Kingdom Hospital

Kingdom Hospital is a television series written by Stephen King, released in 2004. The show is based on the Lars Von Trier television series named Riget (or Kingdom in English), which is a Danish 5 hour television movie. The series tells the story of a Hospital in Lewiston Maine, that is build on the ruins of a hospital that burned down, that was built on the ruins of a textile mill that burned down. The hospital is haunted, and one particular ghost, that of Mary who is accompanied by her friend Antubis a giant ant-eater with giant sharp teeth is trying to help a patient (who is very much based on Stephen King himself) as well as some of the hospital staff to stop the cycle of the hauntings, and to free the tortured spirits from the hospital. The series received mixed reviews from critics, may commenting on the the disjointed plot, and the lackluster acting, and slowly unfolding plot. The series from what I have read keeps the dark humour of the original work, though Stephen King added in many of his own elements. The series did receive an award for the special effects. The first episode was the highest ratings debut for a drama, though the ratings plummeted as the show went on. I feel it is a shame that the series was as poorly received as it was, because it is actually a beautiful work with a lot of really great moments. The special effects, were amazingly well done for television series, the looked beautiful, though of course, some of the CGI is a bit dated and looks a bit cartoonish, but it also really works in this series. The actors, though some say were a bit flat in their performances, I thought were all really well done for a television series, really do feel like the series was well cast. I though that the dark humour came across really well, and I am impressed by the great tie-ins with Stephen King's Dark Tower series of novels, as well as tie-ins with other works as well. I am also really impressed by the amazing horror elements that were included, and that a television would have such great horror in it both in story and in visuals. I mentioned the tie-ins with the Dark Tower, one of the most obvious is the mention of Nozz-a-la soda, which plays an important part of the series. We can tell that because of the existence of Nozz-a-la that the story does not take place on Keystone-Earth, but on a different level of the Tower, and then at the end when it changes to a Pepsi machine, we can tell then at that point that we have transitioned to Keystone-Earth after the wrongs have been set right. The retelling of the accident with the artist, who is basically a retelling of Stephen King's real life accident, were also featured in the Dark Tower series as well. In The Dark Tower series it was Stephen King who got hit by the van, and he was saved by Roland and his Ka-tet, in Kingdom Hospital it was the artist Peter Rickman who was saved by Antibus the Antieater who is the gate-keeper between the world of the living and the world of the dead. There are other Dark Tower elements that are included as well. Would I recommend this film? I want to say yes, because of how much I love it, but I will be honest, this is not a series for everyone. If you are a huge Stephen King fan, then yes, this is a must see, the amazing tie-ins, and great story telling, is absolutely beautiful and a must see. If you like weird television shows, with dark humour, and that borderlines on abstraction, then this is for you. If you like horror, and dark humour, told on the medium of network television, then I would recommend this to you. For the rest of you, that want something that has a more concise plot, and fast paced action, or just a swifter pace in general, then this might be one to skip. As much as I love this series with all my heart, and want to tell everyone that it is a must see series, it just really is for a niche audience, that is comprised for folks like myself.