Timothy Hutton, Amy Madigan, Michael Rooker

When Thad Beaumont was a child, he had an operation to remove a tumour 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...( read more  read more... ) never developed. Years later, Thad is a successful author, writing his serious books under his own name, and his pulp money-makers under the pseudonum "George Stark". When blackmailed by someone who has discovered his secret, Thad publically "buries" George Stark. From that point on, Thad increasingly becomes the prime suspect in a series of gruesome murders.

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45% liked it

7,624 ratings

R, 121 min.

Directed by: George A. Romero

Release Date: April 23, 1993

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DVD Release Date: August 14, 2001

Stats: 270 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (270)


  • July 17, 2009
    The Dark Half starts in '1968' where a young boy named Thadeus Beaumont (Patrick Brannan) has recently begun writing novels but is also suffering from some strange side-effects, he collapses outside his home & is taken to Hospital where Doctors discover that he has a deformed emb...( read more)ryo growing inside of him... Jump '23 Years Later' & things are going great for Thadeus (Timothy Hutton), he has a wife Elizabeth (Amy Madigan) & two young babies plus a prestigious teaching job at a university. However, one day a man named Fred Clawson (Robert Joy) attempts to blackmail Thadeus when he discovers that Thadeus writes trashy novels under the pen-name George Stark. Instead of giving into Freds demands Thadeus decides to kill off George by going public, but not everyone his happy about the untimely demise of George Stark least of all George himself who will go to murderous lengths to make sure he stays alive, even if it means other's don't...

    Executive produced, written & directed by George A. Romero I can't say that The Dark Half is a bad film because it clearly isn't but at the same time I can't but say I was disappointed. The script by Romero was based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King & is a fairly absorbing & engaging tale but didn't totally satisfy. For a start things are never explained, what is George Stark? How was he created? There are some vague suggestions such as the opening scenes of the brain tumour which is never mentioned or touched upon again throughout the remainder of the film to more supernatural reasoning such as Thad's alter-ego & literal dark half coming to life. Some may like this vagueness but personally I didn't think it did the film any favours & what's with the Sparrows? The character's are decent & it's well written for what it is but when I consider that Romero wrote the mighty Dead films which all included fantastic subtle social commentary superbly mixed together with wonderful horror & gore I couldn't help but feel something was missing in The Dark Half by comparison.

    The Dark Half was made in 1991 but sat on the shelf for a couple of years because of the collapse of Orion Pictures & when it did finally see the inside of theatres it did nothing at the box-office. Somewhat surprisingly The Dark Half was one of only two film Romero directed in the 90's with the other being Two Evil eyes (1990) & he only directed half of that, it wasn't for another 9 years before he made another film with Bruiser (2000) which seemed a long time... He does an OK job here but the film drags in places & there isn't a great deal of style or gore, there's an exposed brain, a few splashes of blood & a fairly gory scene at the end in which someone has the flesh picked off their bones by Sparrows.

    I was absolutely astonished to discover that The Dark Half had a supposed budget of $15,000,000, where on earth did the money go? There are no big name actors, no big action scenes, no explosions, no car chases, no big special effect scenes apart from some computer generated Sparrows, no exotic locations & nothing that would suggest that 15 big ones had been spent on it. Was this film part of the reason why Orion went bankrupt? Was this the reason why Romero didn't work again in the horror genre for 9 long years? Romero's latest film Land of the Dead (2005) only had a budget of $15,000,000 & The Dark Half was made 15 years prior, this is not a 15 million film that's for sure. The acting was OK but no one stands out, it's all rather bland & forgettable. $15,000,000? I just can't believe it, maybe I'm wrong, maybe all the money ended up on screen but I simply didn't see it. We give films a certain amount of slack for being low budget so there's no reason we can't criticise a big budget film when it fails to deliver.

    The Dark Half is a decent horror film of that there is no doubt but with $15,000,000 in his back pocket & a string of absolute horror classics behind him I can't help but feel disappointed by The Dark Half, a real wasted opportunity. Worth a watch but nothing spectacular.
  • September 10, 2008
    A very typical Stephen King storyline, in that it was original and totally bizarre.

    A watchable film, but not one of his best.
  • December 3, 2006
    Romero's second adaptation of a Stephen King novel (Creepshow was the first), and soon to be followed with From A Buick 8, The Dark Half explores a theme very close to King's heart: the writing rocess and the effect it has on readers, and consequently oneself.
    Hutton plays a wri...( read more)ter normally proud of his integrity, writing novels that receive critical appeal but little revenue, so he ghost-writes some action trash in order to make a fast buck. This is, of course, a Faustian pact, as Hutton soon finds himself cornerned by a guy onto his case. When a series of murders occur, he seems a likely candidate.
    However, as with most King, the misdeeds are actually supernatural, carried out by an alter ego borne of said ghost-writing, and the assumed anger of the material. The theme is dealt with well to begin with, but hastily enters typical slasher territory, and even borrows a great deal from other, superior works, such as:
    Tenebrae: writer influences/creates straight razor-wielding nutjob;
    The Birds: avians as portents of doom, gathering gradually with Hutton's breakdown;
    Misery/The Shining: writer's work seals own fate;
    the work of David Lynch: killer is in fact a 50s bad-ass, his approach signified by inoffensive pop/rock & roll.
    Not perfect by any means, but entertaining if one is willing to suspend sufficient disbelief. Hutton's Stark make-up is sensational.
  • October 27, 2006
    Loved it!
  • September 13, 2006
    Underrated Romero film with a strong story and performances.
  • November 17, 2009
    I really loved this, it was a great mystery. It's a really good Stephen King adaption that's just as good as Secret Window. While it doesn't have Johnny Depp, it does have a better overall plot and characters (as a whole). George A. Romero's style is not as present as usual, whic...( read more)h I think is a real testament to his talent. Sometimes being true to the story is more beneficial for the overall movie, rather than getting that directorial stamp in.
  • October 24, 2009
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    At a young age, Tha...( read more)d Beaumont, suffered from a tumor which turned out to be the other half of what use to be a baby. You see when Thad was in his mother's womb, he absorbed the other fetus. It only was half absorbed leaving the other half to thrive in his mind. Now as an adult he's turned that other half into a pseudonym called George Stark. George is a killer, plain and simple. Thad isn't and wants to destroy George. It's a strange film because even though Thad and George are the same people, they are still separate from each other. Oh, also, the film is plagued with Sparrows. Sparrows everywhere! It's madness! Ahhhh!
  • September 15, 2009
    Romero, what happened? I was bored and tried not to fall asleep. The only thing that woke me up is that "birds final". Judging by the story, it could've been better.

    37/100
  • August 30, 2009
    this movie doesnt do the book justice. it absolutly butchers it. i want to deleat it from my favorites.
  • August 21, 2009
    Great, very scary and unique!! One of the finest Stephen King adaptations. It's also one of George Romero's most under-appreciated works. The two of them have collaborated on many occasions to produce nothing but good things, but this takes it to a new level. Romero is known for ...( read more)casting unknowns for his leads. This time he went against the grain. He used the amazing Timothy Hutton. Hutton, in a dual role, plays both mild-mannered Thad Beaumont and mean bastard George Stark. But when he's Stark, he really comes to life. He's both cool and creepy. The sparrows are also a crucial part of the overall eeriness of the movie.

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The Dark Half Trivia


  • Which cult classic contains the following line? "It's a 106 miles to Chicago. We've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses"  Answer »
  • In what movie does Dan Akroyd say: "We've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses." ?  Answer »
  • Which movie did this line come from: "There's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a packet of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses."  Answer »
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