The Dark Half: Blu-ray Review

The Film:

The Dark Half is an intriguing film in that it seems almost like a bunch of different movies or ideas in one movie that do not completely create a cohesive narrative. However, a lot of the different ideas work and work well. The film centers around Thad Beaumont (Timothy Hutton), a writer that writes sophisticated novels and under the name George Stark, best selling sleazy thrillers. An individual approaches Thad claiming to know his secret and threatens blackmail. Thad decides to take the advice of his wife Liz (Amy Madigan) and go public revealing to be the writer of the George Stark novels. They perform a fake burial to signify that George Stark is not more. However, it appears that George Stark will not be going away quite that easy. As bodies begin to pile up it becomes more obvious that a physical manifestation of George Stark is real and is trying to stay alive. The rest of the film deals with the conflict of George trying to take over Thad's life.

It is quite obvious from both the film itself and the special features accompanying the release, that George A. Romero was wanting a very Jekyll and Hyde type of feel to the film. The problems with the execution of this is the ways in which they go about trying to show that Thad and George are different people but also the same person. Was George a physical manifestation or a spiritual one? The film never chooses one or the other, rather they play it like it is both. This make the story a little more confusing and is the reason why this film feels like a few different separate and conflicting ideas in one movie. These conflicting ideas do not take away too much from the film in large part because of the quality acting and well sustained suspense throughout.

Overall the film is solid and is technically very well done minus some questionable effects towards the end of the film. All the actors in the film do really well in their roles and are some of the bigger reason as to why this film is enjoyable. The picture quality on this release is very good. In brightly lit scenes there is a lot of detail and clarity. In the darker scenes the clarity suffers a tiny bit but still has a rather good quality overall. The grain looks very organic throughout and appears to be a little more prominent in the special effects scenes. No real problems overall with the picture quality on this release.

Film: 3/5

The Extras:

This release features a good host of special features highlighted by the making-of documentary. The Sparrows Are Flying Again: The Making of The Dark Half is another well done making-of feature from Scream Factory. As with most of their making-of's, a good amount of important people involved in the film are interviewed. It features some good insights into the film from George A. Romero, Michael Rooker, and many others involved in the film. The length of the making-of feature is around 36 minutes. The other highlight of the special features is the Commentary with George A. Romero that offers even more insight not found in the making-of. The commentary is very informative and fun. The disc also features behind the scenes footage, deleted scenes, vintage interview clips, storyboards of the original ending, trailers, and still gallery. Overall a well put together set of extras that are both very informative and fun.

Extras: 3.5/5

Overall: Recommended