Product Description Masters of horror Stephen King (The Shining) and George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead) have created a "gripping, creepy, frightening" (L.A. Reader) film that "thrills, shocks and works us over" (Los Angeles Times)! Featuring an "intelligent screenplay and first-rate cast" (The New York Times), including OscarÂ(r) winner* Timothy Hutton, The DarkHalf will keep you captivated to the chilling end. Horror writer Thad Beaumont (Hutton) hopes to distance himself from his murder novels and from George Stark, the name he has used to anonymously author them. To achieve this, he cooks up a murder of his own: a publicity stunt that should lay Stark to rest forever. But when the people around him are found gruesomely slainand his own fingerprints dot the crime scenesBeaumont is dumbfounded until he learns that Stark has taken on a life of his own and begun a gruesome quest for vengeance! *1980: Supporting Actor, Ordinary People .com Although it lacks the creepy subtleties of Stephen King's celebrated novel, George Romero's underrated adaptation of The Dark Half ranks among the best films based on King's fiction, with Romero taking care to honor King's central theme while serving up some gruesome gore in the film's much-criticized finale. Inspired by King's own admission that he wrote several novels under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, The Dark Half explores the duality of a writer's impulse, ranging from literary respectability to the viscerally cathartic thrills of exploitative pulp fiction. Author and teacher Thad Beaumont (Timothy Hutton) finds himself torn between those extremes when he "kills" his profitable, pseudonymous alter ego George Stark (the bestselling "dark half" to Thad's light), who then assumes an evil, autonomous form (again played by Hutton) to lethally defend his role in Thad's creative endeavors. Forced to wrestle with this evil manifestation of his own unformed twin, Thad must fight to protect his wife (Amy Madigan), their twin babies, and his own survival as an artist. Romero skillfully develops the twin/duality theme to explore the writer's dilemma, and Hutton is outstanding in his dual roles, playing Stark (in subtly fiendish makeup) as a redneck rebel with a knack for slashing throats. Julie Harris adds class in a supporting role, and horror fans will relish Romero's climactic showdown, in which swarms of sparrows seal Stark's fate. It favors a pulp sensibility with clunky exposition to explain Stark's existence, but The Dark Half is a laudable effort from everyone involved. --Jeff Shannon
A**R
Love it
Love the movie
S**N
Good movie.
Good movie.
J**D
It meets expectations
It met expectations.
J**.
Nonsense plot, but great special effects
I'm on a Stephen King kick at the moment and have watched 1990's IT, A Good Marriage, and 1979's Salem's Lot. While the premise for this one is great, I found myself only half interested following the wonderfully deliciously creepy opening. The special effects are quite excellent and gory (thanks to George A. Romero, king of zombie films!), but it doesn't have the charm of other King adaptations. Still worth watching if you're a hardcore King fan, but don't expect much in the way of storyline; for example, I'm sure the sheriff's decisions make sense in the book, but here they are quite confusing and a bit frustrating. Guess it's time for me to reread The Dark Half - in general, I think reading/rereading the book before watching the film is the way to go. If I'd read it more recently I might have been more tolerant of the film's plot in my excitement in seeing the characters brought to life onscreen.
G**Y
Jolly Good!
Jolly Good!
A**E
This movie is based on a Stephen King novel that ...
This movie is based on a Stephen King novel that was written in 1989, just five years after King gave up the pen name of Richard Bachman, a pseudonym that he had used to publish additional books at the beginning of his career. This story, probably borne of King's anxiety over giving up his alias, concerns an author who writes high-brow prose under his own name and violent homicide novels under his pen name. Upon being threatened with blackmail, he symbolically buries his alter ego. The problems arise because this author once suffered from a type of chimerism, which is where one twin absorbs the other before birth. In this case, the absorbed twin had made a reappearance as a brain tumor when the author was a boy and was surgically removed, but the personality never died. The twin has been the one responsible for the crime novels, and now he wants revenge for being put into his grave. Starring Timothy Hutton in a duel role, this is one that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
E**O
The book is probably better.
While I do enjoy a lot of Stephen King's horror, most especially The Shining and Salem's Lot, I must say that this movie hardly left me aghast. The Dark Half was just not complete, sort of half of what I was expecting. I can hear the irony giggling in the corner. There were some interesting things there on the screen, but whatever I found interesting was soon discarded. For example, the character of Reggie, played by the great stage actress Julie Harris, was full of potential but was on screen for about three minutes. Maybe the character is fleshed out more in the novel. I started to really like her, smoking her pipe, keeping a room decorated with creepy ventriloquist dummies and decrepit baby dolls. Weird but very interesting.The disc itself is unfortunately a shrunken fullscreen image "formatted to fit your tv", but it's okay because, let's face it, this isn't 'Lawrence of Arabia'. All in all, a decent brainchild of Stephen King and George Romero. Pun fully intended. But this just didn't scare me.
S**H
a good adaptation from the book
I received this item in fine condition, in the time advised. I have no issues with my order. I love this movie, though it was filmed some in/around Pittsburgh PA so that might be part of it. I find that it is a well done adaptation from the Stephen King book. I liked the cast, and just overall I thought it was good.
M**N
A missed classic
is a 1993 American horror film adaptation of Stephen King's 1989 novel of the same name. The film was written and directed by George A. Romero and stars Timothy Hutton as Thad Beaumont and George Stark, Amy Madigan as Liz Beaumont, Michael Rooker as Sheriff Alan Pangborn, and Royal Dano in his final film.
I**E
How is this not More Popular?
This is not one of Stephen King's more well known films or books unless you are a big collector...yet somehow i dare say this story is one of the best of his i have ever seen (still want to try the book version). Were it no for films like IT, The Shining and Carrie i think this film would seriously be more well known. It has a dark mix of horror and mystery...not for the squeamish.
G**N
Faithful representation of the book
Great collaboration between Stephen king and George Romero. Stays true to the book and has some generally scary moments. Loses a star because the passing of time ages some of the characterizations although the special effects have aged well. An early nineties classic
J**Y
Worth watching.
I had to persuade my husband to watch this film as he is not really into 'scary' movies. He thoroughly enjoyed it! Me too, though I was a little disappointed that it was not always true to the book - what films are? All in all, a good adaptation but I highly recommend that you read the book before buying the DVD - then you'll understand exactly what's going on.Joy.
M**F
Not Bad
This is the Stephen King/George Romero collaboration that most people forget about.Its a clever idea,with the duel roles of Victim and Psycho played well by Hutton.It does however Drag mercilessly at the Halfway mark and never really finds its footing again.Worth A look though.
