Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

1973 • 73 minutes
4.6
22 reviews
60%
Tomatometer
Eligible
Watch in a web browser or on supported devices Learn More

About this movie

An old house…a mysterious locked room… a terrifying secret. Elements that make a horror movie memorably chilling get a taut, spooky reworking in Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. Kim Darby (True Grit) and Jim Hutton (The Green Berets) star as Sally and Alex, young marrieds who inherit a crumbling mansion. Despite warnings to leave well enough alone in her new home, Sally unlocks the mysterious room, opens a bricked-up fireplace – and unleashes a horde of hideous, whispering, murdering mini-demons only she can see and hear. Alex thinks she's imagining things. We know she isn't. And we know Sally should be very, very afraid of the dark!

Ratings and reviews

4.6
22 reviews
Chad Watkins
June 26, 2019
Classic and Moody I watched both versions of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark and felt that the original was a fairly solid film in the genre of horror. I felt that its premise of the fear of what is present in the shadows was very relatable. I did not care for the patriarchal nature of the movie but realized that a woman's role has changed throughout the decades. I was successfully surprised by the final intentions for Sally by the villians!
Did you find this helpful?
Mim Lo (Mimlo)
August 24, 2016
Worst special FX ever!!! Bad, low-budget, 1970's made for T.V. movie. Good laugh over the clothes and hairstyles👢, at least! The remake with Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes is better.
Did you find this helpful?
Carla McWilliams
November 29, 2020
Took me years to finally find this movie. It is THE movie as a kid that messed me up. I know it is cheesy from the 70s but I have never forgotten it. Now that I have found it, still too afraid to watch it!!!
Did you find this helpful?

Rate this movie

Tell us what you think.