THE DARK HALF (1993)

THE DARK HALF (R) Slack, derivative Stephen King movie. Thad Beaumont (Timothy Hutton), an aspiring novelist, supports his family by writing sleazy, vicious pulp fiction under a pseudonym. When a blackmailer threatens to reveal his identity, Thad's ''dark side'' takes over: His alter ego comes to life and starts bumping people off. The plot is a synthetic mishmash of Jekyll and Hyde and previous King material (The Shining and Misery), with a bit of The Birds thrown in. It's amusing, at first, to see Hutton try to let loose; with his sideburns and greased pompadour, gold chain and wide black lapels, his George Stark is a satanic Elvis gone disco. Unfortunately, this actor lacks the sadistic intensity to play a true, lusty demon-he's just a generic slasher with a straight razor. C-

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