Anthony LaPaglia and Joan Allen in Stephen King’s A Good Marriage (Screen Media Films)

If you were to pick up a book by Stephen King, chances are you will be entertained, probably spooked, and generally satisfied. In the literary sense, aside from the occasional dud and a tendency to the long-winded, he is amazingly consistent. On screen, though, it’s another matter. And in the rare case when he is directly involved in the proceedings, the results can run from inspired (Creepshow) to astoundingly bad (Maximum Overdrive, may I never have to mention that movie again). Stephen King’s A Good Marriage, which he wrote, falls somewhere in the middle.

It is Maine. It is now. And Darcy Anderson is celebrating. Her husband, Bob (Anthony LaPaglia), is having a party thrown for him by his accounting firm, and she happily assists her daughter in her wedding plans. Everything is wonderful for this classy, middle-class, middle-of-the-road woman. Sure, her best friend is worried about the serial killer that seems to be preying on just-shy-of-over-the-hill divorcees, but after giving a little pep talk, Darcy can go back to her settled life with her adoring and equally humdrum husband. She may even let him have a little fun tonight…as long as he brings her a glass of spritzy water with lemon up to the bedroom, a habit that formed years and years ago.

Alas, while Bob is on a business trip, she discovers, quite accidentally, the identity of the serial killer. You guessed it. This leads to what is the single best scene. On his returns, he states that he knew instantly she sussed out his secret, and as they get ready for bed, he explains he has to kill as matter-of-factly as a husband might explain why he needs to play fantasy baseball with his pals every Wednesday. And as he asks forgiveness and promises never to do it again, he lays against his wife and settles in to sleep. The look that Joan Allen as Darcy gives, a silent scream that almost equals Munch’s painting, is terrifying and tremendously human.

After that, the film loses its way as Darcy tries to act like everything is back to normal and Bob starts eying Darcy’s best friend, who completely falls into Bob’s kill type. The tone is slightly wrong. It doesn’t come off as a horror film or much of anything else, either. Sometimes it moves toward the jet black comedy of Needful Things, an underrated adaption of a Stephen King book from the 1990s, but mostly it’s relatively inert.

The acting is first-rate. though. (Stephen Lang has a wonderful pair of monologues toward the end.) There’s tremendous promise here, but in the long run, plot holes and a tonal identity crisis keep it from getting anything close to a strong recommendation.