The Dark Half Blu-ray

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fljoe0

Cantre Member
Apr 5, 2008
15,859
71,642
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120 miles S of the Pancake/Waffle line
I finally got to see the blu-ray release of The Dark Half. The dvd version was cropped so it's nice to see the film in it's proper aspect ratio on the blu-ray. There is an excellent feature on the making of the movie and all of the problems and successes of the movie. Everybody interviewed seems very honest about the making of the movie. All of George's people thought Tim Hutton was a gigantic pain in the butt but as George admitted, it was more because they weren't used to working with someone of his caliber and everyone loved his performance. George was in uncharted territory with this movie as he had never had this level of studio scrutiny to deal with. Also, the studio went into chapter 11 before the film was finished and it delayed it's release and probably screwed up it's promotional abilities. This may be why the movie wasn't as big a hit as it deserved to be. The feature is interesting and well worth your time.

Michael Rooker (Merle on Walking Dead) played Sheriff Pangborn. He was George Romero's first choice for Thad but he wasn't a big enough star for the studio to accept. Tim Hutton was excellent but I can't help but thing what a great George Stark that Michael Rooker would have made.
 

fljoe0

Cantre Member
Apr 5, 2008
15,859
71,642
62
120 miles S of the Pancake/Waffle line
There was a humorous Tim Hutton story on the documentary. Tim is a method actor and he required two trailers on the set, one for Thad and one for George Stark. ;-D George Romero said that you had to call Tim either Thad or George depending on what his character was that day. I don't think Romero had ever had a big enough budget before this movie for anyone to have two trailers.
 

Doc Creed

Well-Known Member
Nov 18, 2015
17,221
82,822
47
United States
I finally got to see the blu-ray release of The Dark Half. The dvd version was cropped so it's nice to see the film in it's proper aspect ratio on the blu-ray. There is an excellent feature on the making of the movie and all of the problems and successes of the movie. Everybody interviewed seems very honest about the making of the movie. All of George's people thought Tim Hutton was a gigantic pain in the butt but as George admitted, it was more because they weren't used to working with someone of his caliber and everyone loved his performance. George was in uncharted territory with this movie as he had never had this level of studio scrutiny to deal with. Also, the studio went into chapter 11 before the film was finished and it delayed it's release and probably screwed up it's promotional abilities. This may be why the movie wasn't as big a hit as it deserved to be. The feature is interesting and well worth your time.

Michael Rooker (Merle on Walking Dead) played Sheriff Pangborn. He was George Romero's first choice for Thad but he wasn't a big enough star for the studio to accept. Tim Hutton was excellent but I can't help but thing what a great George Stark that Michael Rooker would have made.
There are two movies that I think nearly duplicate the mood of their novel counterparts: Pet Sematary and The Dark Half. Even though I was disappointed with certain aspects from both films (poor acting, for one) I am happy with, among other things, the cinematography and music from both films. In the case of The Dark Half I liked the visual and sound of the sparrows throughout. This is exactly how I pictured it in my mind. The dream sequences were effective, too. I'd love to hear these interviews, FlowJoe. I've always wondered why Romero decided against the version of Stark we find in the book...blonde hair, no lines in palms, etc. Maybe he felt Hutton looked to ridiculous or distracting in blonde wig? The last thing you want is laughs when the "monster" is on screen. I think the special effects at the end were top notch.
 

Doc Creed

Well-Known Member
Nov 18, 2015
17,221
82,822
47
United States
There are two movies that I think nearly duplicate the mood of their novel counterparts: Pet Sematary and The Dark Half. Even though I was disappointed with certain aspects from both films (poor acting, for one) I am happy with, among other things, the cinematography and music from both films. In the case of The Dark Half I liked the visual and sound of the sparrows throughout. This is exactly how I pictured it in my mind. The dream sequences were effective, too. I'd love to hear these interviews, FlowJoe. I've always wondered why Romero decided against the version of Stark we find in the book...blonde hair, no lines in palms, etc. Maybe he felt Hutton looked too ridiculous or distracting in blonde wig? The last thing you want is laughs when the "monster" is on screen. I think the special effects at the end were top notch.
Just to be clear, I'm referring only to the less popular adaptations. Obviously, there are plenty of King movies that translated well to screen. Cujo, Christine, The Green Mile, etc.