An underrated Stephen King thriller movie is on TV tonight

The Stephen King film has been cited as an influence on the 2025 hit movie Weapons.

The film revolves around a creepy and mysterious older man named Leland Gaunt (Oscar nominee Max von Sydow, The Exorcist) who moves to a small town in Maine and sets up an antique shop.

"Gaunt has the remarkable ability of selling people exactly what they want most, but his ideal purchases come at a price that involves more than just money," the plot synopsis adds.

"Through Gaunt's manipulation, the citizens of the town gradually turn on one another, resulting in violence that Sheriff Alan Pangborn (Oscar nominee Ed Harris, Top Gun: Maverick) struggles to contain.

Co-starring Amanda Plummer (Pulp Fiction), Bonnie Bedelia (Die Hard) and J.T. Walsh (Breakdown), Needful Things earned mixed reviews from critics upon release, with many critics finding it inferior to King's book.

That said, von Sydow's villainous turn and the movie's unique premise have led to it developing a cult following amongst genre fans.

Acclaimed writer-director Zach Cregger even cited Needful Things, particularly its trailer, as being an influence on his 2025 hit film Weapons.

On this, Cregger told CinemaBlend: "The Needful Things trailer promised something that my imagination just went nuts with when I saw that as a kid.

"I was just really into a small town just imploding over one central mystery."

Needful Things is airing on TV tonight on Sky Sci-Fi at 9pm. It is also available to rent on Amazon, Apple TV and the Sky Store.

Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight:

RoboCop - ITV4 - 9pm

Peter Weller stars in this legendary sci-fi action flick as a mortally wounded cop in a dystopian, crime-ridden Detroit who returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris - Film4 - 9pm

Lesley Manville plays Mrs Harris, who does indeed go to Paris, in this well-liked historical comedy drama.

Grown Ups - Comedy Central - 9pm

Adam Sandler and his pals headline this comedy that was a hit at the box office but not with critics.

The International - Legend - 9pm

Clive Owen and Naomi Watts star in this globetrotting action thriller as an Interpol agent and an American district attorney who jointly investigate a powerful bank's funding of terrorism.

Pride and Prejudice - BBC Four - 9.05pm

Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen headline this fantastic adaptation of Jane Austen's classic romance novel.

Butterfly on a Wheel - Legend Xtra - 10.55pm

After kidnapping the daughter of a couple, a man (Pierce Brosnan) forces the two (Gerard Butler and Maria Bello) to comply with a series of daunting tasks in this 2007 thriller.

Whisky Galore! - BBC Four - 11.05pm

The 2016 remake of the classic Ealing Comedy of the same name.

Rocky III - ITV4 - 11.10pm

Sylvester Stallone fights Mr T AND Hulk Hogan.

American Gangster - Film4 - 11.20pm

If you missed this 21st-century crime movie classic when we recommended it recently, you have another chance to watch the film.

Timecop - Sky Sci-Fi - 11.30pm

One of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s better movies.

Turn your home into a cinema with this projector 

Do you love movies? Have you ever dreamt of turning your home into your own cinema?

If so, then you may be interested in a home theatre projector we spotted on sale on Amazon with “impressive quality”.

The 4K projector has the likes of YouTube, Netflix and Prime Video built in, so you can access thousands of films and shows without an additional TV stick, and you can also connect it to Bluetooth on your phone and laptop.

It’s currently priced at €53.52 in a limited-time deal on the Amazon website.

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