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ABC PREMIERE EVENT: STEPHEN KING'S ROSE RED {PART 1 OF 3} (TV)

Summary

Part one of three in this miniseries from Stephen King about a group of psychics investigating a haunted mansion.

In a Seattle suburb in 1991, Annie Wheaton, a five-year old nearly mute autistic girl, uses her telekinetic powers to bombard her neighbor's house with boulders as revenge for getting bitten by their dog, much to her family's horror. Ten years later, college psychology professor Joyce Reardon plans an investigation of Rose Red, an old mansion famous for being supposedly haunted, along with a team of people with psychic abilities. Her efforts attract the attention of her superior, Professor Carl Miller, as well as Kevin Bollinger, a student reporter for the campus newspaper, who believe her work in paranormal phenomena is nonsense and that she is wasting the college's time and money.

Joyce assembles her team, starting with Emery Waterman, a man with precognitive abilities who wants to join the expedition in order to help pay for his mother's out-of-control spending sprees. Emery experiences disturbing visions, but he is not intimidated and is quick to dismiss them. She also has the support of Steve Rimbauer, descendant of the original owners of Rose Red, with whom she is romantically involved. Joyce speaks to Rachel Wheaton, Annie's older sister, about including her in the investigation, as she hopes that Annie's powerful abilities will "awaken" paranormal activity within Rose Red. Rachel hopes to use the fee Joyce n offers to place Annie in a special school for autistic teenagers, but doesn't know if Annie will be permitted to go by their overbearing father. Meanwhile, Annie starts hearing voices, beckoning her to "come home."

That Monday, Joyce holds an orientation session for the members of her team, although Rachel and Annie are unable to attend. Unbeknownst to them, Kevin sneaks in and takes notes for the newspaper as Joyce gives a detailed account of the history of Rose Red, beginning in 1906, when its construction was commissioned by oil tycoon John Rimbauer as a present for his young wife Ellen. Problems arise during the construction, with a murder by one of the teamsters working on the construction, as well as three accidental deaths. Before construction is completed in 1909, John takes Ellen on an extended round-the-world honeymoon. While in Africa, Ellen contracts a fever which she attributes to a sexually transmitted disease from John. She eventually recovers and they return to the now-habitable Rose Red in 1909, along with Sukeena, a woman brought back from Africa. In September of that year, Ellen gives birth to her first son, Adam. Two years later, her daughter April is born with a deformed arm, which Ellen blames on her now-recurring fever. During this time Ellen becomes close with Sukeena.

Ellen becomes desperate to rid herself of her fever, and enlists the aid of a medium for advice. During a séance, the medium's crystal ball projects a ghostly image of Rose Red and Sukeena is harmed by a burst of energy from it. The medium proclaims that Ellen will not die until the house is finished. Ellen is cured of fever from that point on and orders improvements and additions to Red Rose until it becomes massive. John plummets to his death from the house's tower addition in 1921, which some believe to be suicide. Ellen continues building up the house until 1950, when she mysteriously disappears.

Since the end of World War I, five men and eighteen women are reported missing within the house, according to Joyce's research, which infers that the house "prefers" female victims. The last such disappearance was in 1972, when a woman on historical society tour of the mansion disappeared, leaving only her purse behind. Joyce notes that the last display of any psychic phenomena within the house was in 1995, and since then it has become a "dead cell." She hopes that the presence of psychics within Red Rose will incite phenomena, which they can record and present to the scientific community before Steve allows the house to be torn down by condominium developers. As the orientation ends, Kevin photographs the team holding hands in an effort to embarrass them.

The psychics on Joyce's team, with the exception of Emery, go to a bar for drinks after the orientation. One of them, Victor Kandinsky, excuses himself to go to the bathroom, where he seems uneasy and takes medication. Afterward, they introduce themselves and explain their respective abilities: Pam Asbury has the ability to glean information about objects via touch. Victor demonstrates his powers of precognition, and a woman named Cathy Kramer reveals her ability to write down psychic impressions which she receives from Pam's mind, revealing that Pam has a crush on Steve. The final member, Nick Hardaway, has the ability to read minds, but he decides not to reveal this to the others. Meanwhile, Rachel and her father argue about her dealings with Joyce. Mr. Wheaton believes that Joyce's offer is not enough to get Annie into the special school, and insists that he knows what is best for her. Annie then causes their house to shake, sending her mother into a panic. Later, when Rachel and her father are cleaning up the resulting rubble, he admits that he is scared to let Annie into Rose Red, believing that it could be dangerous. Rachel counters that it could be an opportunity to help improve their lives.

