I cannot negotiate in an atmosphere of mistrust.

Wait Until Dark begins with a backbone to the story of which we are about to forge upon. As the film opens we see an old man splicing a doll with a knife; in many ways resembling how you would butcher and than carve out the organs of an animal, the organs being cotton in this case. Lacing the inside with heroin, the old man sows the doll back up and hands it to a gorgeous but antsy young lady by the name of Lisa (Samantha Jones). With the doll under her arm, Lisa quickly exits the building and takes a taxi to the nearest airport. Once there a strange man confronts her, but not before she was able to hand the doll off to Sam Hendrix (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) to watch over.

As the story progresses we come upon a young and very beautiful Susy Hendrix (Audrey Hepburn). Susy tragically lost her ability to see during an accident that graced her life in a prior time. Coping with the darkness of the world around her, Susy is lucky enough to have a loving husband guiding her a long the way, and even a rambunctious neighbor to assist with the grocery list. As time would turn out, the strange character Lisa ran into at the airport was actually a thief by the name of Roat (Alan Arkin) looking to get his chubby paws on the doll and the drugs. As it becomes clear who posses the doll, Roat turns up at the Hendrix’s home with two other crooks Carlino (Jack Weston) and Mike Talman (Richard Crenna), only to begin plotting a terrible scheme to retrieve the belongings.

Once night falls the crooks enter the house disguised as several cunning characters and begin to take advantage of poor Susy. Fearing for her life and the sake of her husbands she hides the doll and refuses to tell anyone where it is. As the crooks become more voracious and forceful, Susie’s only contention for survival is to fend for herself. Locked inside her own home, surrounded by the pitch black darkness, and inhaling the fumes from the gasoline splashed across the floor, she makes one last attempt to plea for her life, will she survive? Wait until dark to find out!



The first time I saw this movie was when I was in my mid twenties. I had a friend who loved the old classic films from the 50's and 60's. He told me that there were some movies that just screamed repeated viewings. He told me about how he could watch some of these films over and over and not get tired of the how fun some of those films were. He gave me a pile of videos to watch and over the course of the few weeks I would watch a film a night. I did not know where to start. He had so many great films and films I never heard of. I decided to watch Wait Until Dark. It was glad I got introduced to this film, because it is one classic that you cannot do without.

After watching the movie I was a bit shaken, but really enjoyed the way it was done. The music by Henry Mancini and the acting is pretty damn good. Based on a Fredrick Knott play which was pretty good. I asked my father about the film and he told me that he saw the movie in theaters and when he saw it, he loved it. He thought it was a very scary film. He told me that Alan Arkin's was the ultimate villein.



When the movie came out on DVD I picked it up and rewatched the film. I tell you it's just as good and scary as the first time I saw it. It's an underrated classic and I recommend this wonderful film. Check this film out and I know you will put this on your Halloween watch list for years to come. This film is great fun and you can see why Audry Hepburn was nominated for an Academy Award. Great film and don't get scared. Also, if you get it leave the lights off and watch in the dark, you will be glad you did. Enjoy!!!