Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (remake)
| release date | August 26 2011 |
| studio | FilmDistrict/Miramax |
| director | Troy Nixey |
| writer | Matthew Robbins, Guillermo del Toro |
| starring | Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, Bailee Madison, Jack Thompson |
| rating | R |
| site | dontbeafraidofthedark-movie.com |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
3 Comments
And at last, I’ve run into a bad movie this summer. It’s not that Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is a horrible movie, by any means, but it left me with such a sense of “I’ve seen this all before”. Little girl who I don’t like very much? Check. Unflinchingly retarded parent who doesn’t listen to said little girl? Check. Old painting of exactly what’s going on suddenly discovered by the heroes in the middle of the movie? Check. By the numbers movie with good visuals, not scary in the least. Sorry, Del Toro, just didn’t feel this one. If these little guys scared you as a kid…
Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark was kind of a let down but not a huge one and it had style, sophistication, darkly beautiful atmosphere, serviceable leads especially from newcomer Bailee Madison who was the soul of the film but Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark just wasn’t dark enough. The story was told very classically and the whole approach was very light and old fashioned and it works best as a grimm fairy tale psychological/drama than a straight forward horror film that will probably disappoint hardcore horror fans such as myself but I just still admire it for what it got done. The film and premise though had so much potential and possibilities of being one terrifying horror film that will make fears of the dark grander than ever but the film just kind of played it safe with the whole idea and just didn’t dig deep enough but the way it ends leaves the door wide open for potential and if you leave it in the hands of a more ballsy director for a sequel then that makes the possibilities endless. The most memorable thing about this movie was the hauntingly beautiful home and the land it’s surrounded by it kind of reminds me of the house in The Haunting remake but this film kind of wasted it but the way that it was filmed was beautiful. In the end it starts off pretty spooky and bleak and ends pretty spooky and bleak but in between those there wasn’t any true scares to be had, no terror and suspense because you pretty much knew what the family was up against and in for and they showed the face of those ugly and twisted little critters too soon and the more you saw them the more silly the situation becomes and they just could of done much more with this movie and had a great idea and premise but didn’t really run with it like a titan. Overall though the adaptation of the creepy but cheesy 1973 t.v. movie of the same name was a faithful and technically superior remake which can’t be said for most remakes out there and the whole dark fairy tale feel and storytelling of the film and the way it plays with your childhood fears makes it watchable and wickidly entertaining but don’t expect to be scared by this film as an adult. Still love the posters though! 6.5 out of 10
I must learn english.
BIG letdown!! I have been waiting for this movie for about a year, I did not see the original but I was expecting SO MUCH MORE. DISAPPOINTED.
This movie was mehh. I thought it was going to be so much more scarier, and it wasn’t even close to being scary. The creatures were ehh. Dont’ get me wrong some things were cool the last 10 mins were pretty rad. But all the scares were just noise scares so weak. Fourth kind was much scarier and so was insidious. Lucky for me I saw this for free LOL>
It was a nice little horror movie to end out the summer. I thought it was like a very dark fairy tale. I would recommend going to see this.
I’m going to whole heartedly agree with the rating BD gave. If you are a battlehardened, long time horror movie vet such as myself, you most likely be slightly bored by this movie. The younger crowd and people newer to horror movies however I think will be all over it. I REALLY don’t think this movie should have gotten an R. I think PG-13 would have been more appropriate. For me, it’s all been done before, but I think it was done well. Was it a bad movie? Absolutely not. Was it amazing? Not even close. Think of this movie as supermarket brand soda. It’s not as good as Coke or Pepsi but it’s not all that bad either. I caught it early and only paid $6.00 so I’m not complaining.
should have been PG-13. not terrible but not that great either.
This is one of the few times that I have agreed with the posted “official” review on this site. I enjoyed the flick very much, but it’s by no means a fast-paced, roller coaster ride. While not necessarily terrifying, it’s definitely creepy. I loved the character development- something that has been absent from most of the recent horror releases.
All in all, it’s a good movie.
I loved it, reminded me of the classics I used to watch as a kid. I knew that I wouldn’t be getting a “roller-coaster” thrill ride or a film with one twist after another. I felt like a kid, and that’s never a bad thing.
It wasn’t horrible but it definitely wasn’t great either. I mean it was just boring, and not scary at all. Don’t let the R Rating fool you. This movie is PG-13 in plot and scope. It felt so PG-13 that it really sucked any type of dread or fear from the movie. During all the scenes where the little girl is under attack from the monsters she never even gets a scratch. It’s like you know nothing is going to happen to her. Don’t waste your money…there isn’t even someone hot to drool over man or woman.
