Rainey Dawn I have not read the book - but the adaptation film is pretty darn good. It's a bizarre story, some great imagery, and good acting.Thad Beaumont had twin brother that was never born, in fact the brother literally lived within his brain. As a child, the twin was developing inside his brain and Thad had to have brain surgery - the doctor calling it a brain tumor. Thad became a husband, father and a writer. As a writer, he created a pseudonym of George Stark to write under. Stark gave rise to a best selling pulp crime spree of novels but Thad decided to "kill off" Stark and write under his own name - a different set of novels. The problem is, Stark becomes real and murders as written in the George Stark novels. The police think that Thad is doing the killings but only one policeman helps to keep Thad out of jail... yet he wonders if Thad is doing the killings and not George Stark come to life.Enjoyable watch, really gets interesting.8/10

gavin6942 Thad Beaumont (Timothy Hutton) had a brain tumor as a child that was an undeveloped twin. Now, as an adult, the twin returns, fully formed and violent. The source is a bit supernatural, but real enough to kill.The story goes over ground that should be familiar to Stephen King fans. The idea of a child growing up to confront something from his childhood. The theme of a writer, explored numerous times ("Misery", "The Shining") but most closely to this in "Secret Window". Howard Maxford calls it a cross between "Misery" and "The Birds", which I do not fully accept but see his point.Interestingly, Stephen King is not known for good movie adaptations, and George Romero has had his slew of below average films (though, if you stray from his zombie films, you will find an assortment of goodies). But together, they seem to have made a decent movie here. I really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed "Creepshow" -- maybe these guys bring out the best in each other? Michael Rooker is here (with hair) playing the role played by Ed Harris in "Needful Things". I would have liked to see some consistency in casting, but how do you choose between Rooker and Harris? Both top notch. Another Harris, Julie Harris, does appear, though... And the music is from Christopher Young, perhaps best known for his "Hellraiser" score.Some of the factual information I found to be a bit questionable. Does a military service record really go into an FBI fingerprint database? I suppose it might, but the idea struck me as odd. And the idea that one in ten people start off as twins seemed too exaggerated (and then they said that was at the very least). I would like to know the truth on that.Overall, though, a really decent film. It is not Oscar or Golden Globe material by any means, but a horror fan should enjoy the mix of gore and dark humor. Rue Morgue has called it "a middling Romero film based on a middling King novel", which really sells it short.Unfortunately, the film did not get the proper respect in 1993, because its distributor (Orion) was fighting a bankruptcy battle and promoted it poorly. But now (2015), it has a second chance thanks to the fine folks at Scream Factory who have loaded up the Blu-ray with everything possible, including the kitchen sink.

