Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Review

Rated R (Violence and Terror)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 39 Minutes

Cast:

Bailee Madison-Sally Hirst

Katie Holmes-Kim

Guy Pearce-Alex Hirst

Alan Dale-Charles Jacoby

Jack Thompson-Harris

Julia Blake-Mrs. Underhill

Garry McDonald-Emerson Blackwood

Directed by Troy Nixey

Don't look behind you...

Guillermo del Toro hasn’t directed a film since 2008’s “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” but has kept himself busy with a multitude of projects in various stages of development in the past three years. Initially, del Toro was to direct a two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s prequel novel to “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy “The Hobbit” with Peter Jackson taking a backseat to serve as producer and co-writer. Unfortunately, he was forced to step down as director due to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s financial troubles at the time as the film wasn’t even officially green-lit despite the fact that pre-production work had already been completed. Fans were disappointed and angry at MGM but “The Hobbit” was saved when Peter Jackson himself decided to take the reins and the project was finally green-lit in October, 2010. Filming is currently on-going with the first part, titled “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” to be released on December 14, 2012. Del Toro’s latest film, which he served as producer and co-writer, is “Don't Be Afraid of the Dark,” a remake of the original 1973 television film of the same name, which has become something of a cult classic. The film was actually finished back in 2010 but languished on the shelf due to the closure of Miramax. FilmDistrict picked up the film and it has finally arrived in theaters, dumped during the final weeks of summer. “Don't Be Afraid of the Dark” features some gorgeous cinematography from Oliver Stapleton and its gothic vibes exude atmosphere and suspense but ultimately, the film is undone by its plodding pace, rigid adherence to formula, and lack of scares. 

During a prologue set in October, 1910, an artist named Emerson Blackwood (Garry McDonald) lures his maid to his manor’s dungeon-like basement and proceeds to bloodily hack off her teeth to serve as an offering to a number of strange, unseen creatures who have kidnapped his son. The creatures do not accept, pulling Blackwood into the fireplace and down into their lair. In the present day, eight-year-old Sally Hirst (Bailee Madison) is sent off by her mother to live with her father, Alex (Guy Pearce), and his girlfriend, Kim (Katie Holmes). The couple is currently renovating Blackwood Manor in hopes of making the front cover of Architectural Digest. Kim tries to befriend Sally but she remains emotionally distant having been basically abandoned by her mother. As she explores her new home, Sally comes upon a large window covered up by thick bushes in the manor’s garden and spies a basement below. The manor’s caretaker, Harris (Jack Thompson), warns Sally away but Alex and Kim, who are curious, decide to explore the room and discovers a hollow wall in the main hall/stairwell. Breaking through the wall reveals an ornate door that leads to the basement seen in the prologue. Sally notices a bolted up fireplace and hears voices whispering her name. At night, she hears the voices again, who ask her to set them free so they can be her friend. The next day, Sally sneaks back into the basement and breaks open the fireplace using a wrench. Now free, the creatures begin to run amok throughout the house and terrorize Sally, who quickly realizes that they have no interest in befriending her. Alex firmly believes that it is all a figment of his daughter’s imagination but Kim is skeptical and begins digging to learn more about the manor’s previous owner. 

Although Guillermo del Toro co-wrote the script, “Don't Be Afraid of the Dark” fails to differentiate itself from previous haunted house films and this strict adherence to formula proves to be its undoing. From its young female protagonist that recalls 2006’s “Pan's Labyrinth” to the weird, fairy tale-aspects, del Toro’s influence is clearly felt. However, the film proceeds along a predictable path, with Sally being the only one able to see and hear the creatures but all the adults refuse to believe her until the very end, when it’s too late. You would think after seeing the manor’s grizzled caretaker emerging from the basement bloodied from numerous stab wounds that something is amiss but Sally’s father continues to vehemently believe that it’s all in her head, brushing off the incident as a freak accident. Frankly, I find this bordering on child neglect. Kim is more sympathetic and while there’s an attempt to build a close relationship between her and Sally, little screen-time is devoted to it and all it does is exacerbate the film’s lethargic pacing. First-time director Troy Nixey, who is also a comic book illustrator, eschews the blood and gore that passes for ‘horror’ these days, utilizing its dark, macabre visuals and foreboding atmosphere to ramp up the suspense, which I appreciated but it all starts to drag by the second hour, despite its brief ninety-nine minute running time. The script is also full of plot holes and inconsistencies. The creatures themselves are said to go after children but have no qualms about taking adults too, so which is it? Sally even manages to kill two of the creatures, which would serve as proof of their existence but no mention is ever made of it again. While the film takes place in the present day, Kim is still carrying around a Polaroid Instant Camera, which is puzzling given its rarity nowadays. What “Don't Be Afraid of the Dark” does well is its gothic visuals and thanks to Oliver Stapleton’s gorgeous cinematography and Nixey’s skilled eye, the film exudes dread in every scene, drawing you in despite the script’s numerous deficiencies. The scares largely consist of ‘Boo!’ moments, one of which has already been spoiled by the initial previews but they are spread too far apart and lose its visceral impact once the CG creatures are fully revealed, like the filmmakers needed to show them off. Ultimately, so much attention was focused on making the film look good that the script seems like an afterthought, marring what could’ve been good into something merely passable. 

The cast’s standout is Bailee Madison, who bears a strong resemblance to a child Katie Holmes so I was surprised that they weren’t playing mother and daughter. Madison easily out-classes her adult co-stars, capturing her character’s feelings of abandonment and innocent curiosity exceptionally well. A lot of people rag on Katie Holmes, whose marriage to Tom Cruise has overwhelmed her career but she does a solid job, her scenes with Bailee providing the film’s heart and soul. However, not enough screen-time is devoted to it, making it feel like a mere plot point that’s sadly brushed aside too often. Guy Pearce is wasted as Sally's father, his character serving as one of those timeless horror clichés who scoffs and refuses to believe that all the strange happenings in his home are real. It lends a sense of frustration to the point where you want to shove the guy through the fireplace and scream, ‘Do you believe me now?!’ 

Released on August 26, 2011, “Don't Be Afraid of the Dark” has received mildly positive reviews with 59% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics found the film ‘pleasantly atmospheric and initially quite scary, [but it] ultimately fails to deliver the skin-crawling chills of the original.’ I was supposed to see this film last week but due to the arrival of Hurricane Irene, I was forced to postpone this review. Despite its modest $25 million production budget, it looks like the film will have trouble recouping even that amount as its current worldwide gross is a measly $13.5 million. The audience I saw the film with was also one of the noisiest, which infuriated me to no end. Parents seem to treat the theater as a daycare, bringing all their kids and even a baby who won’t shut up. A group of women sitting behind me couldn’t stop commenting on every scene with their incessant whispering and in all honesty, I feel movies should be watched by those who can actually appreciate it and not treat the theater as some location to ‘hang-out’…but I digress. “Don't Be Afraid of the Dark” functions as a visually polished yet passable horror film that promises more than it delivers, which is disappointing given the pedigree of Guillermo del Toro. I fear as if he may have spread himself too thin with his projects and he’s unable to devote the time needed on each one, although del Toro admits that he was on set ‘almost 90 percent of the time…every day’ so one wonders why he didn’t just direct it himself rather than handing it off to a rookie. While the film remains entertaining despite its problems, it never rises to the occasion nor does it push the boundaries of its subgenre.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5

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