PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Brooklynn There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

moonspinner55 Unnerving TV-movie features Kim Darby and Jim Hutton as an upwardly mobile young couple who move into an old manor previously owned by Darby's now-deceased grandmother. The veteran handyman tells curious Kim not to open the bricked-off fireplace in the hidden room downstairs, but she unbolts the ash bin anyway and unwittingly unleashes a society of evil little goblins intent on adding her soul to their circle. Well-done thriller from director John Newland and writer Nigel McKeand might have benefited even more from a slightly larger budget and more time on the clock to expand on McKeand's scenario. As it is, "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" is so compact that it feels rushed, although the finale being cut short may actually work in the movie's favor: there isn't an opportunity to ask questions, only to ponder the possibilities--and the sounds we're left with linger in the mind. Loosely remade as a theatrical feature in 2010.

Theo Robertson This is one of those movies you might have seen on TV late one night in your childhood years and you forget all the details such as what the plot is , and who starred in it and eventually you forget the title and yet you can quite clearly and vividly remember the imagery of it - that of a young woman being trapped in a dark house with a group of malevolent demons with fright inducing faces . I remember seeing this too from my childhood and it is very remarkable that a TVM from the 1970s has so far seen a grand total of over 160 people come to this page to pass comment on it . This must be one of the great masterworks of made for television films musn't it ? Sadly after seeing this 35 years after seeing it for the first time I came to this website and looked through a fair amount of comments that summed up my feelings and that is my memory cheated and much of my affection I carried towards this TVM might mainly be down to nostalgia . Reading a comment from 2008 it appears DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK had an average user rating of 7.3 and now it's dropped considerably to 6.9 which isn't too bad for a made for television production and far far higher than a great number of Hallmark and SyFy productions get but one knows the rating will fall further as more people either having seen this many years ago and rewatching it as an adult or people hearing of its great reputation and seeing it for the first time will be disappointed To be fair a lot of thought has gone in to the realisation of the demon people . . They're never entirely convincing but some congratulations for the effects crew for putting some imagination in to their creations . They are somewhat daft and yet when they're revealed their never as silly looking as they could have been . There is also something practical about the way they use implements such as a coat hanger to switch off lights as they stalk Sally . They do work best when they're unseen and whisper in cold unearthly tones . Little else is outstanding and the cast are very wooden especially Jim Hutton who is capable of giving light comical performances even in the most mediocre of movies yet seems entirely bored with everything here . I don't know if it's the fault of the cinematographer or if I saw a disgracefully poor print copy but I often couldn't see was happening on screen to due scenes being dimply lit and DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK - BE FRUSTRATED BY IT would have been a more appropriate title

Scott LeBrun The 1970s was truly the golden era of the made-for-TV horror movie, and "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" is a pretty good example of the genre. Fondly remembered by those who saw it at an impressionable age, it succeeds at creeping out its viewers. It's got very respectable atmosphere, and an appreciable level of mystery to its diminutive terrors. Just where *did* they come from? All we know is the level of fear experienced by our appealing main character, Sally Farnham (played by the very cute Kim Darby), especially as her stubbornly skeptical husband, Alex (Jim Hutton) doesn't take her seriously.Sally and Alex have moved into her deceased grandmother's home, complete with a study and a sealed-up fireplace. Sally wants the fireplace opened up, despite the warnings from their cagey caretaker, Mr. Harris (screen veteran William Demarest) to leave things as they are. Her curiosity gets the better of her, and her actions lead to the release of three beings who are dead set on getting their hands on her.Fortunately, Sally is not the type of person to only do the stupid thing, so it's easy enough to sympathize with her and be chilled by how the story plays out. Darby is fine as Sally, and Hutton is good as Alex; able support is provided by Demarest, Barbara Anderson as Sally's friend Joan Kahn, and Pedro Armendariz Jr. as the briefly seen Francisco Perez. Andrew Jackson's cinematography is appropriately moody and the music score by Billy Goldenberg is excellently spooky. If there's a criticism to be made here, it's only that the three onion headed demons in the movie (played by Felix Silla, Tamara De Treaux, and Patty Maloney) are shown too much, and should have been revealed just a bit at a time.Still, this is fun stuff and worth a look for fans of "old school" horror.Remade by filmmaker and fan Guillermo Del Toro for theatres 37 years later.Seven out of 10.

Scarecrow-88 "We want you, Sally. We want you." Some people can't leave well enough alone. A young woman (Kim Darby; True Grit) inherits a mansion from her dead grandmother, insisting on using a closed-up fireplace, sealed for appropriate reasons she will soon discover to her horror. The old family carpenter (William Demarest; My Three Sons) forewarns Sally (Darby) about leaving the ash door to the fireplace alone, but curiosity gets the best of her and in opening it with a wrench releases a long dormant evil. "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" is definitely one of those "the monsters in the dark of the cellar are out to get you" movies. I was quite amazed at how faithful Guillermo Del Toro was to this film with his remake (starring Katie Holmes , except featuring a little girl as the one desired by the fireplace creatures), applying many of the basics presented here. John Sutton (The Twilight Zone) is the frustrated husband who believes his wife is delusional, her ravings about hearing and seeing monsters inspired by the elderly construction worker, who was insistent upon not opening the fireplace. Alex (Sutton) is on the fast track at his firm, at that time in his life when promotions and a promising career are of great importance to him. Sally feels he is more concerned with success than their marriage, but this soon plays second fiddle to the danger of hostile monsters who know how to run and hide, their sensitivity to the light her only real weapon against them. While I'm certain you will be screaming at the screen for them just to leave (echoing similar feelings for couples who live in the cursed Amityville house), there wouldn't be a chiller if that were the case; making a rational decision to stay elsewhere when the fear of being harmed is palpable isn't proper for horror cinema. Anyway, the creatures reminded me of the Zulu doll from Dan Curtis' Trilogy of Terror (with Karen Black the one under assault), and it seems as if stop motion might have been used. Carefully submerging them in the dark as not to fully expose the creatures as puppets, it was a good idea and that threat of them lurking somewhere in the house, small enough to stay just out of sight, pop out when they are least expected, able to move about freely (…because who but Sally believes these things exist?) is always reminded to us. Darby presents a confused, bothered, and frightened victim of these beings, her situation amplified because Sutton criticizes her for talking such "crazy nonsense". Demarest has a key role in the film because his character knows more than he can reveal. Barbara Anderson also has an unceremonious part as the friend, Joan, who cares and is concerned for Sally, willing to listen even if what she hears sounds a bit far-fetched. Bleak ending is actually lifted exact for the remake and I still don't care for it because it just seemed silly and nonsensical to me. This 70s made for television dark house movie has a cult reputation, celebrated by those who grew up with it during the time when it first aired (and perhaps times shown late at night afterwards). I think the doom and sinister of the scenario and house itself are well directed, even if the payoff didn't quite work for me personally. The motive behind the behavior of the monsters is never quite fully explained, perhaps this is acceptable and welcomed by many, but I found it rather unsatisfying. That said, I did find this rather enjoyable for the most part...I think it is more about mood and suspense than a remarkable storyline. When it is taken into account that the film was made in like two weeks, I have to give all involved a pat on the back for accomplishing what they do within such a limited schedule.