I thought this was a great fun horror movie…it was exactly what i thought it would be and the story, direction and creatures were great…just a fun hour and a half of a good horror movie, which is so rare these days…i really want to see del toro do at the mountains of madness…that would be epic…
Evil tooth-fairy movies are a dime a dozen. Enjoyable, high-quality evil tooth-fairy movies are not so easy to come by. Del Toro and crew have done a stellar job on this.
Things they did right: Never say “tooth fairy,” kept the supernatural elements to a minimum (the little creatures use tools rather than magic), made the creatures look like little subterranean creatures rather than anything magical, good casting, namedropped Arthur Machen without relying too heavily on him (only one brief mention), good scenery.
I though Dont’ Be Afraid Of The Dark was a very fun creep show that can be used to scare kids into the horror genre. It is definitely a movie that would be used to bring in more horror fans. It is notthing to much; just a light movie with great atmosphere. I enjoyed all of the actors and thought the movie definitely delivered.
I enjoyed it. I thought they should have taken the Sally, but Katie Holmes did just fine
Bored is not the feeling I want to have, when watching a ‘horror’ film. I spent most of the time talking back to the screen and sighing. This was a disappointing film. It has it’s moments and it is well made, but it’s ultimately a big letdown.
It was just ok… Could be way better…
This was one of the biggest let downs cinematically in the last few years for me. This film had so much potential, and certainly did not live up to it. I want to say first that Del Toro did NOT direct this movie, so I won’t hold this against him. Starts off more than decent (excellent opening scene) and then just slowly goes downhill and just gets dumber and dumber. Once the creatures start getting shown in their entirety is when I lost interest. Along with the massive amount of “why didn’t you just do that instead” the characters seemed to make mindlessly stupid choices with no explanation of why they didn’t just deal with the problems in the easiest straight forward way. I could go on and on about this.
I preferred the original. This one had a strange light tone. It lacked the dark bleakness of ‘Devil’s Backbone’ or ‘The Orphanage’. I didn’t find the creatures that scary. Good try, though.
Haven’t seen the original, so I have nothing to compare it to, but thought this movie was decent enough. For every one thing I liked, there was something I didn’t. I wish that the creatures hadn’t been shown so often because it really took away from their creepiness and made it a little bit sillier. After reading into the original, learned of some references and concepts I enjoyed afterwards and had more respect for what the remake attempted. more information here:
http://thewolfmancometh.com/2011/08/24/dont-be-afraid-of-the-dark-2010/
I haven’t seen the original but I think that it was good in general. Trying to get shock value so many times seems to have wore out the film half way through. If they were going to show the creatures they should have made them more goreyjbut biting off the person’s nose aor something of the similarity. shoving sharp objects in people’s eyes is a good attempt but should have been successful if these creatures were so damned mean. They didn’t do any of those things and looked more like a new type of gremlin but with personalities that are a little more meaner but not more harmful. I would have liked to seem them eat people alive. That wuld have been gory and scary at the same time.
Loaded with atmosphere, style and some pretty amazing scenes, Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark had the potential to be one of the best horror films in awhile, but alas, suspension of disbelief can only go so far, and Del Toro pushes it far beyond. This is a classic example of a filmmaker (screenwriter / producer Del Toro) who’s gotten “so big” that no one is willing to question his or her choices. The result is a visually fantastic film with little to no logic as characters make one idiotic decision after another in an attempt to service the next set piece.
Despite the feeling that this film was a “solid first draft” of a screenplay, this is a must see for horror fans, if only to see how great style and little story do not a movie make.
I liked the story of this movie, and the acting was good…BUT it wasnt scary at all.
Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark was a pleasant surprise. It had Guillermo Del Toro written all over it. The score was great, the atmosphere was eerie, and the creatures are amongst the best I’ve seen so far this year. What it lacked in gore, it made up for some intense creature scenes that scared the hell out of me more than once. All In All, Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark was a dark horror fantasy that was terrifying at times.
This movie had more plot holes than any movie I’ve seen in the past 10 years. Katie Holmes should have picked up on what was going on…FAST, she had more than enough evidence! Oh, and it would be hard for me to consider Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark a horror movie, because of the lack of building up the suspense. I might watch the original since I haven’t seen it, but I just pray it’s far superior to this laughable remake.
The camera only had 5 flashes on it how the hell is Sally taking all those pictures when it only has 5 flashes on it.
I’m being pretty leinyent by giving this 6.5. The movie over all had a real good plot and the commericals made me think that this movie is fawless…i was mistaken. This movie had it’s moment but the creatures were real cheesy and the acting was horriable! The start of the movie was the best part and then it got boring when the creatures need to use wepons to kill someone. Over all good speacial effects just boring acting and cheesy monsters but something fun to see with your kid on Halloween.
