We conclude this Hitchcockian August with the 1967 film, Wait Until Dark.
Audrey Hepburn was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Susy, a woman blinded in an accident who finds herself the accidental target of dangerous drug traffickers, one of whom is a particularly deadly menace. When her husband Sam (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) unwittingly brings a secret cache of drugs home from a work trip, it is his wife who ends up in the clutches of the bad guys, played by Richard Crenna, Jack Weston, and the very chilling Alan Arkin as Harry Roat Jr.
Montreal! New York City! A doll full of drugs! An annoying kid who lives upstairs! Wait Until Dark has it all. And it’s easy to see how this one falls into the realm of Hitchcockian with its use of space, growing sense of danger, and sadistic bad guy literally lurking in the corner.
Terrence Young directed the film based on Frederick Knott’s 1966 play. The original stage production starred Oscar nominee Lee Remick as Susy, a role that would earn her a Tony nomination. Robert Duvall played the part of Roat, the ruthless killer who seems to care less about getting the drugs back than he does about wielding a knife and terrifying poor Susy Hendrix.
Upon its release on October 26, 1967, the film was a hit in both North America and Europe. In 2025 dollars, it made over $100 million during its run. Hepburn’s nomination was the sole representation at the Academy Awards and she lost to Katharine Hepburn for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Hepburn was also nominated for a Golden Globe alongside her onscreen husband, Zimbalist.
