Wait Until Dark

One of The best suspense movies in my opinion! It’s unique, classic and so chilling!

Great movie - very suspenseful! I bought this for my adult son for Christmas. He collects classic films.

This still holds up as a suspenseful movie.

Wait Until Dark (1967) is based on a popular play by Frederick Knott and directed by Terrance Young who also did the 007 classic Thunderball (1965). The lovely Audrey Hepburn plays Susy Hendrix, a woman left recently blind by a car accident, who is learning to adjust and cope with her new perspective on life. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. is Sam Hendrix, Susy's photographer husband, with whom she shares a basement apartment in New York. Also starring is Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna, and character actor Jack Weston.The story involves illegal substances being smuggled into the United States within a doll, and then the doll being passed along to Susy's husband at the airport under curious but strictly coincidental circumstances. Alan Arkin plays Roat, a seedy character who was supposed to be the intended recipient of the doll/drugs, and Richard Crenna and Jack Weston are two thuggish types who get roped into helping Roat try to retrieve the doll.Hepburn plays her role wonderfully, never once giving the viewer the impression that she isn't blind. A number of subtle points are made to allude to the strengthening of her other senses, hearing, smell, etc., that one finds common with the loss of sight. As the criminals construct their elaborate plans to liberate their illicit merchandise, Hepburn's character, being somewhat naive in the beginning, soon realizes the true sense of the danger she's in, and reacts perfectly within the nature of her character. Arkin plays his character(s) with the smooth cunning of a predator hunting its' prey, maliciously savoring the moments before the figurative kill. His beatnik appearance and demeanor mask his true form, which is revealed later on within the unfolding of the plot. This film is very suspenseful for those with the patience to follow it through to the end. It may not have the out and out scares the title might imply, but the gradual building of tension and suspense is delicious as the viewer is 'in the know' while the main character is left to struggle with the situations. Although an exceptionally strong supporting cast helps, Hepburn really makes this film, and was awarded with an Oscar nomination for her performance. She even went so far as to attend a school for the visually impaired and learn to read Braille to better understand her character.The print on this disc looks very nice and is in wide screen anamorphic format. Special features include a featurette on the film, an essay about transferring the play to the silver screen, and trailers for the movie. This is truly a taut thriller worthy being released on DVD, and I am appreciative of Warner Brothers for putting it out, even if I find their plastic and cardboard packaging to be cheap and annoying.Cookieman108

While there are many excellent reviews for "Wait Until Dark," now that I own the DVD, I feel compelled to reiterate for others my deep appreciation and "thrill" for this absolutely wonderful film.As a teenager I was never a fan of Audrey Hepburn--until I saw "Wait Until Dark!" Like many teenagers of the time, one of my favorite genres was "horror/thriller" movies like "Psycho" (1960), "The Birds" (1963), "Comedy of Terror" (1964), and "Rosemary's Baby" (1968). While "Jaws" (1975), "Alien" (1979), "The Shining" (1980), and "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991) would follow as audience favorites, for my money "Wait Until Dark" is the zenith of this genre. While I can remember other films, I will never forget "Wait Until Dark." It is literally the only film that I have ever "jumped" in surprise while watching it. I will never forget the "darkness" of the theater, the tension of the crowd, the sounds and screams, the audience on the edge of their seats--many ducking down or closing their eyes in fear--and the shear excitement of the experience of "waiting" and watching "Wait Until Dark."While watching "Wait Until Dark" on a television set is nothing like experiencing it at the theater, making the room as dark as possible and using headphones can make a close approximation. I have sworn for 41 years that I would never watch "Wait Until Dark" again because I thought I could only truly experience it one time; but when the DVD went on sale I could not resist the temptation--and I am glad I did. I was totally wrong. It still thrills me, even though I know what is going to happen. The only complaints I have are that the DVD "extras" are lacking, and the old cardboard storage box is a disgrace."Wait Until Dark," for those who don't know, was originally a Broadway production, directed by Arthur Penn, which opened on February 2, 1966. Warner Brothers-Seven Arts purchased the rights shortly after, and quickly brought the production to the "big screen." The script was adapted by Robert Howard-Carrington and Terence Young directed the film. Warner Brothers assembled an incredible cast that included outstanding performances by Audrey Hepburn, Richard Crenna, Alan Arkin, and Jack Weston. Most theaters went along with the productions intriguing concept: "In an effort to duplicate the suspense on screen, movie theaters dimmed their lights to their legal limits, then turned off one by one until each light on-screen was shattered, resulting in the theater being plunged into complete darkness." And it worked like a charm!Of interest to me, from the "extras" was learning that a Broadway revival directed by Leonard Foglia, which opened on April 5, 1998 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, amassed a nearly equally amazing cast that included Marisa Tomei, Quentin Tarantino, and Stephen Lang in the lead roles. I have never really been one for stage productions, but this certainly would have been once I would have liked to have seen.If this review was not helpful to you, I would appreciate learning the reason(s) so I can improve my reviews. My goal is to provide help to potential buyers, not get into any arguments. So, if you only disagree with my opinion, could you please say so in the comments and not indicate that the review was not helpful. Thanks.

This is absolutely one of the best, all-time scariest movies of all time. No monsters, Audrey Hepburn, as a blind lady, stalked by Richard Crenna. Even when you think it’s over, it’s not! I’ve watched this movie maybe ten times. I still get goosebumps!