The 1970s was truly the golden era of the made-for-TV horror movie, and "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" is a pretty good example of the genre. Fondly remembered by those who saw it at an impressionable age, it succeeds at creeping out its viewers. It's got very respectable atmosphere, and an appreciable level of mystery to its diminutive terrors. Just where *did* they come from? All we know is the level of fear experienced by our appealing main character, Sally Farnham (played by the very cute Kim Darby), especially as her stubbornly skeptical husband, Alex (Jim Hutton) doesn't take her seriously.
Sally and Alex have moved into her deceased grandmother's home, complete with a study and a sealed-up fireplace. Sally wants the fireplace opened up, despite the warnings from their cagey caretaker, Mr. Harris (screen veteran William Demarest) to leave things as they are. Her curiosity gets the better of her, and her actions lead to the release of three beings who are dead set on getting their hands on her.
Fortunately, Sally is not the type of person to only do the stupid thing, so it's easy enough to sympathize with her and be chilled by how the story plays out. Darby is fine as Sally, and Hutton is good as Alex; able support is provided by Demarest, Barbara Anderson as Sally's friend Joan Kahn, and Pedro Armendariz Jr. as the briefly seen Francisco Perez. Andrew Jackson's cinematography is appropriately moody and the music score by Billy Goldenberg is excellently spooky. If there's a criticism to be made here, it's only that the three onion headed demons in the movie (played by Felix Silla, Tamara De Treaux, and Patty Maloney) are shown too much, and should have been revealed just a bit at a time.
Still, this is fun stuff and worth a look for fans of "old school" horror.
Remade by filmmaker and fan Guillermo Del Toro for theatres 37 years later.
Seven out of 10.
Sally and Alex have moved into her deceased grandmother's home, complete with a study and a sealed-up fireplace. Sally wants the fireplace opened up, despite the warnings from their cagey caretaker, Mr. Harris (screen veteran William Demarest) to leave things as they are. Her curiosity gets the better of her, and her actions lead to the release of three beings who are dead set on getting their hands on her.
Fortunately, Sally is not the type of person to only do the stupid thing, so it's easy enough to sympathize with her and be chilled by how the story plays out. Darby is fine as Sally, and Hutton is good as Alex; able support is provided by Demarest, Barbara Anderson as Sally's friend Joan Kahn, and Pedro Armendariz Jr. as the briefly seen Francisco Perez. Andrew Jackson's cinematography is appropriately moody and the music score by Billy Goldenberg is excellently spooky. If there's a criticism to be made here, it's only that the three onion headed demons in the movie (played by Felix Silla, Tamara De Treaux, and Patty Maloney) are shown too much, and should have been revealed just a bit at a time.
Still, this is fun stuff and worth a look for fans of "old school" horror.
Remade by filmmaker and fan Guillermo Del Toro for theatres 37 years later.
Seven out of 10.