Afraid of the Dark (1992)

Nice effects though.

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

the problem for me with this movie was the texture. I thought, "oh OK Foucault, the panopticon" because of the way the first big section was all about spying on the part of this boy who seemed destined to see everything no matter where he looked, but then of course that's his imaginary narrative, and so it makes sense that the blind people don't act like real blind people, that the world seems completely fake, and yet. . . in order for all this to play, the blindness shouldn't be so formalized - the constant pulling apart and putting back together of the damn white canes, everyone staring ahead without sunglasses, looking for all the world like people playing at being blind who haven't really got it down. It's impossible to suspend ye old disbelief in this over stylized movie. Including casting of the mother who was such a giant compared to everyone else in the cast and OK she was from another country in reality she seems another species. Some apple carts were needed or something. I couldn't get over the unflagging "wrong look" of the whole dang thing. I don't care for symbolism served up with such an artificial touch. I stopped halfway through to read about it here and some peoples' idea of the people being "blind" in some way is nice but watching the movie... I couldn't get through it. Funny to read reviews I guess something happens to the dog? Something bad! Poor Tobey!

A young boy, Lucas(stunning, haunting performance from young Ben Keyworth)who is slowly going blind, dreams up a horrifying nightmare about a serial slasher of blind women nearby his London home(..with a graveyard located outside his window, no less). It seems to take shape when he places his thick-lensed glasses on which might mean that the impending surgery of his eyes has created such a subconscious fear it has taken shape in reality. A poor dog, Toby, becomes a victims of this. Those in reality, Tom Miller, a locksmith(David Thewlis), a window washer, and photographer Tony(Paul McGann)all seem to become foreboding possible killers in the horrifying fantasy. Lucas' step-dad Frank(James Fox), in reality a florist, is a cop on the case of the slashings of the blind women in his nightmare. Mother Miriam(Fanny Ardant)is pregnant in reality with perfect sight(..who says she would rather be the one going blind rather than her son)but blind in the nightmare which has the young lass worried for her safety..and later the child after it's born, although the film paints the possible picture he'd rather harm the infant than keep it safe. Rose(the beautiful, fine-figured Clare Holman)is Frank's daughter in reality on the verge of marriage with Tony, but in the nightmare also blind, married to someone else blind, who is possibly threatened by Tony, anything but the person in real-life.In the nightmare we follow the boy as he canvases the area around where the serial slasher might frequent, but watch his unusual, cold manner about things..he's an observer who seems almost unphased at the terror occurring around him. His voyeuristic activities has him seeing people from a different perspective because..and this is the powerful aspect in the nightmare I think..most are blind except Frank, the policeman, an ice-cream vendor who lusts after Miriam, the locksmith, window washer & photographer. So obviously he sees what the innocents do not..how certain people truly are. In the reality, we also see a cut-away Lucas who seems like Waldo amongst a group of people existing as if he's not there. I don't think he is for the most part..his on-coming blindness and the pregnancy about to take place take shape over everything else. The surgery is also the main event that truly terrifies him..the doctor who will have the knife is a scary blind hobo in Lucas' nightmare(one of his eyes has an albino white tint for extra ominous effect).I'm afraid this flick will be frustrating to many who might not attach to the lead character who can be quite creepy, and detached, for most viewers. I saw this as an interesting approach seeing him as a young boy struck with fear losing his sight, both mentally and physically. I think this film goes into some dark psychological places..treads onto that territory of fear using blindness and impending blindness as catalysts to tell the dark tale. The slasher, the glasses and what they see when Lucas puts them on and removes them, and the knitting needle which seems to be his weapon of protection..all seem to represent symbolic images of the blindness he fears of.

Young Lucas, an adventurous young boy, is seen as a fearless creature who seems to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time. When we first meet him, he accompanies his mother to a sort of care center for the blind. There are reports of a slasher that is cutting the faces of some of the blind people that attend the center. When he follows one of the women, who leaves nearby, he watches in horror as her face is slashed by the intruder. Lucas flees to the cemetery nearby, where he likes to play. It's at this point that we realize something is wrong with Lucas, who ends up spying on his half sister posing for a photographer.Then, everything changes.The mere reality is that everything one has witnessed is just not so. The fact is that Lucas is going blind if he doesn't have the operation to save his sight. His loving parents, Frank and Miriam, are ecstatic because they are expecting another baby, something that doesn't play well in the young boy's mind. Lucas, who probably feels jealousy toward the unborn baby, thinks of ways of dealing with the intrusion in his life. His obsession with knitting needles prove to be a dangerous proposition.Mark Peploe, who co-wrote the screen play, creates a film that will be disorienting for a lot of viewers, but which ultimately, satisfy the ones that stay close to the story. There are many indications the first section of the movie is just how Lucas' mind work, just the opposite of what one sees on the screen.Ben Keyworth, who plays young Lucas, is perfect for the role. He makes the most of his Lucas, by just being where he is. This boy is an enigma who is not immediately understood and has to assert himself. James Fox and Fanny Ardant play the parents. The supporting cast does fine under Mr. Peploe's direction."Afraid of the Dark" is a film that makes the viewer think because it's not what one sees what's really is going in Lucas' mind.

This movie changes its way a third of the way in.its totally pointless boring and stupid.i hated this movie so much that i will never watch it again.some bad films can be really funny. this is just a British art house picture that should never of been made.1 out of 10