Review: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
This summer has been crowded with remakes and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is no exception. Unfortunately, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is not really that exceptional either. I am not saying it's a bad film, but I am also not saying it's a great film either. The movie has interesting moments with an abundance of horror movie cliches thrown in.
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a remake of a 1973 made-for-television movie of the same name, directed by Troy Nixey with a script from Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins. The story revolves around our protagonist Sally (10-year-old Bailee Madison), who is shipped off to live in a centuries-old estate with her father Alex (Guy Pearce) and stepmother Kim (Katie Holmes).
It doesn't take long for Sally to find out why you should be afraid of the dark. The estate is not inhabited by just Sally and her parents -- the estate's basement (more about that in minute) is also inhabited by creatures I would describe as gremlins. And these are not the cutesy mischievous gremlins we met in the 1984 Joe Dante film, these are nasty little creatures and you will be freaked out when they appear onscreen. You will be further freaked out when you see what ends these little creatures will go to in order to achieve their goal, harassing Sally.
I really like the premise of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. I especially liked what we were shown in Hall H at this years Comic Con in San Diego. The scenes we saw were scary and disturbing and that is what I look for in great horror movies. Unfortunately this movie doesn't really deliver a suspense filled horror ride. This movie delivers a film full of predictable and sometimes outlandish situations.
Early in the first act Sally "happens" upon a buried basement on her first tour of the estate. Dad proceeds to open up a wall so the locked-away basement can be inspected. Not too long later, the groundskeeper of the estate give us "the look" and we know he knows something about the basement but he's not telling. The cliches continue: In the third act, there's the time-honored horror movie trick of "the power goes out." It's these lead-the-viewer-by-the-nose predictable scenarios that drive me nuts. I expect more from a script written by horror master Guillermo Del Toro.
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark definitely has some redeeming qualities I like. I love the creatures, which are truly creepy and scary. The quality of the special effects is top notch and the set design and decoration fit the piece well. I also like the performances. Bailee Madison played a disaffected little girl who is basically ignored by all the adults in her life. I felt that the relationships between her and her parents were realistic and I felt bad for her situation.
The real question is: Is this movie worth a look? I can say your mileage may vary. There are some truly creepy and scary parts of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark and they are worth seeing. If you can look past overused horror movie cliches, you will enjoy this film.