The Dark Half

Orion Pictures | Release Date: April 23, 1993

7.2	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Ratings

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TheQuietGamerOct 7, 2017

The late George A. Romero (RIP) and writer Stephen King are horror legends. So seeing the former adapt a work from the latter should have been something for the history books. A movie that would keep you up for days on end. It's not quiteThe late George A. Romero (RIP) and writer Stephen King are horror legends. So seeing the former adapt a work from the latter should have been something for the history books. A movie that would keep you up for days on end. It's not quite clear what prevented that from happening, but at least we weren't left with something bad.

While the pacing is quite slow, Romero showed his creative ability for creating an eerie atmosphere. There are few good jolts and some of that classic Romero gore. The source material's interesting concept keeps things compelling throughout, even when what's happening onscreen isn't all that interesting. The performances here are mostly strong. Timothy Hutton in particular is quite impressive in the leading role. I love the way scenes capture little details such as physical ticks and cues that really express how the characters are feeling. It makes things feel more real. It's just a shame that the actual characters themselves are far from the most interesting bunch out there. In fact they are quite bland.

There is some noticeable camp to be found here as well. Particularly early on with a few intentionally goofy characters being present. It's not too bad, but these moments do serve as a way to lessen the potency of the overall movie. I enjoyed how Romero really took the time to flesh out the plot and let it grow. The movie's running time is around two hours. That may seems like a lot for a horror film, especially given the era, but it was practically a necessity in order to allow the story to breath. Ironically one of the movie's biggest flaws is that it drags it's feet a bit. However, the fact that it takes the time to do that is most likely what saved it as well. The Dark Half stands as a solid entry in both King and Romero's film catalog. It may not stand alongside the best of either's work, but it's got good performances, a neat tale to tell, and a few chills along the way. All in all, that makes for a good horror movie. Whether I wanted more from a pairing ffrom these two or not, I can't deny I found what's here to be worth watching.… Expand

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JLauNov 1, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Writer quits writing under his non de plume but it turns out that this "character" is actually his unborn twin, who doesn't want to quit writing at all and starts cutting up the writer's associates.… Expand

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