DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK Review: Chilling, But Lacking Emotional Depth

By Adam Rayner / October 7, 2011

rating: 3

Guillermo del Toro called the original 1973 made for TV movie of the same name the most terrifying film he had ever seen when he first saw it as a child. It has been his ambition to remake Don't Be Afraid of the Dark for many years and finally he has seen his dream come to fruition. Del Toro takes the backseat as screenwriter/ producer allowing first time director Troy Nixey to get his big break; but there is plenty of del Toro€™s style and authorial voice all over this creepy, if not quite terrifying film that is reminiscent of 80€™s flicks Gremlins, Critters and Ghoulies. 9-year old Sally is sent to live with her estranged father (Guy Pearce) and his new girlfriend (Katie Holmes) in their eerie gothic mansion which they got for a bargain after the previous owner, a painter, whose work still dons the walls, mysteriously disappeared. Pearce sees this as an ideal opportunity to rebuild his relationship with his daughter as he and Holmes renovate the house. But it€™s not long before Sally realizes why the place was such a steal. What starts out as whispers from the darkness, turns into sporadic attacks from terrifying little demons with razor sharp teeth who wield sharp sticks and want to take Sally to the basement and down the furnace and steal her teeth. But of course, every time Pearce and Holmes come to Sally€™s screams the monsters are nowhere to be seen. After initial thoughts that her imagination is getting away from her or she is craving attention, they begin to fear she is delusional and mentally unstable. However, Sally is determined to prove that the creatures that live in the basement and lurk under the floorboards are real before she is committed to a home or they steal her away to their underground Hell. Don€™t be Afraid of the Dark is a simplistic movie that follows a tried and tested narrative formula; family moves in to haunted house, things go bump in the night, child is tormented by creatures, parents fail to believe her, child perseveres, takes it upon herself to prove their existence and eventually the parents are brought face to face with the danger. While not surprising or particularly inventive there is much to be said for a film diligently following the rules of a convention and satisfyingly telling a tale with appropriate nods to the genre. And this is exactly what it does. Bailee Madison is terrific as the young girl, terrified by the demonic creatures, which have some genuinely terrifying moments and are sufficiently creepy and menacing. Unfortunately they are too present and revealed too soon in the movie; consequently they lose their fear factor. Pearce and Holmes are under used and never really get into the film. This is a shame because both are considerable talents and if more had been done to get us on their side or develop their characters the piece could have had some much added depth. So while lacking on emotional depth and character, this is a solid horror and definitely one that will be giving the under 12€™s nightmares for years to come if they happen to catch it on TV or pinch the DVD from a parent or sibling. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is released in the U.K. today. We also previously reviewed the film at London's FrightFest which you can read HERE.