Don't Be Afraid of the Dark - Movie Review

US Release August 26

This is a re-make of a 1973 made-for television movie written by Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins, directed by Troy Nixey. Seeing as the original was before I was even born, I cannot say I am familiar with the original movie and cannot compare the two. With that said, here is my review of the movie:

The story starts out with a panned view of a creepy historic looking house with a horse drawn carriage passing by in the dark of night, of course paired with rainy weather. We soon see that this scene is set in the past (1800’s).

A child of divorced parents, Sally (Bailee Madison) is sent from California to live with her dad in Rhode Island where he is restoring a historic house. She feels abandoned and thus acts disconnected with her father, Alex (Guy Pierce), and his new girlfriend, Kim (Katie Holmes). Upon exploration of the vast Blackwood Estate grounds, Sally comes across a window that she believes is a part of the basement, which according to the floor plans her father reviews, doesn’t exist. She is drawn to this room that houses a fireplace of sorts where she can hear voices calling out to her. The voices get the best of her curiosity so she smuggles tools to the basement and removes the screwed plates covering the fireplace opening. When she peers inside, she finds a small plate of teeth. Sally manages to grab onto one tooth when her father finds her semi-engulfed in the opening. From that point, Sally hears the voices more and more, inviting her to play and to be friends. This is the start of the emergence of these creatures.

I think this movie has Guillermo del Toro’s stamp all over it. It’s rated R for its violence and terror so it’s not your usual kid horror flick. Overall I think it was an ok movie with suspense throughout but I do wish they went into the lore of the creatures a bit earlier. It’s still a fun Friday night fright movie to watch if you want to get scared.