Product Details

• Actors: Kevin Zegers, Jesse James, Rachel Skarsten, Charles Edwin Powell, Linda Purl
• Directors: K.C. Bascombe
• Writers: K.C. Bascombe, John Sullivan
• Producers: J. David Williams, Lee Faulkner, Martha Fernandez, Nick Seferian
• Format: Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Screen Media
• DVD Release Date: March 30, 2004
• Run Time: 86 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00013NDP0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,446 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Fear of the Dark" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Horror
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 28-DEC-2004
Media Type: DVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Creepy Fun, September 8, 2004

By 

Graboidz (Westminster, Maryland) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fear of the Dark (DVD)

I just sat through "Night of Komodo", "Python" and "Savage Island", all direct to video horror, all lousy beyond definition, and so I figured what the hell?.....might as well pop in "Fear of the Dark", I mean if i could make it through "Savage Island" everything else will be Macbeth by comparison. "Fear of the Dark" starts off pretty well, with a kid retrieving a lost baseball in a dark basement, and just sort of carries you along on a cool little thrill ride where things really do go bump in the night. The young actors really do a good job, and the movie does a pretty decent job of building suspense in several parts. If you liked "Clownhouse", then you should enjoy "Fear of the Dark" as well. No gore, no nudity and very little profanity also makes "Fear of the Dark" a kid-friendly horror film (if there is such a thing in our politically correct world anymore??) and would be perfect for your teen's next slumber party.

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Surprinsingly suspenesful, July 5, 2004

By 

Jonathan Appleseed - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Fear of the Dark (DVD)

This isn't a terrific movie by any stretch. There are more than a few laughable scenes and silly, ridiculous occurrences. We laughed out loud when Kevin Zeger's character, Dale, was smoking. Like Clinton (*cough*) he didn't inhale, although he took several drags on the cigarette. My question for that scene is: why bother having the kid smoke if he's not going to inhale? Obviously Zeger doesn't smoke, and for that I applaud him, as so many actors and actresses in Hollywood do.

Regarding the silly occurrences. Say you're a father with a child that has a terrible fear of the dark. Would you:

a) Put a number of floodlights where they could be easily reached, say a chest in an open area, or
b) Put them in a dark attic?

Of course the movie chose "b".

Regardless, I was immensely surprised when I found myself trapped in suspense. There were moments of dramatic tension that actually made me a little nervous (perhaps even a little scared, although I never jumped), and when the movie was over, and I walked into my office (being 1:00am, my entire condo was dark, and my office darker than any other area) I really did take a tiny "gulp" until the light turned on. The same for returning to bed - until the light on my nightstand was turned on, I was somewhat on edge

Given the movie's obvious flaws, this made me more than a little embarrassed. But like I said, they handled some of the scary scenes quite well, even though I rolled my eyes during the stolen scene from the Frighteners. That was unnecessary. I can't imagine why they chose to write that scene into the script. Again, regardless, congratulations to the movie for making someone edgy who just doesn't ever get edgy from watching horror films.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars There is fear in "Fear of the Dark", September 21, 2007

By 

Steven Hedge "Movie Fan" (Somewhere "East of Eden") - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fear of the Dark (DVD)

Okay, I'll admit right off that his film has plenty of silly nonsense in it, moments of bad acting, and poor dialogue; however, there is also plenty to enjoy too.

This story of an older child with an obsessive fear of the dark is enjoyable in spite of it's obvious flaws because we can all relate to this time period in our lives when we feared the "thing under our bed" and the "monster in the closet." Nearly every child has had a fear of the dark at some point in his or her life. This film exploits that fear and does so rather well.

We can also relate to the sibling rivalry and sibling love apparent in this film. The acting can be stiff in places and feel forced, but in most other places it is surprisingly sincere. I blame the director for this inconsistency more than the actors who can obviously act. It's the director that fails to get the best out of them on a few occasions.

By the way, the mother is played by the ageless wonder Linda Purl who was a television stable for two decades and most remembered as Andy Griffth's daughter on the series "Matlock" (sorry, no link as it hasn't been released on DVD yet). In any event, when you see her, you'd swear you were looking at an older, but still beautiful Charlize Theron.

Well, moving right along . . . The storyline is rather clever in spite of the "been there done that" feel to it. The dialogue is less than clever and certainly isn't consistent in quality as it ranges from sweet, sincere, and believable to corny, phony and clichéd. The actors again should be given credit for delivering these lines as best as they could.

The atmospheric direction, photography, and setting are where this story really excels. Nearly every room, closet, mirror, and corner has something lurking in it. This provides terrific suspense and numerous "jump up from your seat" moments.

I was pleasantly surprised with the overall quality of this film and it is rather family friendly for a horror flick. There is no sex, gore, or violence really. The PG-13 rating is for exactly what it says on the DVD box: "For Frightening Images." My kids (11 & 15) jumped and let out a small scream in a few places, but laughed right after that.

Simply put: this film is good popcorn fun for the whole family (ages 10 and up).