The Dark Half Review
When I first read the Stephen King novel in 2005 I remember finding this one of his more grounded works. With the exception of the prologue that flirts with science fiction, and the gruesome ending, it certainly was compared to his other works which hid behind layers of detail to mask the fantasy elements. A few ironies about this film, though, are the fact that although this is the only movie I’ve seen completely from George A. Romero (as I never finished the second half of Night of the Living dead) I always saw Cell, or even The Mist, as more of his cup of tea in terms of his brand of horror (if not just zombies). Yet unlike Mr. Barker, who retired after only 8 years of directing, Mr. Romero’s experience, which spanned two decades at the time of The Dark Half’s release, allowed him to be fairly faithful to Mr. King’s novel while adding a few cinematic twists of his own. Of course there were some more relentless bits from the novel that would’ve been too problematic for even Mr. Romero to get away with in the early 90s. But this was definitely a once in a lifetime collaboration that’s worth a watch for anyone who is a fan of either King or Romero.