When Kevin's photo ends up in the school newspaper, Carl lashes out at Joyce, stating that the article casts the psychology department in a negative light. He reveals that her tenure has been revoked and that the department will no longer suffer her presence. She retaliates that he is afraid of what she'll uncover at Rose Red, and that evidence of paranormal phenomena will validate all her claims. Later, she informs Steve that Rachel accepted her offer to join the group. Meanwhile, Carl has Kevin sneak into Rose Red before Joyce's arrival to get evidence against them and discredit the undertaking. The door is opened for Kevin by Sukeena, who quickly vanishes. Kevin soon finds himself trapped in the adjoining solarium and surrounded by bees before being sucked upward by unseen forces, leaving his belongings scattered on the floor.

The next day, Joyce and her team assemble at the university. Emery is embarrassed when Kay, his doting mother, drops him off and leaves a big lipstick kiss on his cheek. Rachel and Annie arrive, and Rachel tries to keep her sister's telekinetic abilities in control. Carl leaves a message on Kevin's phone, not realizing that it is lying abandoned on the solarium floor. Joyce and her group arrive at the house, and Nick reads Steve's mind as he has a flashback to his childhood, lost in the dark recesses of Rose Red. As the team unpacks equipment, Steve recalls seeing a mysterious woman in white with a fan in the house as a child. He announces that the house is aware that they have arrived and wants them to come inside. The team then moves toward the entrance of Rose Red. Includes commercials.

Details

  • NETWORK: ABC
  • DATE: January 27, 2002 9:00 PM
  • RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
  • COLOR/B&W: Color
  • CATALOG ID: B:70408
  • GENRE: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
  • SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
  • SERIES RUN: ABC - TV miniseries, 2002
  • COMMERCIALS:
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    • TV – Promos – "20/20 Downtown"
    • TV – Promos – "20/20"
    • TV – Promos – "According to Jim"
    • TV – Promos – "Alias"
    • TV – Promos – "Dinotopia"
    • TV – Promos – "Eyewitness News"
    • TV – Promos – "From Russia With Love"
    • TV – Promos – "Good Morning America"
    • TV – Promos – "My Wife and Kids"
    • TV – Promos – "Oprah"
    • TV – Promos – "Stephen King's Rose Red"
    • TV – Promos – "The Chair"
    • TV – Promos – "The Drew Carey Show"
    • TV – Promos – "The Job"
    • TV – Promos – "The Practice"

CREDITS

  • Stephen King … Executive Producer, Writer
  • Mark Carliner … Executive Producer
  • Robert F. Phillips … Producer
  • Thomas H. Brodek … Producer
  • Bruce Dunn … Associate Producer
  • Craig R. Baxley … Director
  • Craig Stearns … Director (2nd Unit)
  • Gary Chang … Music by
  • Nancy Travis … Cast, Professor Joyce Reardon
  • Matt Keeslar … Cast, Steve Rimbauer
  • Kimberly J. Brown … Cast, Annie Wheaton
  • David Dukes … Cast, Professor Carl Miller
  • Judith Ivey … Cast, Cathy Kramer
  • Melanie Lynskey … Cast, Rachel Wheaton
  • Matt Ross … Cast, Emery Waterman
  • Julian Sands … Cast, Nick Hardaway
  • Kevin Tighe … Cast, Victor Kandinsky
  • Julia Campbell … Cast, Ellen Rimbauer
  • Emily Deschanel … Cast, Pam Asbury
  • Laura Kenny … Cast, Mrs. Kay Waterman
  • Tsidii Leloka … Cast, Sukeena
  • Yvonne Scio … Cast, Deanna Petrie
  • Jimmi Simpson … Cast, Kevin Bollinger
  • John Procaccino … Cast, John Rimbauer
  • Kristen Fischer … Cast, Annie (5 yrs. old)
  • Robert Blanche … Cast, George Wheaton
  • Mary Jo Dugaw … Cast, Mrs. Wheaton
  • Bobby Preston … Cast, Steve Rimbauer (8 yrs. old)
  • Paige Gordon … Cast, April Rimbauer
  • Don Alder … Cast, Douglas Posey
  • Zoaunne LeRoy … Cast, Mrs. Stanton
  • Richard Sanders … Cast, Mr. Stanton
  • Alisa McKay … Cast, Cathy Spruce
  • Jessica Marlowe … Cast, Madame Stavinsky
  • Kristin Baxley … Cast, Grad Student