Afraid of the Dark

Last updated

Afraid of the Dark
Afraid of the Dark poster.jpg
Directed by Mark Peploe
Written byMark Peploe
Frederick Seidel
Produced bySimon Bosanquet
Jean Nachbaur
Starring James Fox
Fanny Ardant
Paul McGann
Clare Holman
Cinematography Bruno de Keyzer
Edited byScott Thomas
Music by Richard Hartley
Jason Osborn
Production
companies
Les Films Ariane
Telescope Films
Ciné Cinq
Distributed byRank Films Organization (UK)
Fine Line Features (US)
Release dates
  • October 1991 (1991-10)(Tokyo International Fantastic Film Festival)
  • 21 February 1992 (1992-02-21)(UK)
Running time
91 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
France
LanguageEnglish
Box office$53,932 [1]

Afraid of the Dark is a 1991 French-British drama horror film directed by Mark Peploe and starring James Fox, Fanny Ardant and Paul McGann. [2]

Contents

Afraid of the Dark had its world premiere at the Tokyo International Fantastic Film Festival in October 1991. It screened at the BFI London Film Festival on November 21, 1991 and went into general theatrical release in the UK on February 21, 1992.

Plot

Lucas is an introverted 11-year-old boy who lives with his policeman father Frank and blind mother Miriam. He spends most of his time at a school for the blind where his mother teaches knitting. He also has a habit of spying on others. A recent spate of attacks on blind women has kept the community on edge. One day, Lucas goes to spy on Rose, his mother's blind friend, as she takes some photos for the local photographer. Lucas sees the photographer ominously take out a razor blade and touch Rose with it. Thinking he is the wanted slasher, Lucas runs in to save Rose and wounds the photographer in the eye.

He awakes and realizes he was having a nightmare. Lucas overhears his parents whispering about the eye operation he needs. He continues to have strange visions of the killer as his mind begins to confuse reality and delusion.

Cast

Critical reception

Afraid of the Dark received mixed critical reviews. TV Guide praised the film, though it admitted the film "does not succeed in linking its themes of voyeurism, oedipal complexes and fear of physical harm and then those in Lucas's overly mature imagination. The perversions he dreams up are far too sophisticated for a little boy. Nonetheless, Afraid of the Dark does its job as a horror film and makes one consider some difficult and ugly issues as well." [3]

In a positive review, Michael Wilmington of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "'Afraid of the Dark' isn't an intellectually shallow terrorize-the-yuppies shocker. In many ways, it's a critique of the new contemporary family thrillers, of the ways movies like 'Fatal Attraction' or 'The Hand That Rocks the Cradle' push our buttons and feed our paranoia." [4] Empire wrote, "Deftly avoiding self conscious experimentation and artsy intellectuality, writer/director Peploe constructs a mesmerising world of harsh contrasts and alarming juxtapositions." [5]

Marjorie Baumgarten of The Austin Chronicle said "Afraid of the Dark gets so wrapped up in its psychological dimensions that it forgets the rudiments of suspense." [6] Variety commented the film is "a tricky mix of slasher movie and psychodrama that's strong on tease but weak on final delivery". [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul McGann</span> English actor

Paul John McGann is an English actor. He came to prominence for portraying Percy Toplis in the television serial The Monocled Mutineer (1986), then starred in the dark comedy Withnail and I (1987), which was a critical success and developed a cult following. McGann later became more widely known for portraying the eighth incarnation of the Doctor in the 1996 television film Doctor Who, and its audio drama continuations. He is also known for playing Lieutenant William Bush in the TV series Hornblower (1998–2003).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slash (musician)</span> British-American guitarist (born 1965)

Saul Hudson, known professionally as Slash, is a British-American musician, best known as the lead guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and mid-1990s. Slash has received critical acclaim and is considered one of the greatest guitarists in history.

<i>Are You Afraid of the Dark?</i> Childrens horror anthology television series

Are You Afraid of the Dark? is a children's horror anthology television series created by D. J. MacHale and Ned Kandel. The original series aired on Nickelodeon from 1992 to 1996; the pilot episode aired respectively on YTV and Nickelodeon in 1990 and 1991. It led to two revival series, with the first airing from 1999 to 2000, and the second airing from 2019 to 2022.

<i>Sniper</i> (1993 film) 1993 American film

Sniper is a 1993 American action film directed by Luis Llosa. The film stars Tom Berenger and Billy Zane as snipers on an assassination mission in Panama. It is the first installment in the Sniper film series, and was followed by nine direct-to-video sequels: Sniper 2, Sniper 3, Sniper: Reloaded, Sniper: Legacy, Sniper: Ghost Shooter, Sniper: Ultimate Kill, Sniper: Assassin's End, Sniper: Rogue Mission, and Sniper: G.R.I.T. – Global Response & Intelligence Team. It was shot in Queensland, Australia, and debuted at number two in the United States.

