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Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Play trailer Poster for Don't Be Afraid of the Dark 1973 1h 14m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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71% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 58% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
A couple who inherited an old house learn they share it with small creatures determined to possess the wife's mind.

Critics Reviews

View All (7) Critics Reviews
Mike Massie Gone With The Twins An impressive little thriller, full of uniquely unnerving notions, and a surefire bit of amusement for those flustered by monsters under the bed. Rated: 7/10 Aug 29, 2020 Full Review R.L. Shaffer IGN DVD Certainly inspirational and occasionally haunting, with great effects, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is also a bit overlong and padded. Rated: 6/10 Jan 29, 2012 Full Review John Beifuss Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) The husband's hostility seems to encourage disaster, and the depiction of the couple's relationship offers something of a preview of what Stanley Kubrick would do with Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall in the early part of 'The Shining.' Rated: 3/4 Sep 16, 2011 Full Review John J. Puccio Movie Metropolis If you were a child and saw it for the first time on television some four decades ago, it might have seemed pretty scary. Rated: 5/10 Aug 23, 2011 Full Review Drew McWeeny HitFix Rated: B+ Jun 29, 2011 Full Review Ryan Cracknell Movie Views Sticks to the familiar but he does it in such a way that it's still extremely creepy, a little bit campy and, at times, quite a lot of fun. Sep 27, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (111) audience reviews
j r THE BEST! of the classic scary old houses movies! spooky as hell!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member For a 70s film, it's chilling from the bleak imagery shading the nice production merits from the make-up department to the relied performative efforts, furthering whatever effects it had successfully mustered under such limited scale, even though the fear factor's fright understandably aged to acceptably not meet the grown expectations but stand as influential. (B) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member I saw this movie as a child on TV in the early 1970's and NEVER forgot as it scared me for many years. I even remember eating Morel Mushrooms that my friend Jay Bailey and I, had picked the previous couple days after school and his mother breaded & fried them. It was so traumatic I remember watching and eating, with elbows on a pillow and sleeping bag while I was eating those mushrooms. That time is etched into my memory. Especially when they are dragging her down and she uses a flashbulb on camera that she pulls off an end table or some such to try and get away and the husband trying to get it the house but cannot until it's too late. I would like to see it again to see if what is in my memory is accurate. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member This is one of my all time favorite horror films. And has to be one of the best made for tv horror films ever. Make sure you watch this at night it makes the film even more creepy. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member stupid but oddly compelling Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member A decent traditional horror. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A couple who inherited an old house learn they share it with small creatures determined to possess the wife's mind.
Director
John Newland
Producer
Allen S. Epstein
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
May 22, 2017
Runtime
1h 14m