Afraid of the Dark

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.

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.

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."

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." Empire wrote, "Deftly avoiding self conscious experimentation and artsy intellectuality, writer/director Peploe constructs a mesmerising world of harsh contrasts and alarming juxtapositions."

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." Variety commented the film is "a tricky mix of slasher movie and psychodrama that's strong on tease but weak on final delivery".