<i>Peeping Tom</i> (1960 film) 1960 British film by Michael Powell

Peeping Tom is a 1960 British psychological horror-thriller film directed by Michael Powell, written by Leo Marks, and starring Carl Boehm, Moira Shearer, Anna Massey and Maxine Audley. The film revolves around a serial killer who murders women while using a portable film camera to record their dying expressions of terror, putting his footage together into a snuff film used for his own self-pleasure. Its title derives from the expression "Peeping Tom", which describes a voyeur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fanny Brice</span> American actress, singer, and comedian (1891–1951)

Fania Borach, known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedian, illustrated song model, singer, and actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. She is known as the creator and star of the top-rated radio comedy series The Baby Snooks Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Molina</span> British actor (born 1953)

Alfred Molina is a British actor. He is known for his leading roles and character actor roles on the stage and screen. In a career spanning over five decades he has received a Drama Desk Award as well as nominations for two BAFTA Awards, a British Independent Film Award, an Independent Spirit Award, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Tony Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Use Your Illusion Tour</span> 1991–93 concert tour by Guns N Roses

The Use Your Illusion Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Guns N' Roses which ran from January 20, 1991, to July 17, 1993. It was not only the band's longest tour, but one of the longest concert tours in rock history, consisting of 192 shows in 27 countries. It was also a source of much infamy for the band, due to riots, late starts, cancellations and outspoken rantings by Axl Rose.

<i>Little Dorrit</i> (1987 film) 1987 British film

Little Dorrit is a 1987 film adaptation of the 1857 novel Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens. It was written and directed by Christine Edzard, and produced by John Brabourne and Richard B. Goodwin. The music by Giuseppe Verdi was arranged by Michael Sanvoisin.

<i>Jack the Bear</i> 1993 film by Marshall Herskovitz

Jack the Bear is a 1993 American comedy-drama film directed by Marshall Herskovitz, written by Steven Zaillian based on the novel of the same name by Dan McCall, and starring Danny DeVito. The film is about John Leary (DeVito), a single father raising his two sons in the 1970s San Francisco Bay Area after the death of his wife.

<i>The Midnight Meat Train</i> 2008 horror film by Ryuhei Kitamura

The Midnight Meat Train is a 2008 American horror film based on Clive Barker's 1984 short story of the same name, which can be found in Volume One of Barker's collection Books of Blood. The film follows a photographer who attempts to track down a serial killer dubbed the "Subway Butcher", and discovers more than he bargained for under the city streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luca Barbareschi</span> Italian-Uruguayan actor, filmmaker, and politician

Luca Giorgio Barbareschi is an Uruguayan-born Italian actor, filmmaker, businessman, and politician. He represented Sardinia in the Chamber of Deputies between 2008 and 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roschdy Zem</span> French Moroccan actor and film director

Roschdy Zem is a French actor and filmmaker of Moroccan descent. He shared the award for Best Actor for his role in the film Days of Glory at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>The Conviction</i> 1991 film

The Conviction is a 1991 Italian drama film directed by Marco Bellocchio. It was entered into the 41st Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Silver Bear Special Jury Prize. Bellocchio wrote the script with his psychotherapist Massimo Fagioli; the two had previously collaborated on the 1986 film Devil in the Flesh.

<i>The Big Swallow</i> 1901 British film by James Williamson

The Big Swallow is a 1901 British silent comic trick film, directed by James Williamson, featuring a man, irritated by the presence of a photographer, who solves his dilemma by swallowing him and his camera whole. The three-shot trick film is, according to Michael Brooke of BFI Screenonline, "one of the most important early British films in that it was one of the first to deliberately exploit the contrast between the eye of the camera and of the audience watching the final film".

All the Vermeers in New York is a 1990 American film written and directed by Jon Jost. It won the Caligari Film Award in the 1991 Berlin International Film Festival and the Best Experimental Film in the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards.

<i>Fun at St. Fannys</i> 1955 British film by Maurice Elvey

Fun at St. Fanny's is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Fred Emney, Cardew Robinson and Vera Day. The film revolves around the teachers and students at St Fanny's private school. It was based on Robinson's "Cardew the Cad" character which he created in 1942 and was featured in the BBC's Variety Bandbox programme.

Lucas Brentley Adams is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Dr. Tripp Dalton Johnson on the NBC and Peacock soap opera Days of Our Lives. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series for his role on Days of Our Lives in 2018 and 2019.

Maximalist film or maximalist cinema is related to the art and philosophy of maximalism.

<i>The Palace</i> (2023 film) 2023 film by Roman Polanski

The Palace is a 2023 black comedy film directed by Roman Polanski, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jerzy Skolimowski and Ewa Piaskowska. The film stars Oliver Masucci, Fanny Ardant, John Cleese, Bronwyn James, Joaquim de Almeida, Luca Barbareschi, Milan Peschel, Fortunato Cerlino, and Mickey Rourke. It chronicles the mishaps of a 1999 New Year's Eve dinner party in the Gstaad Palace, from a penguin going loose in the hotel to the exploitation of the millennium bug for a guest's financial gain.

References

  1. "Afraid of the Dark". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  2. "Afraid of the Dark (1991)". BFI Film & TV Database. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  3. "Afraid of the Dark". TV Guide. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  4. Wilmington, Michael (14 August 1992). "'Afraid of the Dark' Aims for Mind, Eye". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  5. Dunton-Downer, John (1 January 2000). "Afraid Of The Dark". Empire . Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  6. Baumgarten, Marjorie (13 November 1992). "Afraid of the Dark". Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  7. "Afraid of the Dark". Variety. 14 August 1992. Retrieved 29 June 2024.