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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
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2.0 out of 5 stars
The Better Half?,
By
This review is from: The Dark Half (DVD)
Following their underated collaboration on the cult horror film Creepshow, author Stephen King and director George A. Romero came together for The Dark Half. While the film boasts a strong performance from Timothy Hutton, and plenty of "chills and thrills", the presentation of the movie on DVD leaves a lot to be desired. Best selling author and teacher 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 accomplish this goal, 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 brutally murdered and his own fingerprints pepper the crime scenes, Beaumont is dumbstruck, until he learns that Stark has taken on a life of his own...and has a gruesome plans to seek revenge against his alter ego. With Beaumont's wife Liz (Amy Madigan) in danger, and Sheriff Alan Pangborn (Michael Rooker) investigating him, he finds himself doubting his very sanity. Romero has fun translating King's novel for the movies. Hutton is superb as a split personality. The film is genuinely creepy. Given the story, I suppose King worked out a lot of his own frustrations over his career, with this work. Like the aforementioned Creepshow, The Dark Half, is underappreciated. While the film is worth a look... The DVD, distributed by MGM, loses my total endorsement, thanks to lackluster so called extras, and little care for the film itself. All you get for your money here is the movie's theatrical trailer and a behind-the-scenes booklet. Normally, this kind of thing wouldn't really bother me, but to add insult, the film is only available in the full-screen format??!! C'mon get with it! The film deserves better. If the film was shot in widescreen, you should have the option to see it that way....It is the 21st century after all. See this underated film--but be advised the DVD is, to put it in a nice way--lacking.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The divided man.,
By Vagabond77 (Tennessee, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Dark Half (DVD)
Thad Beaumont is a writer who goes public about the novels he wrote under an assumed name. Now his fictious counter part, George Stark (his Dark Half) has become a real physical person, and Stark is rather upset that he's been killed off. And now a battle to become the dominate personality has begun. I thought this was a terrific movie. George Romero and Stephen King have been friends a long time, and Romero's care really comes through in the material. Timothy Hutton plays a double role as both the clumsy Thad and the ruthless Stark, and he dose a wonderful job, he was very underrated by the critics. Michael Rooker's Sheriff Pangborn was a nice touch, a good, smart cop who's sympathetic to Thad's problem, at least as much as his rational mind will let him be. All the other characters and actors do a good job. The best is Thad's fellow professor, the least being Thad's wife. The action is rough and mean spirited, I loved it. The gore is actually pretty mnimal, but what's there is impressive. I recoment it whole heartedly.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great, spooky entertainment!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Dark Half (DVD)
THE DARK HALF continues to be the most underrated of the King films. It is complete, intelligent, and quite scary. Timothy Hutton gives a tour de force (dual) performance as Thad Beaumont/George Stark that should have been nominated for an Oscar. Many say his performance is over the top. I find it to be, on one side, subtle and effective, the other side, fun and fiendish. Amy Madigan and Mickey Rooker add great support to this clever tale. I can't wait to read the book! This film is great, delicious, diabolical fun and startlingly satisfying.
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