Our lookback at the film adaptations of Stephen King’s work lands at The Dark Half… Stark (also Timothy Hutton) isnt quite ready to go just yet.
They say, those mysterious people who dispense advice from afar, to write what you know.
Stephen King often weaves a little of what he knows into a lot of his work.
Hes had his own brushes with darkness throughout his career.
He also knows a thing or two about writing under a pseudonym.
King hit back with this tale of an author and his parasitic alter ego.
Theres Kings smalltown scares, the creeping unease that he captures so well.
Thads a walking stereotype.
Hes got cardigans and corduroy, a clacking typewriter, and a novel on the way.
Hes clumsy and gauche, floppy-haired and mild-mannered.
Hutton swaggers delightfully and is genuinely menacing when portraying Stark.
Elsewhere, the make-up effects are spectacular.
As Starks time in the world runs short, he starts to decay.
His face oozes pus from wounds, his teeth blacken and his eyes turn rheumy.
The death scene is also something to behold (more on that later).
Also, the balance between Thad and Pangborns ongoing investigation into the murders and Starks activities is uneven.
The effects are spectacularly grotesque and the sound effects are even worse.
Musicality:The repeated use of Elvis PresleysAre You Lonesome Tonight?is cleverly done.
A King thing:Tortured writers.
Join me next time, Constant Reader, for someNeedful Things.
