The Tommyknockers

1993 Directed by John Power

A buried UFO slowly turns local inhabitants into gizmo-building alien mutants.

Jimmy Smits Marg Helgenberger John Ashton Allyce Beasley Robert Carradine Elizabeth Hawthorne Joanna Cassidy Annie Corley Cliff DeYoung E.G. Marshall Traci Lords Helen Medlyn Yvonne Lawley Karyn Malchus

Alternative Titles

The Tommyknockers - Stephen King, Stephen Kings Tommyknockers, Stephen King's Tommyknockers

181 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Cam ★★

Stephen’s King’dom Marathon: Film #34
"The voices told me what to do and how to do it"
Grab your glowing-green lipstick zapper, because we’re off to see The Tommyknockers!
What is a Tommyknocker anyway?
To be honest, I’m not quite sure, but from what I can tell, they're kinda like an episode of Goosebumps, except really long, and really, really boring.
”I can’t help but feel like we’re missing something.”

Cinematic Playlist – Stephen King Ranked
Review by Alan 🐳 ★★★½ 6

This movie might have been responsible for the worst instance of being cheated by a VHS cover in my young life. Every time I went to the video shoppe, I would see this VHS cover and piss myself. Then, a few years later, Sky showed it in its entirety and for three hours I sat there saying "where are the fucking monsters".
In spite of its aggressive mediocrity I've watched this movie (miniseries?) at least four times. Each time I think "I can't believe I just watched that entire thing again". But then I remember that I've sat through many other films that don't star Traci Lords and I cut myself some slack.
Some nerd has probably uploaded the five seconds that the monsters are onscreen to youtube, so maybe you should just go watch that. I'll probably watch this whole thing again in like six months.
Review by MrSneakyMan ★★★½

This is an unmitigated bucket of shit but it is goofy as hell and higly entertaining. It doesn't work in any of the ways that it was intended to (it isn't the least bit frightening, I couldn't care less about any* of the characters, the town goes from quaint to trite almost immediately), but it is quite funny, even if most of the humor is unintentional.
The level of craft on display here is so abysmally low that most of the film looks and feels like a 90s FMV game. I happen to have a great amount of nostalgic admiration for those games, so this works for me. The audio mix is so bad that the completely mediocre score is…
Review by Jason the Feature Creature ★★★½ 2

“No but! I never wanna hear but again, and butt is what goats have for brains!”
Everything I’ve seen from the 90’s spurt of King made-for-television adaptations have all been a blast. The teleplay was penned by Lawrence D. Cohen who also wrote the first part of the ‘IT’ miniseries, as well as the original and most recent ‘Carrie’ adaptation.
The Tommyknockers is notorious amongst Constant Readers as being Stephen King’s lowest point in his battle with drug and addiction. I haven’t read the source material myself but King hates it. I find the characters to all be enjoyable and the premise an entertaining one. I’m glad the horror writer was able to pull himself out of the darkness and…
Review by Sofa Sinema ★★★★

Another golden age Stephen King miniseries about a small town turned upside town by otherworldly forces. Some scenes very much reminded me of the current return of Twin Peaks. I can't get enough Traci Lords. She's bad to the bone, and hot to the touch. 8.2/10
Review by Geoffrey Broomer ★★ 4

It may be the 83 times I watched F/X talking... but Cliff DeYoung should always get the girl.
And what the hell kind of pre-teen has a Lair of the White Worm poster in his bedroom? The luckiest pre-teen alive! Sure. Also an art department that shouldn’t be allowed near children.
Conclusion - in Jimmy Smits we trust, even if they need other L.A.Law cast members to make odd cameos that remind us that Jimmy Smits is better than television.
Review by Matthew L. Brady ★

'Tommyknockers' is pretty bad. While there are worse Stephen King movie adaptions out there, but this one is close behind.
Incredibly cheesy with some bad acting through out. However, I am looking forward to James Wan remake. I mean, it's got to be better than this.
Review by No-Personality ★★★½

Horror of 1993 / Horror of the 90's
I'm not sure what people really wanted or expected from this made-for-TV adaptation but, over the last decade or so, it's never failed to delight me. It does have the slight problem of two halves, therefore one is much better than the other. Apparently, like 1990's It, the superior half is easily the first. Shy of the child actors, it bounces back from one cheesily hysterical set-up to the next. Joanna Cassidy is almost aware that her doll collection is alive and anxious to terrorize people. Jimmy Smits gets drunk and begins fighting Snooty Rich People with umbrellas at a book reading and drinks party. Allyce Beasley's TV talks to her during…
Review by tazz13 ★★½ 4

I put it to the hussy down at the post office every hour.
I'm aware The Tommyknockers isn't really that good, but as a connoisseur of bad Stephen King TV adaptations I still kind of liked it. It stars Jimmy Smits, Marg Helgenberger and a large supporting cast as citizens of a small town called Haven that have come under the influence of a strange alien force. I was happy to see the town of Haven, which is the setting for another King adaptation of the same name.
Anyway, the acting is pretty bad, the effects are kind of cheesy and it probably doesn't need to be 3 hours, but there is something about these King miniseries that I find…
Review by Alex Alexander ½

If adults made a really bad and boring Goosebumps episode.
Review by Wood ★★★

Has all the Stephen King staples. A writer, an alcoholic, and a small town infected by a mysterious horny alien disease. It's most recognizable King trait however, is that it's way too long.
Review by Thomas Lewry ★★½

There is something so comforting about a Stephen King TV mini-series. Even with their made for television production values, their laughably dated CGI, bloated running times and hammy performances, there is just something that feels so homey about them.
'The Tommyknockers' is not a good piece of work by any stretch of the imagination, but there is enough ridiculousness and entertainment value to get you through. Part 1 definitely the superior of this 2 - Part series, as the climax is ridiculously lame. The Tommyknockers themselves look just awful (not as bad as the Langoliers though).

Recent reviews

Review by John ★★★

This was a weird-ass book, so it stands to reason that it would be a weird ass mini-series. Have to say though.. those are so really cool inventions. I particularly like the laser lipstick.
Review by Alex Alexander ½

If adults made a really bad and boring Goosebumps episode.
Review by Dave MacIntyre ★★½

Wasn’t a terrible watch but didn’t come close to holding my interest for the entire three hours. The book wasn’t King’s greatest work to begin with (and also lost my attention at points) so I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised .
Review by William Nichols ★

There are about 9 seconds of campy greatness in this extended shit show.
Review by Dylan Hubbard ★

Too much kissing.
Also green is my least favorite color.
Review by Cam ★★

Stephen’s King’dom Marathon: Film #34
"The voices told me what to do and how to do it"
Grab your glowing-green lipstick zapper, because we’re off to see The Tommyknockers!
What is a Tommyknocker anyway?
To be honest, I’m not quite sure, but from what I can tell, they're kinda like an episode of Goosebumps, except really long, and really, really boring.
”I can’t help but feel like we’re missing something.”

Cinematic Playlist – Stephen King Ranked
Review by Hugh Perry ★★½

Pro Smits
Review by Jason Guyer ★★★

I wish this could easily be found on streaming or digital.
The teeth scene in this film is to this day is one of the scariest scene I have seen in a film.
Review by Yureka Cash ★★★★

lol
Review by Johnny5 ★

I wanted to like this...
Review by Jeff Konopka ★★

Sadly, this is better than the novel.
Review by Mauro Germán ★★★

Entretenida para un fin de semana. De todos modos este tipo de producciones tienen ese "no se que" que me puede.