A recently blinded woman is terrorized by a trio of thugs while they search for a heroin-stuffed doll they believe is in her apartment.A recently blinded woman is terrorized by a trio of thugs while they search for a heroin-stuffed doll they believe is in her apartment.A recently blinded woman is terrorized by a trio of thugs while they search for a heroin-stuffed doll they believe is in her apartment.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 6 nominations total
Robby Benson
- Boy Tossing Ball
- (uncredited)
Jean Del Val
- The Old Man
- (uncredited)
Mel Ferrer
- French-Canadian Radio Speaker
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Packy McFarland
- Passerbye
- (uncredited)
Gary Morgan
- Teenage Boy on Street
- (uncredited)
Frank O'Brien
- Shatner
- (uncredited)
Bill Walters
- BG with Dog
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Never in my life have I ever seen 800 people fly off their seas like I did the night I saw WAIT UNTIL DARK at the cinema in 1970. And I was up there with them. Moaning away in shock. Screaming! (and I don't scream) ............In the run up to the final 20 mins the cinema management slammed the foyer doors, switched off all the aisle lights one by one all around the cinema, and turned up the volume; ripples of creepiness washed over the audience....and then....whammo! The noise from the audience, the screaming and the shifting about in our seats.....I haven't heard shocked noises like that in a cinema since. Do yourself a BIG favour...........get the DVD and watch this at home, by yourself, in total darkness! You will scream your head off and tell everyone you know what a great thriller this is.
This was a great showcase for the acting talent of Audrey Hepburn. She does a great job as the vulnerable blind woman who finds the inner strength and perception to deal with a deadly situation. Alan Arkin is brilliantly menacing as the cold blooded killer. I nearly jumped out of my seat when I first saw this film when it opened.
In "Wait Until Dark", I really felt sorry for Audrey Hepburn's Susy Hendrix: blind, lied to by a 'nice' guy who is actually in cahoots with a murderer, sassed by the bespectacled neighbor girl, and then--after a hellish night spent being terrorized by thugs--husband Efrem Zimbalist Jr. walks in and doesn't even give her a hand. "I'm over here, Susy", he tells her, mildly condescending. Film is based on Frederick Knott's popular play, and has an elaborate but obtuse set-up involving a missing doll filled with heroin. There's a great deal of talk about where it is, who had it last, etc. The filmmakers bide their time before getting to the showdown between Hepburn and Alan Arkin, cool and collected as a self-assured psychopath. If you can make it through the first half-hour or so, you'll find that "Wait Until Dark" gets cooking thereafter. There are some terrific jolts, and Hepburn is a great, stubborn fighter. The frosty, subdued color photography is 'realistic' and very stylish, as is Henry Mancini's spooky music. The end-credits theme song (by Mancini, Jay Livingston and Ray Evans) seems a throwaway, but is nicely sung by the uncredited Sue Raney. *** from ****
The legendary Audrey Hepburn gives a stellar performance in WAIT UNTIL DARK. She's the seemingly vulnerable, yet strong and resourceful Suzy Hendrix. Suzy is blind, but she's also very smart. Finding herself inadvertently mixed up in a scheme involving narcotics and murder, she must use her wits in order to survive.
Led by the psychopathic mastermind, Roat (Alan Arkin), a trio of criminals attempt to gaslight Suzy because she has something in her apartment that they desperately desire. This is staged brilliantly, and Suzy gets caught up in the fake drama. That is, until she starts to smell a rat!
This is a tremendously suspenseful movie, filled with nail-biting sequences. Especially, the finale, when Suzy must face the full wrath of the unhinged Roat! Arkin deserves special mention for his portrayal of such a heartless, ruthless monster. He's not just creepy, he's terrifying! Richard Crenna and Jack Weston are also quite good as Roat's ill-fated cohorts, as is young Julie Herrod as the very helpful Gloria...
Led by the psychopathic mastermind, Roat (Alan Arkin), a trio of criminals attempt to gaslight Suzy because she has something in her apartment that they desperately desire. This is staged brilliantly, and Suzy gets caught up in the fake drama. That is, until she starts to smell a rat!
This is a tremendously suspenseful movie, filled with nail-biting sequences. Especially, the finale, when Suzy must face the full wrath of the unhinged Roat! Arkin deserves special mention for his portrayal of such a heartless, ruthless monster. He's not just creepy, he's terrifying! Richard Crenna and Jack Weston are also quite good as Roat's ill-fated cohorts, as is young Julie Herrod as the very helpful Gloria...
Excellent,very underrated suspense where Audrey Hepburn shows how much
eclectic she was from psychological dramas (children's hour) to musicals (My fair lady)to thrillers "in camera " like this absorbing exciting "wait until dark" .Directed by Terence YOung (who directed the best James Bond bar one -Goldfinger-),it never gives the feeling of watching a filmed stage production and however it was a play in the first place.Hepburn is wonderful as the courageous blind woman who 's got to fight against killers (and she gets fine support from Richard Crenna and Alan Arkin) in her apartment.Influenced by "rear window" ,it's perhaps not as good as Hitch's classic,but it rises to the occasion.The scene when Hepburn shoots out (and smashes) all the lights is mind-boggling.So is the fridge's terrifying sequence which climaxes the movie.
Every cine buff fond of suspense deserves -and must see- "Wait until dark" Sit down and get some scares...in the dark of course.
eclectic she was from psychological dramas (children's hour) to musicals (My fair lady)to thrillers "in camera " like this absorbing exciting "wait until dark" .Directed by Terence YOung (who directed the best James Bond bar one -Goldfinger-),it never gives the feeling of watching a filmed stage production and however it was a play in the first place.Hepburn is wonderful as the courageous blind woman who 's got to fight against killers (and she gets fine support from Richard Crenna and Alan Arkin) in her apartment.Influenced by "rear window" ,it's perhaps not as good as Hitch's classic,but it rises to the occasion.The scene when Hepburn shoots out (and smashes) all the lights is mind-boggling.So is the fridge's terrifying sequence which climaxes the movie.
Every cine buff fond of suspense deserves -and must see- "Wait until dark" Sit down and get some scares...in the dark of course.
Did you know
- TriviaIn an interview, Alan Arkin talked about the Oscar nominations he received for his early major film roles (Les Russes arrivent, les Russes arrivent (1966) and Le coeur est un chasseur solitaire (1968)). When asked if he was surprised that he was overlooked for Wait Until Dark, his second movie, he replied: "You don't get nominated for being mean to Audrey Hepburn!"
- GoofsSusy demonstrates excellent hearing and observation skills: she can tell when people are in her apartment, notices Carlino dusting for prints, people fiddling with the blinds, Roat's squeaky shoes, etc. However, she does not appear to notice the rotary-dial mismatch between the telephone number Mike Tallman says he's calling and the number he actually dials. It's easy to tell what number is being dialed if you listen and count the number of clicks.
- Quotes
Susy Hendrix: Gloria?
Gloria: Yeah?
Susy Hendrix: How would you like to do something difficult and terribly dangerous?
Gloria: I'd love it!
- Crazy creditsThe end credits show each character with the performer's credit; Alan Arkin is shown three times, including once in each disguise.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Terreur dans la salle (1984)
- How long is Wait Until Dark?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Espera la oscuridad
- Filming locations
- 5 St. Luke's Place, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA(the Hendrix apartment)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $3,000,000 (estimated)
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