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MONEY
Did you know
Earned back only 71% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
The Dark Half
"There are very good reasons to be afraid of the dark."
1993 2h 2m EN
😐
6.0
MID
🥫
55%
ROTTEN
😬
53
METACRITIC
⭐
6
IMDB
★6.0TMDB · 490🥫55%Rotten Tomatoes●53Metacritic★6IMDB · 20,667
MysteryHorror
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
Following the public's realization that Thad Beaumont and George Stark are one and the same, the former stages a mock funeral, only for a series of gruesome murders to begin occurring as in his books.
“There are very good reasons to be afraid of the dark.”
Cast
Timothy Hutton
Thad Beaumont / George Stark
Amy Madigan
Liz Beaumont
Michael Rooker
Sheriff Alan Pangborn
Julie Harris
Reggie DeLesseps
Robert Joy
Fred Clawson
Kent Broadhurst
Mike Donaldson
Beth Grant
Shayla Beaumont
Rutanya Alda
Miriam Cowley
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- George A. Romero
- Writers
- George A. Romero, Pete von Sholly
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
ERA
Did you know
33 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by George A. Romero, shot by Tony Pierce-Roberts. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Christopher Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Pasquale Buba shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Timothy Hutton and Amy Madigan and Michael Rooker carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "There are very good reasons to be afraid of the dark.".
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0106664 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
George A. Romero directs. Tony Pierce-Roberts behind the camera. Christopher Young scores. Pasquale Buba cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 1Earned back only 71% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
- 233 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 3Directed by George A. Romero, shot by Tony Pierce-Roberts. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 4Original score by Christopher Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 5Editor Pasquale Buba shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 6Timothy Hutton and Amy Madigan and Michael Rooker carry the top of the cast.
- 7Marketing tagline: "There are very good reasons to be afraid of the dark.".
- 8IMDB entry: tt0106664 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 9Classified under 17 themes, including "new york city", "sheriff", "based on novel or book", "brain tumor".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Tony Pierce-Roberts
- Original score
- Christopher Young
- Editing
- Pasquale Buba
- Production design
- Cletus Anderson
- Costume design
- Barbara Anderson
- Makeup / hair
- Louis Kiss
- VFX supervisor
- Kevin Kutchaver
- Sound
- Carlos Delarios
- Stunt coordinator
- Phil Neilson
- Runtime
- 122 min · 2h 2m
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $15,000,000
- Box office
- $10,611,160
- Return
- 71% of budget
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- R
- Rotten Tomatoes
- 55% 🥫 Rotten
- Metacritic
- 53/100
- IMDB rating
- 6/10 · 20,667 votes
- MPAA
- R
Awards
4 wins & 11 nominations total
Also by
George A. Romero
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- Gimly★ 5/10
A visually spectacular ending, but one that delivers little in the way of answers, and doesn't change a so-so beginning and middle of a film in any way that's meaningfully satisfactory. Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole.
Production companies
Who made it
- GE
George A. Romero Productions
Orion Pictures
US
Key crew
- EditorPasquale Buba
- Costume DesignBarbara Anderson
- ProducerDeclan Baldwin
- CastingTerry Liebling
- Lead Set DresserGregory Jones
- Set DresserMia Boccella
- Set DresserBeth A. Rubino
- CarpenterKenneth J. Kellers
- Set DresserRalph Roger Pivirotto
- Boom OperatorBill J. DiDonna
- Animatronic and Prosthetic EffectsChristopher P. Martin
- Special Effects Makeup ArtistLouis Kiss
- Makeup & Hair AssistantJeffrey A. Rubis
- Set DresserDaniel Fisher
- Set DresserSonja Roth
- Foley ArtistJoan Rowe
- CarpenterAaron Skalka
- Foley ArtistGregg Barbanell
- CarpenterRobert Buncher
- Set DresserMegan Graham
- Set DresserSmith Harper Hutchings
- Set DresserJane Hyland
- Sound EditorElliott Koretz
- CarpenterChris Ferrence
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- new york city
- sheriff
- based on novel or book
- brain tumor
- blackmail
- razor
- pseudonym
- alter ego
- murder
- maine
- author
- sparrow
- family
- super power
- graveyard
- high toned
- adaptation
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical1993-04-23R
Also known as
International titles
- A Metade NegraBR
- La part des ténèbresFR
- La Metà OscuraIT
- The Dark Half - Stephen KingAU
- Temná půleCZ
- Stark - The Dark Half (1993)DE
- Тёмная половинаRU
- La mitad siniestraCO
