The Dark Half (1993)

A writer's fictional alter ego wants to take over his life...at any price.

Director:

George A. Romero

Writers:

Stephen King (novel), George A. Romero (screenplay)

Stars:

Timothy Hutton, Amy Madigan, Michael Rooker

3 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Timothy Hutton	...	Thad Beaumont / George Stark
Amy Madigan	...	Liz Beaumont
Michael Rooker	...	Sheriff Alan Pangborn
Julie Harris	...	Reggie Delesseps
Robert Joy	...	Fred Clawson
Kent Broadhurst	...	Mike Donaldson
Beth Grant	...	Shayla Beaumont
Rutanya Alda	...	Miriam Cowley
Tom Mardirosian	...	Rick Cowley
Larry John Meyers	...	Dr. Pritchard
Patrick Brannan	...	Young Thad Beaumont
Royal Dano	...	Digger Holt
Glenn Colerider	...	Homer Gamache
Sarah Parker	...	Wendy Beaumont / William Beaumont
Elizabeth Parker	...	Wendy Beaumont / William Beaumont

Storyline

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 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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Plot Keywords:

based on the works of stephen king | three word title | family relationships | husband wife relationship | doppelganger | 

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Taglines:

George Stark. Not a very nice guy.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 April 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Dark Half

Filming Locations:

Corner of Tyler and 1000-1015 Jefferson Ave, Washington, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,250,883, 25 April 1993

Gross USA:

$10,611,160

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,611,160

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures, George A. Romero Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Stephen King, the story of this film was part autobiographical, as it was inspired by the events that led to him revealing his own writing pseudonym of "Richard Bachman".

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Goofs

Thad underlines the letter S twice on the chalkboard, but in subsequent shots there are more underlines.

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Quotes

Thad Beaumont: Sounds like the police have been in touch.
Reggie Delesseps: They wanted me to confirm that you were a man of good character. I lied and told them that you were.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Dark Half/Who's the Man?/Indian Summer/Boling Point/Wide Sargasso Sea (1993)

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Soundtracks

Are You Lonesome To-night?
By Roy Turk & Lou Handman
Performed by Elvis Presley
Courtesy of the RCA Records Label of BMG Music

User Reviews

Fairly good for coming out in the early 90's.

The diabolical alliance of George A. Romero and Stephen King quietly delivered expectations but it's not certainly a great horror film.

"The Dark Half" is pretty interesting and well directed but it's something you've seen before. There's a decent amount of gore, suspense is well crafted, an effective score and regular acting. Maybe the fact that I grew with the 80's Slasher movies made me think every minute about "Basket Case" and compare it with "The Dark Half".

A decent horror movie with a thrilling ending. Deserves a watch.

6/10.