LolitaHayes I am floored by all the lukewarm and negative reviews of "The Dark Half"! This film and the book are what got me to read Stephen King. I starting it, I was amazed. Inspired, I wrote a drama heavily inspired by King's use of his surroundings to craft horror out of the ordinary lives of New Englanders. When I saw the film, I was hooked, and went on to read other novels such as "Dolores Claiborne" (also an excellent film adaptation). One fascinating theme, besides the split between a writer's "light" and "dark" halves, is that of domestic violence. I realized that this permeates King's work (witness the abusive, drunk husbands in "The Shining" and in "Dolores Claiborne"). It seems that King finds this real form of violence more horrifying than zombies or ghosts. I agree. The main character of "The Dark Half", Thad Beaumont, is "not an alcoholic", says his wife, Liz, but his pseudonym, "George Stark, IS." She insists how "mean" Thad gets, drinking and smoking, when writing as Stark. It's worth asking if he would ever have quit these novels, had not a snarky blackmailer accosted him after his college class and demanded money for silence. Spoiler Alert! Thad's response is chilling. "You know what George would do? He'd cut off your p***** and feed it to you." Of course, this is exactly what happens to the "snitch", after George Stark comes to life and begins killing everyone who tried to kill his character. The murders are far more gruesome, in a very psychotic, human way; than other King stories that involve supernatural deaths. People have complained there is not as much gore as in Romero's other films. That is what makes "The Dark Half" so great. We are still horrified, such as after the photographer who documents George Stark's "burial", is found bludgeoned to death with his own wooden leg. This comes on the heels of the grave-digger's discovery of a hole at the fake grave, "as if somebody was IN there and lifted hisself out!" This supernatural element adds a nice twist to Stark's cold-blooded murders. Though Thad's fingerprints are all over the dead man's truck and the blackmailer's apartment, the nice-guy Sheriff, Alan Pangborn (Michael Rooker, one of my favorite actors) keeps him out of jail as a courtesy. But soon, anyone associated with trying to kill off "George" is a target. This includes the doctor who removed the brain tumor that was Thad's twin (George?) and of course, Liz, who detests George. Thad realizes that he must hunt down his doppelgänger and kill him alone. One of my favorite scenes is when Thad goes to his office and "communes" with George psychically. He picks up Stark's favorite instrument, a "Berol® Black Beauty" pencil and goes into a trance. He is able to enter Stark's thoughts via a psychic, yet physical connection. Though it drives Stark into greater fury, Thad also realizes that the newly formed killer does NOT know about The Sparrows. They are, says his professor friend, Reggie, "psychopomps", who guide the living and the dead between worlds. Thad realizes that, in a duel between himself and George (who wants Thad to teach him to write!), only one of them can emerge alive. SPOILER! This is an excellent foreshadowing of the plot of "The Secret Window", though in that story, the dichotomy takes place inside the writer's disturbed mind. In "The Dark Half", we know Stark is physically real, since he kills Thad's doctor, just as the latter enters his office, pinning another murder on him. Still, Thad thinks he has the upper hand, until he gets a call from George, saying, "Guess where I am"; he hears his kids. Stark says he won't harm them, as long as he meets him at "Endsville, the place where all rail service terminates", his nightmare place that Stark somehow finds. This is the Beaumont's lake house, where George Stark was created. Thad bolts as Reggie shouts after him, "Wear a carnation, so I'll know it's you!" What if Thad does NOT win? At the house, he sees Stark's black Toronado and sparrows everywhere. This is no re-make of "The Birds" (those birds are just angry at humans for ruining the environment; these can grab you and whisk you to "the other side"!). Before Thad enters, we get to hear George Stark's philosophy, as he expounds on writing and maybe "settling down here". He silences Liz's protests, warning, "You are disturbin' the peaceful frame of mind Ah'm in", in his "cracker" accent, again foreshadowing the character of John Shooter. Stark is terrifying to behold. He already told Thad that he is "losing the necessary cohesion" (to stay alive). He is coming apart and has taped his face together; his eyes are glazed, he's losing teeth and bleeding wounds appear on his face. Once Thad and George go to his (window-less!) den, things get really bizarre. At first, Stark can't write and becomes angry. Realizing he must play along, Thad actually gives him writing tips and the ghoulish alter-ego gloats, "Ah'm getting' it!" Thad watches in horror as indeed, Stark beings writing well. Suddenly, a gash opens on THAD's forehead and he realizes they have started to switch places. Now, we can be genuinely worried that Stark, not Thad, will emerge as the new writer. Thad panics and attacks Stark, who tries to shoot his kids. A fistfight ensues, while the Pangborn breaks in and frees Liz. Suddenly, the flock of sparrows bursts through windows and fills the air. The ending is not your usual carnage, though there is plenty of gore, pre-figuring some CGI scenes such as "The Mummy" and "Sleepy Hollow". If you can sit through this, you are treated to one of the most spectacular movie finishes since the Lost Ark blew its cork! I now love Stephen King's writing, yet this will always remain my favorite of his books, as well as all the film adaptations of his work.

LeaBlacks_Balls There are only a small handful of films based on works by Stephen King that can without a doubt be classified as 'great movies.' They are 'Carrie,' 'The Shining,' 'Misery,' 'Dolores Claiborne,' 'The Dead Zone,' 'Stand By Me' and 'Cujo.' All the others range from 'flawed' to 'awful.' Despite it's decent cast, and respected horror director Romero at the helm, 'The Dark Half' lies more towards the awful end of the spectrum. The filmmakers gave it their best shot but things just didn't work out. It fails as a horror film in terms of suspense, plausibility, and narrative.When Thad Beaumont (Hutton) was a child, he had an operation to remove a tumor from his brain. During the operation, it was discovered that far from being a tumor, the growth was a twin brother of Thad's that never developed. Years later, Thad is a successful author, writing his serious books under his own name, and his trashy money-makers under the pseudonym 'George Stark.' When blackmailed by someone who has discovered his secret, Thad publicly 'buries' George Stark. From that point on, Thad increasingly becomes the prime suspect in a series of gruesome murders.Of all the King adaptations I've seen, this is one of the dullest. The main character is unsympathetic, his alter ego is two dimensional and totally hammy, you don't care about any of the victims (much less even know who they are at some points,) and there is hardly any horror and next to no tension.However, there is some good production design and cinematography on display here, as well as some striking images. Huge flocks of sparrows gathering as an omen of doom is a haunting sight. But that alone can't save this film, which is just another King adaptation from a period where almost everything he'd write would end up being made into a movie.