Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark – A Classic Tale 50 Years Later

Imagine inheriting an old large mansion or estate out of seemingly nowhere that resides in the Northeast state of Rhode Island. What’s the first thing you do? Worry about the immense amount of repairs and upkeep to keep the roof from falling in and the plumbing from flooding the home? Maybe it is meeting and greeting your new neighbors or checking out the local scenery. In this case, it’s instantly getting on decorating and snooping around checking out the new digs. That’s where our two (un)fortunate new homeowners mess up and send a domino effect of unfortunate and terrifying events with the original 1973 made-for-tv classic Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.

Initially released on October 10th of 1973 as the ABC Movie of the Week, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2023. Exuding ’70s-style musical scores, acting, cinematography and décor, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark holds up pretty well to today’s standards regarding suspense, mystery and horror. Filmed just a little over twenty years prior to CGI, this film is also not very heavy with practical effects except for the monster’s costumes which are pretty iconic in their own right even though they aren’t shown very often which tells how much of an impact these creatures have made in the Horror universe. Classic tropes of not revealing the monster too soon, gaslighting the victim into believing they are, in fact, not a victim of any wrongdoing or anything at all.

Although it is not exactly a masterclass in the genre, it is not something to be ignored, much like Mr. Harris’ warnings not to go near the fireplace for reasons seemingly only known to him. With only a runtime of 74 minutes, this simple Horror flick will keep you engaged until the last minute and also probably leave you with way more questions than answers, but don’t let that take away from the presentation.

Directed by John Newland (One Step Beyond series, The Man Who Never Was series), Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark opens up with multiple whispering voices asking when they “will be set free” and to be patient because “someone will surely come let them out any time soon.” Kim Darby (True Grit 1969, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers 1995) as Sally Farnham inherits a Victorian mansion from her late grandmother. You can see where this is going, right?

Before long, Sally and her husband Alex Farnham (Jim Hutton: The Green Berets 1968, Psychic Killer 1975) promptly move into the estate and are just as quickly warned by handyman Mr. Harris who has been tending to the house for the previous twenty years and beyond when a sealed fireplace is discovered in the basement. Playing on all the classic Horror movie tropes of ignoring all warnings and instincts of self-preservation, you will most certainly be screaming at the screen. Curiously and stubbornly, Sally proceeds to unbolt the fireplace ash trap leading to the next hour of horror.

By opening said trap, Sally releases the creatures that spoke in the aforementioned whispering, but now whispering about having been “let free.” Looking back on this creature feature, it was somewhat comical with the three goblins resembling a bit of The Three Stooges as their antics are hindered over and over again by sudden bursts of light either from light switches or camera flashes. Throughout the rest of this flick, Sally’s husband Alex, doesn’t believe a word she says about what she sees and hears for the duration of their stay. Happenings such as items falling off of tables, scurrying noises in the kitchen and straight up seeing these goblins with her own eyes seem to mean nothing to the ever-skeptical Alex.

Much like Matilda Dixon from 2003’s Darkness Falls, these pint-sized monsters are terrified of light and have had multiple attempts to harm Sally thwarted by said light including the iconic bathroom/razorblade and dinner scenes. It’s not exactly clear as to who, what or where these goblin creatures came from so we, the viewer, are left just as confused as the Farnham couple.

Eventually, we finally get a glimpse of what the goblins want: Sally’s spirit. Reason being that she is the one that freed them. By the end of the movie, Sally’s unfortunate curiosity about the fireplace has its purpose fulfilled as she’s being dragged into the pit while Alex is out trying to pry information from Mr. Harris about said fireplace, all while a sad excuse of a rescue attempt for Sally fails and Sally is turned into one of the goblins… waiting for their next victim.

The competition for Horror-related viewership in ’73 was steep with massive titles such as The Crazies, The Exorcist and The Wicker Man coming out the same year. What’s more, all these flicks had modern-day remakes including Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark itself as a full theatrical release in 2011 by Guillermo del Toro (Pacific Rim 2013, Hellboy 2004). Although some liberties have been taken to produce a modern-day reimagining of the 1973 made-for-TV film, all the guts and bones are still there. Remember when we said there weren’t very many memorable Horror movies about tooth fairies? Well, here is one more, one of the liberties taken is now the monsters like teeth for some reason.

Other liberties that have been taken such as the tooth fairy twist, Sally is now an 8 year old girl and a different character is taken in place of Sally’s transformation. In this adaptation we see a more visceral side of things where today’s censors and audience are more accepting of things like blood and horror and other general frights, the classic bathroom scene still sticks out as one for the books in horror movie history. All in all, when a mysterious groundskeeper that knows more than you and has been taking care of the property of your newly inherited estate warns you not to do something, you should probably heed those warnings lest you become one with the terror in Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.