Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark Movie Review
By: Rama
Did Ramascreen scream his ass off when he went to see Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark? Come read his review and find out for yourself. Please make sure to follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Don’t be afraid of this not-so-scary film. I’m really disappointed by this because I expect more from anything that Guillermo Del Toro comes up with. I haven’t seen the teleplay that became the basis for this big screen remake but this film doesn’t work for me for so many reasons. Bailee Madison’s character as the girl terrorized by the creatures lurking in the dark, is annoying but Madison’s performance shouldn’t be ignored. With the right gigs, Bailee could be the next big thing in the line of young talented actresses like Fanning sisters, and Breslin…
Based on the 1973 telefilm that del Toro believes is the scariest TV production ever made, the story follows Sally (Bailee Madison), a young girl who moves to Rhode Island to live with her father (Guy Pearce) and his new girlfriend (Katie Holmes) in the 19th-century mansion they are restoring. While exploring the house, Sally starts to hear voices coming from creatures in the basement whose hidden agenda is to claim her as one of their own. Akin to del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark focuses on a young girl’s struggle against menacing and terrifying forces.
The film spends too much time on Bailee’s character Sally vs. the adults: her dad (Pearce) and his girlfriend (Holmes) and by that I mean I understand that the adults are supposed to be the ones not believing Sally and her crazy claims about little monsters cutting up clothes and intending harm but after a while it gets on your nerves because you wonder if this dilemma is all that this film has to offer.
That whole ‘I’m too busy for my daughter’ act by Pearce is mediocre at best.
And I don’t wanna spoil much but the film’s ending just kills the entire mood, it’s the cheesiest, lamest ending you’ll ever see in any film.
I’m a big fan of creatures and monsters which is why I’m a big fan of anything that Del Toro is involved with, but I’m not sold on the look that this film has for the devious little monsters, they look like little vermin and for some reason their way of ganging up is a bit like Gremlins meets Small Soldiers. And this is actually a big reason why I don’t find DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK particularly scary because you see too much of the monsters, the film doesn’t leave anything to your imagination. You get used to them so the fright, the creep, and the surprises are no longer effective.
The story’s mythology or the mystery is very clear. Also another one of the film’s weaknesses, the mystery is just way too simple. Unlike The Orphanage which had layers, DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK only settles for chaos as its weapon. It’s supposed to be a twists on the haunted house genre but it’s very tame and it poses no significant threat, which is said because I think this movie has so much potential and Bailee’s performance is outstanding for her age and as much as I appreciate Del Toro’s trusting and vouching for other filmmakers to get their moment in the sun, perhaps DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK would’ve probably worked better if Del Toro had handled it himself.
GRADE: 1 out of 5
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