A young couple inherits an old mansion inhabited by small demon-like creatures who are determined to make the wife one of their own.A young couple inherits an old mansion inhabited by small demon-like creatures who are determined to make the wife one of their own.A young couple inherits an old mansion inhabited by small demon-like creatures who are determined to make the wife one of their own.
- Francisco Perez
- (as Pedro Armendariz Jr.)
- George Kahn
- (as J.H. Lawrence)
- Party Guest
- (as Monica Henreid)
- Creature
- (as Tamara DeTreaux)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Sally opens a locked door in the house and finds a sealed fireplace and ash pit. She asks Mr. Harris to open the fireplace but the old man argues with her and refuses to follow the order. Sally uses Mr. Harris' wrench to remove the bolts of the ash pit cover. Soon Sally finds that evil little creatures that fear the light have escaped from the underground through the ash pit and are threatening her. However, Alex and her friend Joan Kahn (Barbara Anderson) believe that Sally's imagination is affected by the words of Mr. Harris.
"Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" is a simple and effective horror film made for television released in Brazil only on VHS. The story of a young couple that moves to an old house and the wife Kim Darby, the unforgettable Miri of "Star Trek" and the girl Mattie Ross of "True Grit", releases demon-like creatures is original and developed in an adequate pace.
In 2010, Guillermo del Toro remade this film with a lame screenplay that included silly sub-plots and spoiled the original story. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Criaturas da Noite" ("Creatures of the Night")
Note: On 15 December 2021, I saw this film again.
Note: On 17 March 2023, I saw this film again in a recently released DVD.
I'm guessing it is not available on DVD or video.
The theme of this movie is, "Did I really see it?" And of course, we know Kim Darby really did, but it was too late when she finally knew forsure.
As a t.v. movie, it was okay - production, setting, acting, special effects and make-up... but the idea of things... lurking... waiting... made your hair stand up and want to exit the room along with the rest of your body.
And what the heck WERE those things, anyway? They lived in the furnace... or BELOW the furnace - we know that for sure. But were they demons? Goblins? Aliens? And was one of them Kim Darby's grandfather? We never know the answer to this. All we know is they're nasty spiteful little things that want to make you one of them. And, I guess, that was the spookiest part of the story - it never let you know the answer. Just made you wonder what sort of ickies could be lurking below YOUR furnace! The spookiest moment is when Kim ticks one of them off and it makes the nastiest face. You really don't want to tick one of these little creepy-crawlers off.
I watched this movie-of-the-week alone at night really late while I was home by myself. Even though I was well into my teens at the time, I was totally weirded out.
The moral of the story, I guess, is that if you don't want evil miniature creatures to drag your wife off to the nether-regions below your furnace, don't be a workaholic and ignore her when she says she's seeing strange nasties in the corners or the room.
Did you know
- TriviaThe total production time - including script approval by Lorimar, casting, special effects, voice-overs, and exterior shots - was slightly over two weeks, making this one of the quickest made-for-TV movie turnarounds ever. This was due mainly to a writers strike that began just before the script was completed.
- GoofsThe creatures keep changing size. During one scene, the creatures aren't much bigger than a few inches, as they hide behind the books. But, when they go outside to cut the cables, they are as tall as the trash cans.
- Quotes
Creatures: [opening lines] Will she come? Do you think she will come?
First Creature: She will. You know she will.
Second Creature: But when? When?
First Creature: Very soon. It's just a matter of time. Of waiting for a while. All we have to do is bide our time. Bide our time.
[laughs]
Creatures: But it's been so long. So many years. When will she come and set us free-set us free!
First Creature: Patience! Patience! We've all the time in the world.
[laughs]
Creatures: We've all the time in the world. In the world. In the world. To set us free! In the world!
[Maniacal laughter]
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Another Top 10 Scariest Movie Monsters (2017)
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