This 96%-Fresh Forgotten Gem Is the Only Horror Film in Audrey Hepburn's Career

Audrey Hepburn is synonymous with elegance and romantic cinema. However, one of her projects stands out from the crowd and is often forgotten. The 1967 thriller Wait Until Dark is the only movie in her career that can confidently be classified as a horror.

This brilliantly crafted film is now considered an underrated classic, combining the tension of Hitchcockian thrillers with psychological depth.

What Is 'Wait Until Dark' About?

The plot revolves around Susy, a young woman who has recently become blind. A rag doll containing a large amount of heroin is accidentally delivered to her apartment. A gang led by the psychopathic Mr. Roat is hunting for the doll's contents.

Taking advantage of her blindness, the criminals enter her home in various disguises to ransack it. Realizing the danger, Susy decides that her only chance of survival is to wait until nightfall, when her blindness will be an advantage in the darkness.

'Wait Until Dark' Had a Brilliant Ad Campaign That Made It a Box Office Hit

Understanding Wait Until Dark's specific nature, the producers launched a brilliant marketing campaign.

They promised audiences that the final eight minutes would shock them. To maximize immersion, theater lighting was dimmed to the minimum permitted level.

To preserve the atmosphere, audience members were even temporarily prohibited from lighting cigarettes or leaving their seats. This strategy worked perfectly – the film sold out theaters and became a box office hit.

'Wait Until Dark' Is an Adaptation of a Hit Broadway Play That Earned Audrey Hepburn an Oscar Nomination

Wait Until Dark was an adaptation of the successful Broadway play of the same name, which ran for nearly a year and earned actress Lee Remick a Tony nomination.

Playing Susy presented Hepburn with a challenge and an opportunity to demonstrate her dramatic range. Though many critics and the actress herself felt her role in Two for the Road that same year was deeper, her Best Actress Oscar nomination was recognition of her acting range.

'Wait Until Dark' Is a Masterfully Made Horror Movie Set In a Confined Space

Almost the entire action of Wait Until Dark takes place within the confines of Susy's basement apartment. This setting gradually transforms from a cozy refuge into a trap and battlefield.

Director Terence Young, known for his work on the early Bond movies, and Oscar-winning cinematographer Charles Lang masterfully utilize this confined setting to heighten the claustrophobia and sense of isolation.

Special recognition goes to Alan Arkin, who landed the role after many other actors turned it down. Arkin plays three different characters as Mr. Roat, making his menace even more unpredictable and terrifying.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Wait Until Dark'?

• Wait Until Dark has 96% from critics and 91% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 7.7/10.

• On Letterboxd, Wait Until Dark scored 3.9/5.0.

Where to Watch 'Wait Until Dark'?

Wait Until Dark is available to stream on Netflix and Shudder.