Iconic Thriller That Terrified James Cameron Is Now Free to Stream: “The entire audience lost their s***”
James Cameron knows how to craft a top-notch scare. That much is apparent from his masterful work on Aliens. But just because Cameron knows how to manufacture tension doesn’t mean he’s immune to it as a viewer.
In an essay for Empire Magazine, the filmmaker opened up about a scene that chilled him to the bone when he first experienced it. More specifically, Cameron reflected on an epic jump scare from the underrated Audrey Hepburn thriller Wait Until Dark.
“The most visceral audience reaction moment I remember from my early film-going years is the jump-scare in Wait Until Dark,” Cameron begins. “People can talk about Alien or Psycho or whatever all day long, but the scene that I vividly remember truly rocking the house was when Alan Arkin, the killer — presumed by the audience to be dead — leaps out of the dark and grabs poor blind Audrey Hepburn’s ankle. Of course, there’s a now-classic music sting — a single massive strum of piano strings that felt like an electric shock up the spine.”
Also Read: This Thrilling James Cameron Sci-Fi Adventure Is Now Streaming on Hulu
“The entire audience lost their s**t — slammed back in their seats and SCREAMED like little girls — myself included,” Cameron continued. “It was physical, involuntary, universal and perfectly synchronised.”
If you’re curious to check out the film, you can find Wait Until Dark streaming on Tubi as of the publication of this post.
For anyone unfamiliar with Wait Until Dark, the setup goes like this: After a flight back home, Sam Hendrix (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) returns with a doll he innocently acquired along the way. As it turns out, the doll is actually stuffed with heroin, and a group of criminals led by the ruthless Roat (Arkin) follows Hendrix back to his place to retrieve it. When Hendrix leaves for business, the crooks make their move — and find his blind wife, Susy (Hepburn), alone in the apartment. Soon, a life-threatening game begins between Susy and the thugs.
That’s all we’ve got for you at present. Stay tuned to Dread Central for more recommendations from the cinematic masters as we unearth them. Also, be sure to follow us on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter so you never miss an update.
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