Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Please don't spend money on this.

Awesome Movie

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Although unavailable for decades, DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK has to be one of the best remembered US TV movie horrors of the 1970s, up there with the likes of DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW. Nowadays an insipid remake hasn't put off the scores of fans who were traumatised by this film's scares when they first saw it as kids back in the day.The story is a simple 'haunted house' horror yarn about a married couple who move into a new abode. The wife becomes quietly obsessed with the blocked-up fireplace and grate in the basement, and sets about opening them up despite warnings not to meddle. Soon she finds herself assailed by miniature critters with designs on her very soul.I'd never seen this before so had no idea what to expect, but I was impressed with this TV movie's atmosphere, which is more oppressive and horrific than many a big-bucks Hollywood production of the era. In many ways it's an old fashioned production in which the scares are more subtle than in something like THE AMITYVILLE HORROR with its in-your-face fright sequences.The acting is fairly middling, with the exception of Kim Darby who puts her all into the role of the frightened housewife. The direction and cinematography are fine. The only problem lies with the creatures themselves, one of whom is played by Felix Silla (of BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY fame). We see far too much of them as the film progresses, and the fact they talk in drawling US accents means that they're not frightening in the least. They should have spoken inarticulately, in hisses or grunts, and they should have been kept in the shadows until the final reveal. Less would have definitely been more in this case.

A woman moves into a house that belonged to relatives and the guy who works there, who also worked for her relatives, gets all shady about re- opening a sealed up chimney. The woman breaks through the wall herself and bad things come out that try to...scare her.This movie isn't bad because it's dated. It's bad because it's not good. The story is pedestrian, the "evil" that is released is only frightening if you're eight years old and, as you'll see, most of the people praising this were, indeed, children when they saw it. They're just nostalgic about it because they saw it when they were young and if you saw it now you wouldn't like it.Unless you're one of them, don't be afraid to skip this.

"We want you, Sally. We want you." Some people can't leave well enough alone. A young woman (Kim Darby; True Grit) inherits a mansion from her dead grandmother, insisting on using a closed-up fireplace, sealed for appropriate reasons she will soon discover to her horror. The old family carpenter (William Demarest; My Three Sons) forewarns Sally (Darby) about leaving the ash door to the fireplace alone, but curiosity gets the best of her and in opening it with a wrench releases a long dormant evil. "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" is definitely one of those "the monsters in the dark of the cellar are out to get you" movies. I was quite amazed at how faithful Guillermo Del Toro was to this film with his remake (starring Katie Holmes , except featuring a little girl as the one desired by the fireplace creatures), applying many of the basics presented here. John Sutton (The Twilight Zone) is the frustrated husband who believes his wife is delusional, her ravings about hearing and seeing monsters inspired by the elderly construction worker, who was insistent upon not opening the fireplace. Alex (Sutton) is on the fast track at his firm, at that time in his life when promotions and a promising career are of great importance to him. Sally feels he is more concerned with success than their marriage, but this soon plays second fiddle to the danger of hostile monsters who know how to run and hide, their sensitivity to the light her only real weapon against them. While I'm certain you will be screaming at the screen for them just to leave (echoing similar feelings for couples who live in the cursed Amityville house), there wouldn't be a chiller if that were the case; making a rational decision to stay elsewhere when the fear of being harmed is palpable isn't proper for horror cinema. Anyway, the creatures reminded me of the Zulu doll from Dan Curtis' Trilogy of Terror (with Karen Black the one under assault), and it seems as if stop motion might have been used. Carefully submerging them in the dark as not to fully expose the creatures as puppets, it was a good idea and that threat of them lurking somewhere in the house, small enough to stay just out of sight, pop out when they are least expected, able to move about freely (…because who but Sally believes these things exist?) is always reminded to us. Darby presents a confused, bothered, and frightened victim of these beings, her situation amplified because Sutton criticizes her for talking such "crazy nonsense". Demarest has a key role in the film because his character knows more than he can reveal. Barbara Anderson also has an unceremonious part as the friend, Joan, who cares and is concerned for Sally, willing to listen even if what she hears sounds a bit far-fetched. Bleak ending is actually lifted exact for the remake and I still don't care for it because it just seemed silly and nonsensical to me. This 70s made for television dark house movie has a cult reputation, celebrated by those who grew up with it during the time when it first aired (and perhaps times shown late at night afterwards). I think the doom and sinister of the scenario and house itself are well directed, even if the payoff didn't quite work for me personally. The motive behind the behavior of the monsters is never quite fully explained, perhaps this is acceptable and welcomed by many, but I found it rather unsatisfying. That said, I did find this rather enjoyable for the most part...I think it is more about mood and suspense than a remarkable storyline. When it is taken into account that the film was made in like two weeks, I have to give all involved a pat on the back for accomplishing what they do within such a limited schedule.

The first time that I saw it was back in 1973 and I was about 17.and considered myself an adult .and was watching it in my bedroom with the lights off and indeed before long every time,I heard the usual noises in a house ,I could feel the sense that something was there in the darkness even though I knew nothing was there.And at story's ending ,I went to bed but still couldn't sleep because I guess I was thinking about the Creatures that inhabited the darkness.And the next day I was talking to several friends and they admitted as well that they had the same feelings as well.The story was great with Kim Darby,the late Jim Hutton,Barbara Anderson ,Pedro Armendariz Jr.and of course William Demarest whom I knew as Uncle Charley all doing excellent jobs.If you can the VHS Or DVD copy get it.And Im looking forward to seeing the new version to see if it can compare to the original.