George Romero's second collaboration with Orion Pictures was curious to say the least, considering how things turned out with their previous effort Monkey Shines. Perhaps Romero was still feeling the urge to scratch that obsessive itch to tackle the themes of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde that inspired him with Monkey Shines and the opportunity to film in his hometown of Pittsburgh might have been an enticing perk. Ironically this time his troubles with Orion were caused by their drastic financial situation and The Dark Half was forced to sit on the shelf for two years before getting buried at the box office.
Romero's adaptation of Steven King's novel wasn't a return to form, but there was definitely a creative spark that was lacking in his previous movie. The Dark Half was arguably his friend's most personal work and it tackles themes that Romero could certainly identify with, internal conflict and the urge to exercise cynical demons in visceral ways that grants you success, but clashes with the prestige and validation that many artists desire. This was the last novel King wrote before going completely sober and the demons that he wrestled with in his novel translates better to page. As a movie adaptation, Romero kept this picture's running time way too long. There are many death scenes of characters that don't add anything to the story and slows the momentum once Stark emerges from the shadows and becomes a prominent character as the events unfold.
Timothy Hutton was the youngest actor to receive an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Ordinary People and he really gets under the skin of Thad Beaumont, balancing the desperation of a tortured soul trying to keep his family and success from unraveling after confronting his blackmail and being forced to severe the bond with his demonic pseudonym, his shameful enslavement and his lucrative therapy. Hutton's portrayal of his dark alter-ego is quite a performance, considering how much it separates the characters with distinct personalities. His Stark has a bombastic energy that seems to channel the energy of young Michael Keaton and the greasy toughness of Mickey Rourke. Robert Joy's blackmailing scene is my favorite in the whole movie and his scumbag persona that you hate from the first moment is a complete joy when it contrasts with Beaumont's vulnerable reactions.
Amy Madigan (Streets of Fire/ Field of Dreams) makes the most of what she was given as Thad Beaumont's supportive wife and her character's lack of dimension essentially renders her performance serviceable but thankless. Michael Rooker obviously wanted to shake away the image that shadowed his career after his chilling portrayal in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, but the well meaning sheriff he plays in this movie is not interesting on the page and he unfortunately struggles to bring him to life with much depth or personality. Veteran character actor Royal Dano was always a great presence and his brief role here is wasted as a disposable loose end to be crossed off Stark's homicidal check list.
Tony Pierce-Roberts has an unsustainable approach to his cinematography that worked best when challenged with Romero's surrealistic choices that gave this movie the dreary quality that it needed more of for the source material to flourish in a sensual way. The uncomfortable dream sequence that brilliantly uses Elvis Presley's Are You Lonesome To-night? is the kind of weirdness that if used more consistently could have put this movie on a completely different level. Christopher Young (Tales from the Hood) made a moody score that compliments those bold artistic choices but suffers the realm of mediocrity when the movie loses focus and concentrates on aspects of the story that add nothing to it. The Dark Half was undeniably a step up from Romero's fumble with Monkey Shines, but, in the end, it didn't work well enough to give Romero the confidence to return to his former glory and nothing he's made since has come close to the work of the master horror director that once was.
In generous fashion, Scream Factory has given The Dark Half a gorgeous transfer and has rolled out a good amount of bells and whistles. There's a new audio commentary with George Romero, a new retrospective called The Sparrows Are Flying Again!: The Making Of The Dark Half that features interviews with George Romero, Everett Burrell, John Vulich, etc., deleted Scenes, animated storyboards for the original ending, a vintage “Making of THE DARK HALF” with additional interview clips and more. For forgiving Romero fans and those wanting to beef up their Scream Factory library, this could be a worthy addition to your collection.
Movie Score: 3/5, Disc Score: 4/5
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