Color, 1973, 74 mins. 9 secs.
Directed by John Newland
Starring Kim Darby, Jim Hutton, Barbara Anderson, William Demarest, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Lesley Woods
Iconoscope (UHD & Blu-ray) (US R0/RA 4K/HD), Warner Archive (Blu-ray & DVD) (US R0 HD/NTSC)
One of the cornerstone titles in 
the beloved made-for-TV horror cycle that peaked in the 1970s, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark not only made a 
powerful impression on thousands of impressionable young viewers on ABC in 1973 but continued to thrive through home video releases and word of mouth. A much more expensive but inferior 2010 remake brought even more recognition to the film, which skillfully exploits numerous primal fears with ruthless efficiency. What could be lurking in the history of a new house when you move in? What could be causing those weird noises in the walls? And most of all, what could be lurking around you in the dead of night?
Upon moving into the home she inherited from her grandmother, Sally (True Grit's Darby) is puzzled by a bricked-up fireplace which, according to the handyman (Demarest), should never be reopened. Given that we've already heard sinister whispering voices over the opening credits, it's not a great idea when Sally tries to tear it open anyway and discovers a hatch leading to a closed-off hidden basement. Peculiar events have Sally doubting her sanity, much to the annoyance of her husband, Alex (Hutton), including her causing a big disruption at their work dinner party. When the psychological attacks start to turn physical and Sally starts to see the creatures in 
quick glimpses, it's clear something that's been living in the house for a long 
time has plans for her.
A prime example of how the 74-minute running time of many made-for-TV movies (which came in at 90 minutes with commercials) could be used to a film's advantage, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is simple, soaked in atmosphere, and extremely suspenseful with a climactic ten minutes not easily forgotten. Along with the great creatures themselves, Darby is the main show here giving a terrific performance that perfectly escalates her terror and resolve in perfect increments. Also noteworthy is the skin-crawling score by TV legend Billy Goldenberg, which really deserves a release of its own someday. The film wasn't really a critical favorite when it first aired and has had a few detractors over the years, but anyone on the right wavelength with TV terror films will find this one to be essential viewing.
First released on VHS by USA Home Video in an oversized box that seemed to be in every single mom and pop store through the early '90s, the film became part of the Warner Bros. library since it was controlled by Lorimar. Eventually Warner Archive released a manufactured-on-demand DVD in 2009 from a very dated master, which was discontinued and replaced by a remastered DVD timed with the remake. Another remaster was conducted for a Blu-ray from Warner Archive in 2019, featuring two substantial audio commentaries-- the first with author and made-for-TV movie historian Amanda Reyes, who obviously knows tons about the broadcast history, the film's genre significance, its influence on later films, the cultural climate in 1973, and tons more. The second track with critic Steve "Uncle Creepy" 
Barton, screenwriter Jeffrey Reddick, and critic Sean Abley is much jokier as they casually riff on the film, but it has 
some worthwhile genre observations thrown in as well.
In 2026, Vinegar Syndrome sublabel Iconoscope made this one of their inaugural titles (along with The Veil), a UHD and Blu-ray combo featuring a new 4K scan from the 35mm camera negative. It's a little easier to appreciate in motion but the difference in tone with the film changes dramatically between the UHD and the two Blu-ray options; the HDR-compatible Dolby Vision grading on the UHD has much deeper blacks and more intense greens and flesh tones that make the dark scenes extremely ominous. In particular, the shots of the creatures are especially spooky since they seem to be truly floating in blackness compared to the brightness boosting on past transfers to make the image more readable on average TV screens. The new Blu-ray is similar in terms of brightness as the old Warner Archive disc but has some color temperature differences as you can see below. The DTS-HD MA 2.0 English mono audio sounds crisp as always with no issues, and English SDH subtitles are provided. Both of the prior commentaries are ported over here, while the new "Setting Evil Free" (2m45s) takes a visual tour of Newhall Mansion where most of the film was shot. Also included is a 24-page booklet featuring an essay by Reyes, "Set Us Free in the World: A Look at the Women in John Newland's TV Work," charting the director's career as a golden age TV actor and presenter turned filmmaker whose '70s work, possibly inspired by collaborations with stars like Joan Crawford, gave agency to female characters in projects with Angie Dickinson among many others.
Reviewed on January 30, 2026
