Marina Antunes [General News 01.03.12]



Year: 2010
Director: Troy Nixey
Writers: Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins
IMDB: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Marina Antunes
Rating: 6 out of 10

I've never thought of Canadian TV as a hotbed for feature film adaptations and in reality, one movie adaptation doesn't exactly translate into bringing down the gates but it is an interesting start none-the-less, particularly when one considers the adaptation doesn't even come from a Canadian.

In the making-of documentary available on the Blu-ray release of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Guillermo del Toro talks about seeing the original made for TV movie as a kid and how it scared him and his friends. It seems he's been developing this story in his mind for a number of years and as such, you'd expect this to be a masterwork of suspense unfortunately, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark isn't successful in its quest to muster up scares for adults though I don't doubt it will prove tremendously scary for the tween crowd while in the process setting other young minds ablaze with scary stories that they will feel the need to retell in their adulthood.

Bailee Madison stars as Sally, a bright little girl whose mother has shipped her off to live with her architect father Alex (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes). The pair are working on restoring a great old mansion to its former glory and excitement is raised when Sally uncovers a secret basement. But there's a reason the basement is a secret and why it has been locked and forgotten by everyone except time: it houses the entry point into the underground world of fairy folk who, when let loose, don't rest until they have replenished their ranks with, preferably, young children.

So the fairy folk are trying to convince Sally to join them but the fun and games soon turn violent and they scare away to young girl who is now so hysterical everyone thinks she's a bit crazy. Enter Kim who is trying very hard to make friends with the young girl, and after a bit of research, Kim discovers that maybe Sally isn't so crazy after all but it may be too late to rescue the young girl from the mysterious creatures wreaking havoc on the house.



Though I didn't find Don't Be Afraid of the Dark effective on the scares, the film does set great mood and atmosphere with a combination of set and sound design. The house is both creepy and inviting, a combination that helps bring the audience into the story but there's something about this tale that just doesn't work when it comes down to the scares. It may be that we see the creatures too soon and once they lose their air of mystery, they're just not scary anymore, but there's also something a bit off about the pacing which seems to drag the story on unnecessarily long. And then there's the little quip with the acting which leaves quite a bit to be desired. Madison does a fair job as the scared little girl but I wasn't invested enough in the story or the characters to care what happened to her.

I really loved the design and atmosphere of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark but I found the film lacked tension and partnered with some pretty pedestrian scares, this makes for forgettable viewing. Though much of its design harkens back to The Orphanage, Troy Nixey's film isn't even in the same ballpark never mind equal playing ground. A valiant but ultimately dull attempt at scaring the masses which may play well to the tween crowd (granted they can take a bit of violence as there is one scene which gets particularly brutal).

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