot encounter with the creatures to improve action and reduce dated VFX.
Replaced an unconvincing scream as poor Ollie gets ripped apart by the mantis-lobstrosity.
For the scenes where David and his companions drive out of the parking lot, drive to the house, and then later encounter the huge creature, added and/or changed the score using: Folk faer andlit by Hildur Guðnadóttir, Unravel by Ben Chatwin, Sky Burial by Rafael Anton Irisarri.
Added godrays to the scene with the gigantic creature as well as a new mighty roar as it departs.
When the vehicle runs out of gas, scored using Faithful Servant Friend of Christ by Lingua Ignota.
Less odd or emotionless faces from the elderly couple prior to meeting their fate.
Heavily trimmed David’s unconvincing anguished screams at the end.
Added new music to the end of the credits.
chapter list
Notice / Logos
The Gunslinger
Lake Mist
Neighbors
Grocery List
Something in the Mist
No One Helps
Knock Knock
Redneck Investigation
Tentacles
You Got That Kid Killed
Pathetic Attempt at a Joke
Taking Down Names
A Problem of Some Magnitude
Shitty Prayer
End Time Doomsayer
Tanks and Knives and Stuff
The Joke’s On Brett
Bloodthirsty Asshole
Shitty Locker Room
Biblical Bugs
Interlopers on Aisle 19
Polly Want a Bullet?
Suicide Solutions
Leave Before the Kool-Aid
Vegetable Stoning
Pharmacy Raid
Baby Spiders
E is for Expiation
Arrowhead Judas
Feed the Beast
We Want the Boy
The Food House Parking Lot Massacre
Requiem for a Bad Dream
Guardian of the Beam
Keeping a Promise
The Real Monster
End Credits