The Dark Half (film)
| The Dark Half | |
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 Original 1993 theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | George A. Romero |
| Produced by | Declan Baldwin Christine Forrest George A. Romero |
| Screenplay by | George A. Romero |
| Based on | The Dark Half by Stephen King |
| Starring | Timothy Hutton Amy Madigan Michael Rooker Julie Harris Rutanya Alda |
| Music by | Christopher Young |
| Cinematography | Tony Pierce-Roberts |
| Editing by | Pasquale Buba |
| Distributed by | Orion Pictures |
| Release date(s) | April 23, 1993 |
| Running time | 122 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15,000,000 |
| Box office | $10,611,160[1] |
The Dark Half is a 1993 horror film adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name. The film was directed by George A. Romero and stars Timothy Hutton as Thad Beaumont and George Stark, Amy Madigan as Liz Beaumont, Michael Rooker as Sheriff Alan Pangborn and Royal Dano in his final film.
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[edit] Synopsis
The film revolves around the attempts of writer Thad Beaumont to kill off his pseudonym, George Stark. His pseudonym has become a physical entity and is terrorizing Beaumont's family and friends. For some reason, Stark wants to live after he appeared in a set of Beaumont's best selling books. Beaumont writes, but he is not alone in suspecting something strange: Sheriff Alan Pangborn of Castle Rock, Maine is equally suspicious and is asked to investigate the situation.
[edit] Cast
- Timothy Hutton as Thad Beaumont and George Stark
- Amy Madigan as Liz Beaumont
- Julie Harris as Reggie Delesseps
- Robert Joy as Fred Clawson
- Chelsea Field as Annie Pangborn
- Royal Dano as Digger Holt
- Rutanya Alda as Miriam Cowley
- Beth Grant as Shayla Beaumont
- Kent Broadhurst as Mike Donaldson
- Tom Mardirosian as Rick Crowley
- Glenn Colerider as Homer Gamache
- Michael Rooker as Sheriff Alan Pangborn
[edit] Production
The movie was filmed in part at Washington & Jefferson College, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[2] Notable in the film are the chapel in the Old Main, seen at the beginning of the film as Beaumont's classroom, and the office of the college chaplain, used as Beaumont's office.[2] Members of the faculty and student body served as extras in the film.[2]
The film was shot from October 1990 until March 1991 and was in release limbo for several years due to Orion Pictures' bleak financial situation. The film eventually saw release in April 1993, taking in just over $10 million domestically.[3] Once again, it did no real business and got mixed reviews and Romero, although he was friends with Stephen King, turned to his 'Living Dead' movies.
[edit] Reception
In its opening week The Dark Half ranked in the Box Office charts at number 6, gathering a total of $3,250,883 from 1,563 theatres.[4] Critics gave mixed and positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes: the film retrieved an average score of 61% from 18 reviews and earned an average rating of 5.8, though critics praised Timothy Hutton's performance in the film as well as the screenplay.[5]
[edit] Awards
- Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films
- Saturn Award Best Director - George A. Romero - Nominated
- Saturn Award Best Horror Film - Nominated
- Saturn Award Best Makeup - John Vulich, Everett Burrell - Nominated
- Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress - Julie Harris - Nominated
- Fantafestival
- Best Actor - Timothy Hutton - Won
- Best Film - George A. Romero - Won
- Best Screenplay - Paul Hunt, Nick McCarthy - Won [6]
[edit] References
- ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=darkhalf.htm
- ^ a b c "W&J Up Close" (PDF). W&J Magazine. Washington & Jefferson College. Winter 2004. http://www.washjeff.edu/uploadedFiles/External_Relations/For_the_Media/win2004Magazine.pdf. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
- ^ The Dark Half (1993)
- ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=1993&wknd=17&p=.htm
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dark_half/
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106664/awards
[edit] External links
- The Dark Half at the Internet Movie Database
- The Dark Half at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Dark Half at AllRovi
- The Dark Half official site at MGM.
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