Now…I have never seen the original Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark, which was a made-for-TV movie back in 1973, but I sure hope it was better than this remake. And it hurts me to say that because Guillermo Del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy) wrote and produced this version and I really enjoy his work. He produced The Orphanage back in 2007 and that film had some real creepiness and delivered quite a few scares, but this Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark falls flat on its face.
This horror movie takes place in a huge Gothic mansion once owned by a painter who lost his son and a few days later disappeared himself. So we already know from the start that we are in for a haunted house with a disturbing past that will continue to haunt the people who choose to live in it. Okay, I am still interested. Sally (Bailee Madison) hasn’t lived a normal little girl’s life. She is certainly way too mature for her young age, and she has been forced to live with her father, Alex Hurst (Guy Pearce), because her mom does not want to be in her life for reasons we never really find out. Her father is an architect who has invested all of his money in to restoring and decorating the mansion. And with the help of his interior designer/girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes), he is hoping to get his career back and to make a nice profit at the same time.
Sally feels isolated, so it is only normal that she will go snooping around the spooky mansion. She winds up hearing whispers coming from the basement. These voices seem to understand what she is feeling and offer friendship if she will set them free. But once she does them this favor, she realizes she has made a terrible mistake and that freedom was never their goal.
These small sharp-clawed, beady-eyed creatures can kill in packs, and they are hungry and want to take Sally back with them to where they came from. The only way to keep these monsters away is by using bright lights. But if you are in the darkness then you are as good as dead. And Sally knows this, but the problem is convincing her father and his new girlfriend before it’s too late and she disappears forever.
Director Troy Nixey does a nice job making the mansion and it’s environment feel full of fear. And the premise seems scary as hell, but once Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark starts, the mystery and suspense go right out the window. You may jump once or twice, but it’s light on scares and thrills. The fierce little creatures show up quite a bit and even their reveal won’t surprise many. The only thing this movie has going for itself is the look and style. The performances are pretty good as well. But Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark will leave you disappointed in the end. The previews for it were much better and a lot scarier.
“Nature Boy” Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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