You can see Guillermo del Toro’s influences in Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark because he co-wrote and co-produced it, but directing was given to first-timer, Troy Nixey. As many know, I don’t really go for scary movies, but I was willing to give this a shot, just for del Toro’s involvement. After all, he’s responsible for Hellboy and the fantastic Pan’s Labyrinth among others. I was also intrigued by the casting of Guy Pearce and even Katie Holmes (what has she done lately?).
The film begins with a scene from the 1800s in a mansion in New England. It’s gruesome and I was quite worried that this would be more than I bargained for. The story deflates by telling a tale of a little girl, Sally (Bailee Madison), who has been passed off by her mother to live with her father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes). Feeling outcast, she tries to befriend little creatures living in the cellar but they turn out to be evil and manipulative.
Ok, the voices are super scary. But what little kid would hear those creepy voices and think, “Gee, I want to hang out with that.” Seriously. I just don’t get the kid’s thought process. If they are terrified of light, then dammit, sleep with the lights ON. Common sense stuff. But what horror movie would be complete without the characters completely being devoid of common sense?
The creatures were very well thought out, but they were not scary enough. They really should have used the voices from the beginning throughout. That was the scariest part. I’m also not sure of the creatures choices of victims. SPOILER Go after the caretaker, but leave the husband? Seems…odd.
I was also disappointed in the explanation of the origin of creatures because I felt that it actually raised more questions than answered them. It would have played much better if there was no explanation. Mystery. Suspense. These are what the greats are made of. This film had periods that slowed down the pace and it was hard 
to get back the momentum.
The lighting or lack thereof, was very well done. Obviously, with a title such as, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, you need to have as much dark as possible, but the entire film was filled with at least some part of the screen in the shadows. This did help with conveying a mystery, but it never went anywhere.
I tend to let myself get caught up in movies, so I found it to be very scary while watching it. However, it wasn’t the kind of scary that sticks with you. I was actually more terrified coming out of the theater when I heard a woman comment that she used to read a scary story about monsters under the bed called “Ankle Grabbers.” Just that thought freaked me out more than the movie had. Oh, and if you want to be really creeped out, go to the official site and check out the “Enhance Your Experience.”
In wide release on August 26, 2011.
Rating: Scary for the moment, but forgettable. 4/10
Recent Comments