Stephen King drew from his classic stories to make this made-for-TV film. It begins with parapsychology teacher, Joyce Reardon (Nancy Travis), giving a lecture to her students about Rose Red, a reputedly haunted mansion in Seattle. Just as she concludes this lecture, a student reporter challenges her about using university funds and equipment for her upcoming excursion, while her boss and arch nemesis, Professor Miller, watches from a room above the lecture hall.

The two professors get into a heated exchange before Steven Rimbauer, the last heir to the Rimbauer estate (Rose Red) and her lover, arrives. Knowing that Professor Miller is about to destroy her career, Reardon takes a gamble and continues with her project because she wants to prove to the faculty that the paranormal does exist. From the very beginning it is quite clear that she is obsessed with Rose Red, which she believes is the mother lode of haunted houses.

She hires six psychics to accompany her to this place to revive it from its “dead cell” state. One of them is autistic 15 year-old Annie Wheaton (Kimberly Brown), who is a powerhouse of telekinetic ability. Joyce is just as obsessed with the girl as she is with the house because she feels that Annie is the key to unlocking her proof and catapulting her into stardom. The professor is so blinded by her ambitions that she doesn’t see the danger until it is too late. What was supposed to be a weekend of catching spirits and voices on tape, turns out to be a fight for survival.

Rose Red is a very good movie on several levels, although it starts out slow. We’re forced to sit there and wait for Joyce Reardon to finish her lectures about the house and its owners. While interesting, it bordered on too much. I’d say that almost half of the first DVD was taken up by this.

Once the movie got going, I found myself riveted. The characters had a variety of psychic powers and quirks, plus their own motivations for embarking on this mission. It was their quirks that determined how they dealt with the environment they found themselves trapped in and if they survived.

The other qualm was the quality of the special effects, especially where the ghosts were concerned. In all my research about ghosts, I’ve never heard of an account where they appear as corpses. Solid or translucent versions of their former selves, yes, but not walking corpses. Because this was a made-for-TV movie, there isn’t a lot of gore, which is good because the movie had plenty of creepy elements, such as the way the house continued to change its geography.

While Rose Red is not all that original, it is definitely worth watching.