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IMDbPro

The Dark Half

  • 1993
  • R
  • 2h 2m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
19K
YOUR RATING
The Dark Half (1993)
Official Home Video Trailer
Play trailer1:37
2 Videos
66 Photos
HorrorMysteryThriller

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

  • Director
    • George A. Romero
  • Writers
    • Stephen King
    • George A. Romero
  • Stars
    • Timothy Hutton
    • Amy Madigan
    • Michael Rooker
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.0/10
    19K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • George A. Romero
    • Writers
      • Stephen King
      • George A. Romero
    • Stars
      • Timothy Hutton
      • Amy Madigan
      • Michael Rooker
    • 93User reviews
    • 98Critic reviews
    • 53Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 11 nominations

    Videos2

    The Dark Half
    Trailer 1:37
    Watch The Dark Half
    The Dark Half
    Trailer 1:49
    Watch The Dark Half

    Photos66

    Timothy Hutton, Amy Madigan, and Royal Dano in The Dark Half (1993)
    Timothy Hutton in The Dark Half (1993)
    Timothy Hutton and Amy Madigan in The Dark Half (1993)
    Timothy Hutton in The Dark Half (1993)
    Amy Madigan in The Dark Half (1993)
    Timothy Hutton and Amy Madigan in The Dark Half (1993)
    Timothy Hutton and Amy Madigan in The Dark Half (1993)
    Timothy Hutton and Amy Madigan in The Dark Half (1993)
    Timothy Hutton and Julie Harris in The Dark Half (1993)
    Timothy Hutton, Elizabeth Parker, and Sarah Parker in The Dark Half (1993)
    Timothy Hutton in The Dark Half (1993)
    The Dark Half (1993)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Timothy Hutton
    Timothy Hutton
    • Thad Beaumont…
    Amy Madigan
    Amy Madigan
    • Liz Beaumont
    Michael Rooker
    Michael Rooker
    • Sheriff Alan Pangborn
    Julie Harris
    Julie Harris
    • Reggie Delesseps
    Robert Joy
    Robert Joy
    • Fred Clawson
    Kent Broadhurst
    Kent Broadhurst
    • Mike Donaldson
    Beth Grant
    Beth Grant
    • Shayla Beaumont
    Rutanya Alda
    Rutanya Alda
    • Miriam Cowley
    Tom Mardirosian
    Tom Mardirosian
    • Rick Cowley
    Larry John Meyers
    • Dr. Pritchard
    Patrick Brannan
    • Young Thad Beaumont
    Royal Dano
    Royal Dano
    • Digger Holt
    Glenn Colerider
    • Homer Gamache
    Sarah Parker
    • Wendy Beaumont…
    Elizabeth Parker
    • Wendy Beaumont…
    John Ponzio
    • Todd Pangborn
    Chelsea Field
    Chelsea Field
    • Annie Pangborn
    William Cameron
    William Cameron
    • Officer Hamilton
    • Director
      • George A. Romero
    • Writers
      • Stephen King
      • George A. Romero
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • 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".
    • Goofs
      The Toronado, a luxury car, was never offered with a 4-speed manual.
    • Quotes

      Man in the Hallway: What's going on?

      George Stark: Murder... You want some?

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Dark Half/Who's the Man?/Indian Summer/Boling Point/Wide Sargasso Sea (1993)
    • 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 reviews93

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    A film that deserves far more than it's given credit for
    Somewhere in the dark recesses of over-fluffed and processed Stephen King movie adaptations, there lies this jewel of a film: "The Dark Half."

    After having it watched it about three times, I'm still quite at a loss as to why this movie has been, more or less, forgotten or simply passed over by the horror movie community. Not only is it a fairly neat adaptation of a great King novel, but it's also directed and written by a true horror movie icon: the one and only George Romero. Isn't this the kind of "team-up" that fans would, under normal circumstances, go absolutely bananas over? I know that I did.

    Anyway ... the movie is about a writer, Thad Beaumont (Timothy Hutton), whose past - quite literally - comes back to haunt him. As a young man, he wrote pulpy crime novels (that I can only imagine were directly inspired by Richard Stark's hardboiled, master thief, Parker) that sold well ... though his literary yearnings tended to veer toward a much less marketable direction. We learn that when he was writing those pulps, his personality suffered. He drank, yelled at his wife, probably slept around, too. Having successfully exorcised that particular demon, when we meet him, Beaumont has a couple kids and an office at some New England university, teaching - you guessed it - creative writing. But when the bodies of folks close to him (i.e.: his agent, biographer) begin cropping up, the small-town police fun finger is pointed at Beaumont. But ... there's a much more sinister twist in this jet-black yarn. We learn that Beaumont indeed has a "dark half."

    The direction is perfect, the writing is perfect, the acting is perfect. What more do you want in a film? I'm not exactly certain what King's response was to this film ... I've heard rumors that if he's not directly involved in the production process, he generally scoffs at the final film product. (For example ... he's all but urinated on all the goodness that was Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of "The Shining," which not only marked a substantial turning point in horror cinema, but it's also one of my personal favorites.) Then again ... from what I understand to be true of King and Romero both ... they're friends. Hell, they made "Creepshow" together ... which is another favorite of mine, though I'm more than just a little bit guilty about it.

    "The Dark Half" also does one hell of a job at creating a genuinely creepy atmosphere. And who could listen to "Are You Lonesome Tonight" again the same way ... after hearing its soft melodies during a particularly uncomfortable dream sequence?

    All of this, compounded with the fact that Timothy Hutton is a damned fine actor (albeit sinfully unknown by most these days) ... makes "The Dark Half" an explosively well made horror/thriller. The proverbial mind meld of King and Romero made "Creepshow" an instant cult classic. So, I ask again ... why was "The Dark Half" a blink-or-you'll-miss-it flop? Maybe these horror titans just can't share the same marquee, anymore.

    I dunno.
    helpful•71
    7
    • TigerMann
    • Mar 28, 2006

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    FAQ4

    • Is this movie based on a book?
    • Does Stephen King have a cameo appearance in "The Dark Half"?
    • How closely does the movie follow the novel?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 23, 1993 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • MGM
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La mitad siniestra
    • Filming locations
      • Washington & Jefferson College - 60 S. Lincoln Street, Washington, Pennsylvania, USA(college scenes)
    • Production companies
      • Orion Pictures
      • George A. Romero Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $15,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $10,611,160
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,250,883
      • Apr 25, 1993
    • Gross worldwide
      • $10,611,160
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 2 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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