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
“Just
because you keep denying it, does not mean it's not happening!”
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