Product Details

• Actors: Barbara Anderson, Jim Hutton, Kim Darby, Jr. Pedro Armendariz
• Format: NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Warner Brothers
• Run Time: 74 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (141 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002WJHBD6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,482 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

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!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

144 of 148 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS MOVIE IS REALLY SCARY!!, January 12, 2001

By 

C. Upperstrom "dj-diezman" (Iron River, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I remember seeing "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" on TV when I was a kid. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark was originally made for TV back in 1973. There are movies that stick with you for the rest of your life- this movie stuck with me!! It's the creepiest movie that I have ever seen. I saw it a few years ago on late night TV and it scared me just as much as it did when I was a kid!! Don't Be Afraid of the Dark starts with a young couple inheriting an old victorian style house. They don't know that the house is inhabited by three small demons that are locked in a blocked off fireplace. The caretaker, played by William Demarest(Uncle Charlie from "My Three Sons") warns Sally,played by Kim Darby, that some things are better left alone when she wants the old fireplace opened up. Sally attempts to open the fireplace thus releasing the three small demons into the house.They then want her for thier own. Strange things begin to happen around the house and Sally at first begins to question her own sanity. She sees the demons and her husband Alex, played by Jim Hutton, does not believe her. I think the scariest part of this movie is how vulnerable Sally feels. She cannot feel safe even at a dinner party (she sees one of the demons on her lap under a napkin) The demons cannot stand light and only attack in the dark. I can still hear the whispering whenever I think of this movie. Sally.....Sally......Sally.....Sally..... Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is the creepiest movie ever made. What amazes me the most is that it was made for TV!

See it for yourself....with the lights on!!

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creepy is an understatement, April 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" is the one movie I have yet been able to complete. By this I mean, when I saw it at seven, I changed the channel as Sally was being dragged into the fireplace. Singularly the most haunting film of my life. If you want creepy, you've got it here. Psychologically disturbing, this "made for tv" movie is one of those that has the ability to stay in your mind for twenty years. The Lovecraftian darkness which surrounds the plot, as well as the haunting physical and vocal images will make a long lasting impression upon you. I was recently able to locate and purchase this film, and it is just as frightening at thirty as it was at seven. Leaving me anxious and jumpy in my own old house. A former Marine, I do not scare easy, but this film has Lovecraft's influence written all over it and if Lovecraft doesn't scare you at any age you haven't read enough. Find this film, buy this film and see this film.

48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sally...we're waiting for you., March 12, 2003

By 

Barbara K. (Freehold, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I remember being a child in the late '70's/early '80's and being afraid to watch this on TV. I'm now 33 years old and finally got the courage. The movie is a little dated but still really creepy. I went to bed shortly after watching it and was hesitant to turn the lights out! I usually laugh at horror movies but this was very effective because of what the viewer doesn't see, rather than what he sees. It's a person's wild imagination that gets him every time. This is the theme for Sally, the main character of the film, and the viewer. I wish this quality thriller would be released on DVD. I would be the first to add it to my collection. The clincher is that it was made for TV. I've never even seen a theatrical release that was this scary.

Sally's husband thought it was mice...WRONG...