Synopsis
Thad Beaumont is the author of a highly successful series of violent pulp thrillers written under the pseudonym of ‘George Stark’, but when he decides to ‘kill-off’ his alter-ego in a mock ceremony, it precipitates a string of sadistic murders matching those in his pulp novels, which are soon discovered to be the work of Stark himself. Looking like a maniacal version of his counterpart, Stark is not so willing to quit the writing game – even if it means coming after Thad's wife and their baby.
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Cast
- Timothy HuttonThad Beaumont / George Stark
- Amy MadiganLiz Beaumont
- Michael RookerSheriff Alan Pangborn
- Julie HarrisReggie DeLesseps
- Robert JoyFred Clawson
- Kent BroadhurstMike Donaldson
- Beth GrantShayla Beaumont
- Rutanya AldaMiriam Cowley
- Tom MardirosianRick Cowley
- Larry John MeyersDr. Pritchard
Recommendations
- 90
The New York Times
The Dark Half is an exceptionally entertaining film of its kind. Only Stanley Kubrick has ever adapted a King novel (The Shining) in such a way that the ending remains as satisfyingly spooky as the beginning. - 75
San Francisco Chronicle
The Dark Half is another retelling of the Jekyll and Hyde story, but King and Romero fail to work out the premise of the story. [23 Apr 1993, p.C3] - 70
Variety
The writer's desk intriguingly becomes a gladitorial arena for warring manifestations of the same personality in The Dark Half, George A. Romero's adaptation of Stephen King's 1989 bestseller, a classic Jekyll-and-Hyde story. - 60
TV Guide Magazine
It's an uncommonly mature and intelligent chiller, particularly in a period when the genre has devolved into wisecracking fiends and empty special effects showcases. - 50
Chicago Sun-Times
Now this is a terrific premise for a thriller, and director George Romero (The Night of the Living Dead) sets it up with skill and style. Unfortunately, the film's biggest disappointment is that it doesn't develop its preternatural opening theme. - 50
Rolling Stone
For a while, The Dark Half is a compelling study, in chiller guise, of an artist wrestling with his creative demons. But Stark is a real terror only in the shadows. When he emerges, all we see is Hutton — in a showy makeup job — struggling to change his wimp image. - 42
Entertainment Weekly
The most frightening thing about this movie is that King and Romero actually thought it was scary. - 40
Empire
Romero does his best to streamline the flabby storyline and gets some extraordinarily subtle performances from a great cast, but King's malformed original keeps hobbling the film.
