In the Dark of the Night
In the Dark of the Night is a villain song from the 1997 animated film Anastasia. It was written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty for the movie, produced by Jim Steinman, and appears on the soundtrack Anastasia: Music from the Motion Picture (Atlantic, 1997). The track runs about 2 minutes and 27 seconds and is sung by Rasputin, with Christopher Lloyd providing the spoken parts and Jim Cummings singing.
In the story, Rasputin is trapped in Limbo after his curse against the Romanovs fails to kill the only survivor, Grand Duchess Anastasia. Bartok the albino bat returns Rasputin’s enchanted reliquary, and Rasputin reveals his plan for revenge: to finish the curse on Anastasia. The song’s chorus features insects and arachnids, and Rasputin boasts that his revenge will be sweet when the curse is complete. He summons his demonic minions from the reliquary and sends them to destroy the train carrying Anastasia.
critics note the song’s grand, bold style. Some say the deep male vocals and the mix of rock with traditional Russian choral elements are creative, even if it isn’t universally popular. The song has been described as grand and entertaining, with a blend of dark mood and light humor. The ending melody is later reused in the stage adaptation’s song Stay, I Pray You.
Key credits: songwriters Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty; producers Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, and Jim Steinman; performance by Jim Cummings (with Christopher Lloyd’s spoken parts).
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:59 (CET).