Fear of the Dark (2003)

Twelve year old Ryan Billings has been diagnosed with an acute fear of the dark. He spends each night lying awake in torment, waiting and watching as the evil in the darkness grows stronger... See full summary »

Director:

K.C. Bascombe

Writer:

John Sullivan

Stars:

Kevin Zegers, Jesse James, Rachel Skarsten

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Kevin Zegers	...	Dale Billings
Jesse James	...	Ryan Billings
Rachel Skarsten	...	Heather Fontaine
Charles Edwin Powell	...	Eric Billings (as Charles Powell)
Linda Purl	...	Sandy Bilings
Daniel Rindress-Kay	...	Taylor
Derrick Damon Reeve	...	Figure Pulling Young Ryan / Cloaked Tall Figure #1
Charles-Etienne Burelle	...	Young Ryan

Storyline

Twelve year old Ryan Billings has been diagnosed with an acute fear of the dark. He spends each night lying awake in torment, waiting and watching as the evil in the darkness grows stronger, feeding off his fear. His older brother Dale, suspects that there is nothing wrong with Ryan and that this is just a ploy for more attention. Regardless, he promises to watch over his little brother as their parents head off to a party for the night. Outside a storm rages and when the power goes out, darkness envelops the house. Ryan knows that tonight the evil has finally come to claim him. Dale desperately tries everything to try and calm him down, until the horrors in the dark make him realize Ryan had good reason to be so afraid!

---

Plot Keywords:

fear | fear of the dark | darkness | dog | blow torch | 

---

Taglines:

Once you believe... you're dead!

---

Genres:

Horror

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some terror

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Apolyto skotadi

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Constellation Entertainment, Faulkner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[repeated line]
Dale Billings: There's nothing there in the dark that's not there in the light.

---

Connections

References Amityville: The Evil Escapes (1989)

---

Soundtracks

"Ski Bum"
Performed by The Megatones
Written by Shampoo
Courtesy of Disques Merite

User Reviews

Major Childhood Drama Brought to Life!

The gist is, there's this kid who is afraid of the dark. He sees things in the dark that others do not. What culminates from his fear is one of those 'dark and stormy night' scenarios with some very intense moments loaded with suspense.

It's an excellent play on everyone's favorite childhood drama (including the Closet Monster) and the devisive measures kids take to ensure late-night safety (stay completely tucked in). I dare say the evils that await him in the pitch of night are genuinely creative and pretty darn threatening. There are some jumpy moments that renewed my faith in screenwriters and directors of the modern horror genre. I strongly urge all horror geeks to check into this one, even if you don't think it's your cup of tea. It will literally take you back to that time in place in your life when a pile of clothes in the corner of your bedroom was as threatening as the schoolyard bully--only worse!

Sure, this is not a perfect movie but it beats the heck out of the boring horror drivel that's being released these days in theaters. Why this 2002 film was so overlooked is a mystery to me. It was 1,000 times better than 'Darkness Falls' or 'They' and doesn't even compare to crappy films like 'Cabin Fever' or 'House of the Dead'. I checked this one out at a local Blockbuster and if you like things that go bump in the night, you should too!