THE DARK HALF is a beautifully shot, expertly directed & edited, well-paced and brilliantly acted terror tale that taps into a host of adult fears. The horror of having the darker side of your creative nature manifest itself and demand to be paid heed is an amazing idea and although King is far from the first writer to play with it, his take (filtered through Romero’s script) is fascinating. By making the two half’s fight for the single life they are afforded a physical confrontation of dark and light played out over the creative act of writing itself. The movie literalizes the battle everyone feels when faced with a deadline and a blank page. But beyond that idea, the film is just a joy to watch as the story unfolds. This was made when Romero was at the height of his power as a director and his surefooted choices in every single scene are amazing to see. There were several times I backed the movie up to watch a particular sequence again just to marvel at how perfectly he chose his camera placement to best communicate what needs to be known. His framing is fantastic throughout and I think he must have loved working with such a strong cast capable of taking advantage of the uniformly great dialog.
Timothy Hutton has always been a good actor so it’s no surprise that he brings great depth and nuance to the central dual role. Romero is able to use tight close-ups of Hutton to get across a host of emotions that a lesser actor would have had to brush past to get the job done. He’s always believably real as Thad Beaumont (nice nod to one of my favorite writers Charles Beaumont) and also believably scary and threatening as his vicious, razor wielding alter ego George Stark. Amy Madigan as Thad’s wife is very good as well even though I found it strange that she sports a hairstyle and seems to have been dressed in a way that makes her look a bit like Romero’s wife Christine who shows up in a brief role. Interesting choice George- identify with your central character much?
Michael Rooker as the local sheriff and friend of the family tasked with protecting the Beaumonts and their twin sons (another nice touch) is very good in a role that could have been one note. Smartly, Romero gives Rooker’s character a few scenes of his home life as well to provide context for what he sees as the best way to do his job.
And have I mentioned the fact that the movie was filmed in the Autumn? Oh my goodness is this the perfect time of year to watch this movie! Colorful leaves being blown along the ground, bare tree limbs stretching to the sky like skeletal hands grasping at the darkened clouds overhead, jackets and sweaters worn to ward off the visible chill in the air. Perfect! This is a great movie and one ripe for rediscovery. If it has passed you by before maybe this Fall give it a chance.
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