The Dark Half 4K 1993

A highly atmospheric and at times eerie mystical thriller based on Stephen King's novel, directed by horror master George A. Romero. It's surprising how The Dark Half ended up on his resume among a string of zombie horror films, not all of which can be called examples of the genre. But on the other hand, many of King's adaptations have been made by completely unknown directors, so in this case, he was lucky. The plot tells the story of successful writer Ted Beaumont, who one fine day becomes a victim of his own creation, George Stark. Due to an unpleasant blackmail incident, he even managed to publicly bury his pseudonym! But, according to Stephen King's literary precepts, he did not rush to the grave, and as a result, a series of murders soon took place in the city.

The evidence points to Ted, but Sheriff Alan, who is an acquaintance of his, is not sure that he is responsible. The victims are beaten to death, horribly mutilated, and so on. The writer himself begins to suspect that it is partly his fault, even if his dark side from his subconscious has overtaken the poor victims. And this is real mysticism, friends, and it is impossible to prove anything by ordinary means. In general, despite the first half hour of boredom, The Dark Half turns out to be an interesting mystical thriller, close to the theme of split personality. But since it is based on King, both the script itself and its transfer to the big screen are much more original than similar standard Hollywood stories. The writer's ‘Psycho’ is reflected in the maniac, and even the restless birds are capable of instilling fear.

The main character with a glassy stare is not helpless at all, and his hellish doppelganger, who mocks his victims, is even more dangerous and no one can catch him. This makes their final confrontation all the more interesting to watch, especially considering that the evil George has taken over Ted's writing talent. Everything he writes actually comes from the subconscious of his dark side. Actor Timothy Hutton did a great job with both characters, but the creepy doppelganger with burning eyes is especially impressive! Amy Madigan and Michael Rooker are also fine in supporting roles, but they are given much less screen time. The soundtrack is very good, 100% in keeping with the atmosphere of something sinister. And that something happens every fifteen minutes, as soon as the maniac George appears on screen. Overall, the production is good enough to call The Dark Half the most successful King adaptation of 1993.

In my opinion, it's an interesting mystical thriller by George A. Romero, another worthy adaptation of Stephen King from the 90s.