Young Thad Beaumont (Timothy Hutton) is a skilled writer, and he gets his first typewriter. Unfortunately, Thad seems to be plagued by headaches, and one day, on his way to the school bus, he collapses. At the hospital, it is revealed that he has some kind of tumour, but in reality, it is a foetus that was never fully absorbed before birth and has continued to grow inside Thad’s head. The foetus is surgically removed, and we jump forward in time to when Thad has become a fully grown man. Thad is now an author who writes vulgar books under the pseudonym “George Stark.” But when he is blackmailed into revealing his real identity, Thad decides to go to the press and “kill off George Stark.” Shortly after, strange murders begin to happen, and all evidence points towards Thad.
Zombie guru George Romero directs this Stephen King story. Cleverly directed but unfortunately not a completely successful adaptation from the book.
George Romero has a unique ability to make all his films look like they come from entirely different people. Yet he is always steady in his direction and handles the material in a serious and understanding manner. He has also gathered a truly star-studded cast. The actors in the film do an excellent job. Behind the music, we have Christopher “Hellraiser” Young, who delivers an absolutely solid piece of film music.
The film was actually made in 1991, but due to Orion Pictures’ financial troubles, it was shelved for two years before being released. The film became a commercial flop, marking the last hope for Orion, which subsequently went bankrupt. Even though Romero’s star team does a good job, the story in the film does not hold up. There are too many loose threads and many unanswered questions. This makes the film highly implausible, and it becomes difficult to buy into the story, even if you try to be generous. Romero himself did not sit in the director’s chair again until the year 2000. A real shame for such a talented man as Romero. A decent film with a lacking story.
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