November 26, 2014
The Dark Half
Ken Tasho READ TIME: 1 MIN.
One of Stephen King's lesser-known adaptation films debuts on Blu-ray from my friends at Shout Factory. As we horror geeks know, King's stories on the silver screen run the gamut from successful ("Misery"), mediocre ("Firestarter"), and embarrassing ("Sleepwalkers"). "The Dark Half" falls somewhere in the middle, with a winsome cast and a suspenseful story. However, in execution and directed by horror master George Romero, it falters slightly.
Timothy Hutton is perfectly cast as the tortured writer in "The Dark Half," a man named Thad Beaumont who also writes horror novels under the pseudonym of George Stark. When his alter ego takes over his life, Thad decides to kill off the name that made him so successful with dire results. "The Dark Half" becomes a half whodunit flick pared up with a typical slasher, as the body count rises during the course of the film.
Stephen King was quoted during the film's release as saying "The Dark Half" was based on parts of his life. In the 30-minute special feature "The Sparrows Are Flying Again: The Making of The Dark Half," Romero discusses what it was like to adapt King's novel into a screenplay. Also featured here is an interview with actor Michael Rooker ("The Walking Dead"). Notably absent is actor Hutton, who is mentioned more than once as a hard-ass on the set.
Scream Factory also includes a slew of other bonus material: Behind the scenes with special effects crew, TV spots and trailers, and a storyboard comparison are just some of what is included on this must-have horror Blu-ray.
"The Dark Half"
Blu-ray
www.shoutfactory.com
