Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973)

"Please get me out of here so that I can be safe." - Sally

A couple's new home is inhabited by small demons.
Starring: Kim Darby, Jim Hutton, Barbara Anderson, William Demarest

Link to IMDB

Sally

Sally and Alex Farnham have inherited a large old house, and they're eager to move in and make it their new home. Behind a mysteriously locked door, Sally discovers an office that has been sealed off from the rest of the house. The old caretaker warns them to leave the room alone, but Sally decides to start renovating it anyways.

Upon doing so, she unknowingly releases a handful of little demonic creatures from their prison!
They start sneaking around the house, spying on Sally, and she gets increasingly nervous as she sees them out of the corner of her eye and hears them whispering to her.

Alex

Alex doesn't believe her when she tells him that something strange is going on, so Sally thinks it might just be in her head. The creepy vibes slowly build as the creatures continue to harass Sally, but her fears are fully realized when she sees the nasty creatures and freaks-out in front of all her friends.

Unable to find answers as to where the creatures came from, Sally's paranoia begins to controls her, and Alex starts to think that maybe his wife is going crazy. When he goes out of town for the weekend, Sally is home alone and the creatures will take this opportunity to get what they have come for!



This is a very simple little movie, but it's a good example of how to be creepy on a small budget. It feels a lot like an old Twilight Zone episode, with a dense atmosphere of shadows and fear surrounding the characters.
It's a bit too simple though, and even at a brief 70 minutes it feels way too slow at times and it wastes a lot of potential until near the end.

"We want you, we want you." - Creatures

As you can tell from the picture, the creatures are pretty goofy looking, and seeing them in action is even funnier. They seem to be little people in costumes, with camera tricks making them appear even smaller, and the effect is ridiculous enough to break any spookiness that they were creating.

For a made-for-TV scary story I can appreciate what they were doing here, and it's easy to see why this was a hit when it first aired. The actors also give compelling performances, but it moves too slow and it ends just as things really start to get interesting.

Does the movie deliver on the Don't...
2 out 10
Technically, they should be afraid of the dark because that's where the creatures hide. I guess the title is referring to how Alex is always telling Sally that there's nothing to be afraid of.

Be sure not to miss:
- Grocery lists are romantic.
- A cat is prominent in the opening credits, but not in the movie. Did it get eaten?

Internet review:
"I was totally weirded out." - jonesy74

Should I watch it?
It's not amazing, but worthwhile.

Where can I find it?
Right here.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark gets...