Expert: 7devonapes - 5/15/2011

Question
Saw this movie when I was a kid, in the 70's, can't remember the name. It was one of those cheesy horror films, where it took place in a house with few friends. The one woman kept seeing things, but couldn't explain it and no one believed her.  They were little creatures coming out of this wall in the house and she only saw them.  I remember the end of the movie they finally got her and dragged her out of bed into the wall of the house.  Please help me find the name of this movie.  I thought it was karen black who played in it, but I looked at all her movies and none sounded like this one. Do you know it?

Answer
Hi Kathy,

I think the film you are looking for could be the 1973 TV movie, "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark". The film was remade last year, with a new screenplay co-authored by Guillermo del Toro (Cronos, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth). Here is imdb.com's plot summary for the 1973 film:

"A neurotic housewife named Sally and her business exec husband move into Sally's family house, a spooky two story Victorian mansion. When Sally starts the redecorating along with her pompous decorator she comes across a locked room in the house. After arguing with the handyman who insists she should leave the room locked, she finally gets the key. But once she opens her father's old study and has the bricks from the fireplace removed, strange things begin to happen. Sally begins to see small creatures everywhere, but no one will believe her. Her husband dismisses her as neurotic and her friend thinks Sally may be loosing her mind. But things take a deadly serious turn when the decorator trips at the top of the stairs and falls to his death. Sally sees a rope lying across the place where he tripped, but when she picks it up to take it, a horrifying little creature pulls it from her grasp. Is she crazy? Or has Sally released demons in the house, demons her father summoned?"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069992/


USA Video Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TpWSNT5QhE


You can watch the entire film on Youtube, here (Part 1):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxZP3Dnv7rE&feature=related


DVD copies are readily available from Amazon.com, ebay, etc.


- As for Karen Black, she was also in a similar 'cult' made-for-TV horror movie called "Trilogy of Terror" (1975). In one segment (of a three part anthology), she does battle with a "Zuni fetish warrior" doll in her apartment. This particular segment has been spoofed by many a film / TV show since, including The Simpsons, Child's Play, etc. If interested, here's is the film's imdb.com page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073820/ + Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1pnFLT_k5A (Part 1).


Cheers!
Ryan