The Dark Half 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Dark Half 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Films based on books from iconic author Stephen King inspired box office business in the 1980s, and grew into something more respectable in the 1990s, once Kathy Bates took home an Oscar for her role in 1990’s “Misery.” 1993’s “The Dark Half” is part of this second wave of interest in King’s output, putting writer/director George A. Romeo to work on a story about writer duality and danger, tasked with balancing the horror elements of the tale and its periodically intimate psychology. The picture has its grisly moments, but it mostly connects as a study of King’s own struggles as an author, playing with his pen name past and elements of the publishing world. Romero’s not known for nuance, but he does a respectable job with “The Dark Half,” at least during its opening half, which is more invested in a compelling mystery concerning an author’s break from reality. The rest of the offering isn’t as involving as Romero attempts to satisfy genre fans and find a way out of a complicated premise.

The Dark Half 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray.

"The Dark Half" was previously issued on Blu-ray in 2014, and now returns with a UHD release from Vinegar Syndrome, listed as "newly scanned and restored from its 35mm original camera negative." The results are very impressive, delivering a wonderfully film-like appearance, with nicely resolved grain. Detail is strong throughout the viewing experience, securing textured skin particulars, including the gradual decay of the Stark character. Clothing is fibrous. Interiors provide a clear look at living spaces and their decorative additions, and exteriors are deep as the film tours the bucolic Castle Rock setting. Colors are vivid, hitting nightmare realm highs with bold reds and blues. More subtle hues are found with domestic events, preserving distinct lighting choices. Blood remains vivid. Greenery is distinct. Blacks are deep, maintaining shadowy encounters and evening activity. Highlights are tasteful.

The Dark Half 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Default audio for "The Dark Half" is a 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix, and it's a curiously underpowered listening event that's largely frontal. More compelling is the 2.0 DTS-HD MA stereo track, which provides a clearer, active understanding of screen elements. Dialogue exchanges are clear, securing performance choice and balancing horror business. Scoring supports with defined instrumentation and dramatic emphasis. Sound effects are appreciable, with occasional separation and panning additions.

The Dark Half 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet contains essays by Daniel Kraus, Scout Tafoya, and Lawrence DeVincentz.

• Commentary features writer/director George A. Romero.

• "The Sparrows are Flying Again" (36:29, HD) is the making-of for "The Dark Half," featuring interviews with writer/director George A. Romero, producer Declan Baldwin, special makeup effects artists Everett Burrell and John Vulich, editor Pasquale Buba, second unit director Tom Dubensky, composer Christopher Young, and actors John Amplas, Michael Rooker, Robert Joy, and Rutanya Alda. Needing "something to do," Romero was handed the rights to the material from Stephen King, electing to return to Orion Pictures after the bungled release of "Monkey Shines." Handling a "step up" job opportunity meant to boost his industry visibility, Romero was presented with the biggest budget of his career to make the film, putting pressure on him to perform. Casting is highlighted, focusing on Timothy Hutton, who went full method in the part, making trouble for all. Rooker split his time between a play and the movie set, causing more stress on the shoot. Technical achievements and expectations are highlighted, finding a lot of issues caused by bird wrangling, which helped to push the production overschedule. Difficulties with Orion began to mount in post- production, forcing Romero to handle a poor test screening, distance from Young, and the studio's bankruptcy, which delayed the picture's release for nearly two years.

• "A Merchant-Ivory Cameraman in Pittsburgh" (10:09, HD) is an interview with cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts, who discusses his career evolution, going from regal period pictures to a gig working with George A. Romero on "The Dark Half." The helmer wasn't too focused on the visual presence of the feature, showing more concern about the sparrows, putting problem solving in Pierce-Roberts's hands. Visual touches are analyzed, including a deeper understanding of lighting choices to best represent the moods of the material. The interviewee also reflects on his relationship with Romero, which was slightly chilly, especially when the film went overschedule.

• "My Roots with Romero" (11:31, HD) is an interview with first assistant director Nick Mastandrea, who connected to George A. Romero through his sister, joining the "family" in the 1970s. The interviewee graduated to more responsibilities in "Monkey Shines," eventually hired for "The Dark Half." Job responsibilities are detailed, and Mastandrea shares a few tales from the shoot, dealing with bird wrangling and People Magazine covers.

• "George Romero and the City of the Living Dead" (10:02, SD) is a 1991 featurette created for PBS in Pittsburgh. It's a celebration of the helmer and his career, with documentarians catching up to Romero on the set of "The Dark Half," learning about his love of the area and his fondness for making pictures in Pennsylvania. Crew activity is also tracked, watching the production come together. Biographical touches are interesting, following Romero's maturation and creative choices, and cameras visit "The Romero Family," with longtime collaborators sharing their thoughts on the boss.

• EPK Featurette (6:48, SD) offers an original promotional look at "The Dark Half," featuring interviews with writer/director George A. Romero, producer Declan Baldwin, and actors Timothy Hutton and Amy Madigan. Interviewees don't dig too deep into the production process, but offer brief thoughts on the thematic push of "The Dark Half." Also included is a look at the use of sparrows to create screen havoc, putting trainers to work.

• EPK Interviews (7:05, SD) are included.

• BTS Footage (24:24, SD) is a fascinating fly-on-the-wall look at on-set activity for "The Dark Half," highlighting George A. Romero at work, interacting with his actors. Special effects achievements are also inspected, watching the crew handle the creation of gruesome visuals.

• Deleted Scenes (7:42, SD) are offered, including the original ending for "The Dark Half," which isn't an improvement, but seems more connected to Romero's early vision for the feature.

• Storyboards (1:13) present a look at pre-production planning for the original ending of "The Dark Half."

• "Shadows of the Past" (5:14, HD) is an appreciation piece tracking shooting locations from "The Dark Half," created by Lawrence DeVincentz.

• Image Gallery (2:25) collects poster art and film stills.

• T.V. Spot (:40, SD) provides a single commercial for "The Dark Half."

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:42, HD) is included.

The Dark Half 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Dark Half finds an eerie mood at times, exploring dreamscape events and the turmoil boiling within the main character, who's dealing with an impossible situation of twindom. Perhaps Timothy Hutton isn't the right actor for the job, and he struggles with cartoonish extremity as he attempts to portray the "light" and "dark" sides of his character. Thankfully, the supporting cast keeps drama approachable, including a nice turn from Julie Harris, portraying a pipe-smoking, academic friend to the exploding writer. Some sequences connect as intended, but the feature eventually starts to fumble as it searches for an ending. Romero doesn't really have one, taking too long with an unsatisfying resolution, which partially diminishes the overall viewing experience.