MovieChat Forums > Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973) Discussion > The Cult of Don't be Afraid Of The Dark

The Cult of Don't be Afraid Of The Dark

posted 16 years ago by SimplySteve
9 replies | jump to latest

I know that seeing this gem at 8 years old has much to do with its impact on me. After all, how hard is it to scare an eight yr old. Yet i can't pin it all on my age. After all, i've seen many scary movies growing up, like "Burnt Offerings", "Trilogy Of Terror", and "Race With The Devil". They were all great and scary and memorable. But NONE did the job like "Dark". The brilliant use of the wispering voices and erie score, plus an ending that simply didn't happen back then....she is NOT saved. Her scream as the husband breaks through the front door sends chills. Then to hear her voice amoung the ghouls is so depressing. When the credits finally start rolling, i sat feeling like i was just hit by a horror frieght train. It was more of an EVENT that happened to me.

It really should be no surprise to read the reviews and message boards from others that felt the same experience. It is cathartic and amazing to read just how similer those experiences are. People who felt exactly as i did. I think this is why i say it was an event to those of us. The talk is the same as a "where were you when JFK, or John Lennon was killed" conversation.

I bought a copy on DVD a few years ago. The quality is very good, and it was great to see it again after so many years. I have watched it dozens of times since. Unfortunately, because of repeat viewings, everything looses that edge.
However i will cherish this film for the rest of my life as "the one"! The one that kept me up at night like no other. Whats funny is, this sentimental love is based on how it scared the crap out of me!

But whats wrong that!!!

[–] jnnunez 16 years ago

Great post Stully. I totally agree with you, at the end of the film I too felt as if I were steamrolled and I just remember sitting in front of that TV almost in a state of shock.

*SPOILER*

In most movies the damsel in distress is saved by the hero and all is good and dandy in hollywood land but this film was the first that I ever saw in which the damsel in distress never got saved. It was such a dark and eerie movie and I just remember watching this movie on the edge of my seat... like you said maybe it was because of my young age that I was so enthralled in this movie but like yourself I too saw many scary movies at a young including "The Excorcist" "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things" "Dawn Of The Dead" and the list goes on and on but this movie has always stayed with me throughout the years.

I just hope that Del Toro does a great job with the remake and just honors the original by staying true to what made the original such a memorable film.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Cooke_Fann 15 years ago

Damon you are absolutley correct ! I never thought about it in those terms . T.V back then was truly a shared event and experience with millions of others which is why shows on cable will never be as loved and cherished as the movies made for t.v once were .....

[–] karensastar73 15 years ago

Great memory s its a stunning film :) i love it its so so creepy and well done it deserves a lavish dvd with extras ...
VideoVaganza!
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[–] swfrancis 15 years ago

I still haven't got the Warner Atchive version yet, but I bought a bootleg of it back in 2007, still have, too, and even though I was 38 at the time, I still got a little bit of a start while I watched it. Like everyone else on this board, I, too, was extremely freaked out by it when it first aired. No matter who's at the helm of that remake, there's no way they'll be able to capture the magic of the original. One of the things that made it creepy was that you never learned a whole lot about those little creatures, or, what connection that groundskeeper really had with them. That ambiguity scared me. The remake will, unfortunately, try to give us to many answers, and wrap it up in a neat package.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] Ate_Arms 15 years ago

I watched it as a kid in the early 90s and it stuck with me, never forgot the name. Im not sure why but I think it may be to do with it being the first horror I had watched with that style of ending. Agreed on the score, really creepy.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] SimplySteve 14 years ago