Production
Principal photography of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark began in mid-August 1973.
The actors portraying the creatures in the film—Felix Silla, Tamara De Treaux and Patty Maloney—were all performers with dwarfism. The masks worn by Silla, De Traux, and Maloney were moulded from alginate and plaster and then airbrushed with paint.
Release
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark premiered on ABC as a Movie of the Week on October 10, 1973.
Home media
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark was released on VHS through USA Home Video in 1985. It was released on DVD on August 18, 2009, by Warner Archive burn-on-demand service. This release went out of print the following year, but was remastered and re-released again on August 24, 2011. This newly restored release of the film was timed to release with the theatrical release of the remake two days later. In 2019, it was given a 4K remaster and released on Blu-ray by Warner Archive.
In January 2026, Iconoscope and Vinegar Syndrome released the film on 4K UHD Blu-ray, licensed from Warner Bros.
Reception
Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times praised the film's cast but panned the screenplay, writing: "Incredibly, this movie is not intentionally comedy. That it has been played absolutely straight, therefore, makes it all the more ludicrous."
Maitland McDonagh from TV Guide rated the film three out of a possible five stars, calling the film "[an] above-average, made-for-TV chiller" also writing, "Overall the film may be a little slow and obvious by today's standards, but these stand-out moments insure it a place in the memories of children of the '70s". Donald Guarisco from AllMovie gave the film a positive review, calling the film "a potent little fright-fest", complimenting the film's script, acting, characterizations, steadily built tension, and Newland's tense direction. Ian Jane from DVD Talk wrote, "While Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark may not be a deep film nor will it win any awards for originality, it's a fun seventies horror picture with some memorable moments, great camerawork and a genuinely surprising finale."
The film was not without its detractors, with some contemporary reviews of the film noting that the film had become dated. On his website Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings, Dave Sindelar gave the film a mixed review, criticizing the film's familiar storyline, Demarest's clichéd character, and overuse of the whispering voices of the creatures. However, Sindelar called it "one of the better made-for-TV horror movies out there" and stated that the film did have its moments.
Bloody Disgusting felt that the film had become dated, and criticized what it called Darby's overacting, creature design, and forced perspective shots of the creatures. The review did, however, commend the film for its "campy surrealism" which they felt was the film's strongest attribute. In a 2017 retrospective for PopMatters, Michael Barrett felt the film "looks cheap and flat," but commended it as "socially relevant with an air of sick dread."
Legacy
Director Guillermo del Toro (who produced and co-wrote the film's remake) was heavily influenced by it when he saw it on television as a child. He and his brothers would reportedly follow each other around the house saying "Sally, Sally", mimicking the creatures in the 1973 film. "It was something close to my heart for a very long time ... We thought the movie was the most terrifying on Earth", said del Toro.
The remake is noted for its Freudian themes as well as the proto-feminist undertones and the "fears and anxieties about the changing roles of women and the ways they are so often victimized or go unheard."
See also
- List of American films of 1973
- ABC Movie of the Week