The Dark Half (1993) (Blu-ray Review)
Directed By: George A. Romero
Starring: Timothy Hutton, Amy Madigan, Michael Rooker
Rated: R/Region A/1:78/1080p/Number of Discs 1
Where to get it: Scream Factory
Masters of horror Stephen King and George A. Romero 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 Oscar winner Timothy Hutton, Amy Madigan (Fringe), Julie Harris (The Haunting) and Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead), The Dark Half has “a terrific premise for a thriller and director George Romero sets it up with skill and style”, (Roger Ebert). 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 to play out in real life: a publicity stunt that should lay Stark to rest forever. But when the people around him are found gruesomely slain (and his own fingerprints dot the crime scenes) Beaumont is dumbfounded until he learns that Stark has taken on life of his own…and begun a gruesome quest for vengeance!
The Dark Half was George A. Romero’s venture into making a studio horror film after his last venture, Monkey Shines, left a bad taste in his mouth due to the studio re-editing the film. Here, he teams with his long time pal, Stephen King, on a grim tale written by King. At the heart of things we have a movie that deals with what would happen if the “other” side of a writer was to come alive and start reeking havoc. All in all, it makes for a new kind of slasher film in many ways. I found the format and style of the film to be very good, but once again we have that nagging Romero issue of having a film that clocks in at a grand total of two hours and while the movie is interesting enough, two hours is a bit much for this I think, even with us covering a lot of land in the two hours. It is also another film that is helped along by having one of Romero’s other friends, Tom Savini, chipping in from time to time with some cool looking effects that always raise the game of the movie overall.
While Romero movies always seem to have great characters, this one seems to stand out even a bit more. Among the cast and characters is Michael Rooker. Rooker is a treat on the screen, even when playing a straight laced cop. While nothing is wrong with our male or female leads, Rooker seems to breath fresh air into movie whenever he is on the screen. I think that makes for a good mix when our author has his crazy and evil side running around doing the whole slasher thing. I wish the film has been cut just a bit to make things a tighter fit and for a better flow, but overall it is a fun film with cool visuals, including a group of gnarly birds from time to time. It is just a movie that sadly drags just a bit much, but not enough to kill the movie. The transfer is another strong one that seems to look about equal with the Monkey Shines Blu-ray. I imagine this is due to similar sources coming from the same place.
- NEW Audio Commentary With Writer/Director George A. Romero
- NEW The Sparrows Are Flying Again!: The Making Of “The Dark Half” – An All-New Retrospective With George A. Romero, Special Make-Up Effects Creators Everett Burrell And John Vulich, Visual Effects Supervisor Kevin Kutchaver, Actor Robert Joy And More!
- Deleted Scenes
- Animated Storyboards for the Original Ending
- Behind-The-Scenes Footage – Special Effects and On the Set
- Vintage “Making of THE DARK HALF” plus additional interview clips
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spot
- Still Gallery
