Instruct: Classify an Amazon review as either positive or negative.
Query: Tries hard but never becomes scary

This adaption of the terrifying and exquisite book by Stephen King never rises above mediocre. The emphasis is on gore and guts instead of the novel's intelligent approach to the real horror of the death of a child. Though Fred Gwynne is perfectly cast, he doesn't have too much to work with. I think you might enjoy the film though had you never read the book to compare it to, because it does have a dash of suspense and horror.