Although I never saw the original, this film had the feeling of a TV movie. Not that that’s such a bad thing, as it did have some creepy moments and was overall entertaining. And Bailee Madison was absolutely fantastic as young Sally.
Why Was This Rated R??? First Of All The Creatures Were Terrible!!! They Looked Like CGI Rejects From Pan’s Labyrinth!!! There Were Way To Many Of Them, Which Felt Like A Rat Infestation To Me!!! The Creatures Also Reminded Me Of The Gravelings From Showtime’s “Dead Like Me”!!! I LOVE The Original Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark!!! It’s One Of My ALL Time Favs!!! I Even Have An Autographed Pic Of The Creature (Felix Silva) On The Set Of The 1973 Original!!! Considering How Long We Had To Wait For It, The Remake Was A HUGE Let Down!!!
Highly disappointed in this horror film with a “Rated R” attached to it. I really had high expectations I guess, because Guillermo del Toro was one of the directors at the helm. And because he did such a fantastic job with “The Orphanage”, I felt this film would be just as good. However, the plot was thin the creatures were just ridiculous and the acting was awful. There was no suspense and no frightening scenes to me. The only part I enjoyed was the back story behind the owner of the mansion.
This is a pretty good remake. The creatures fail in comparison to the creatures in the first, but the atmosphere and pace make up for it.
WARNING: *SOME SPOILERS*
Being a huge fan of Katie Holmes from her Dawson’s Creek days, I was really looking forward to seeing her on the big screen,and in a horror movie no less! I remember when I first saw the preview for DBAOTD before Scream 4 back in April… the whole theater was screaming…from a TEASER trailer. But when I watched the movie, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Some of the events were more comical than creepy, such as the scene in the library when Sally’s taking pictures of the creatures. Also, the creatures aren’t as creepy or scary as I wanted them to be. But, the one scene that sticks out in my mind was when Sally’s teddy bear has it’s arms outstretched for a hug, and it keeps saying I LOVE YOU… I don’t know why, but that scene really did creep me out. Overall, Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark was not an amazing movie, but it did have it’s moments. See it, but lower your expectations first.
Ok, I know this was only produced by Del Torro but it had his name attached to it so I was very excited. I was soo disappointed with this film. Katie Holmes and Guy Pierce were awful, The kid actor was ok and did a good enough job. Lacked the spookiness of the original and too much CGI. They could have made this with PRACTICAL effects and it would have had a more GREMLINS feel to it. Check out the original, although pretty dated now, still a better movie in my eye’s. Deserved a 12 cert not 15… Meh!! Sooo disappointed!!
As much as I was surprised of how much I liked the original after the 2nd watch (see below),
I was equally surprised of how much I enjoyed the 2011 remake, despite all the bad reviews and critics it got.
The movie is a bit flawed, no doubt. The pacing in the first third is a bit weak, the ‘new’ backstory on the house and the creatures didn’t appeal to me, and I was surprised of how lame Guy Pearce’s performance is.
Apart from that, the movie is pretty much everything you may expect from a Guillermo-del-Toro-produced haunted house flick:
It’s tense, chilling and highly atmopsheric, including many incredibly suspenseful moments and a few stunning jump scares that creeped the shit outta me. The look of the old Gothic mansion is fabulous, camera work and lighting are just gorgeous, and Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders’ powerful score is just amazing.
Biggest surprise: the mind-blowing acting performance from Bailee Madison (best child acting since Isabelle Fuhrmann in “Orphan”) and the really decent performance from Katie Holmes (waaay better than I actually expected).
Highlights:
the gruesome opening scene, the outstanding-looking design of the creatures and the eerie whispering voices that seemed to come from everywhere. I also love how true the movie stays to the original, especially regarding the bathroom-scene, the dinner-scene and the dark ending.
Overall, a well-made, good-looking and scary remake. Recommended to fans of “The Haunting”, “The Others” and “The Orphanage”.
http://www.horrormoviediary.net/
anybody saying this movie is scary is 5 yrs old. first off it was retarded, second off Guy Pearce blew, third off it was retarded, i felt like i was watching a disney channel halloween movie. completely disappointing especially since Del Toro was involved. however i got some great laughs, those little bastards were straight G’s.
I absolutely, LOVED this movie.
Fun, beautiful and an incredible acting job done by the lead girl.
Absolutely wonderful!
This Blows!
horrible movie it was kind of like gremlins on crack it was not even scary it was boring and nobody can act in it but the little girl
I was really looking forward to seeing this in the theater. It had scared the crap outta me when I was a small child, so I was anticipating an even better interpretation some 30 years later. I knew del Toro would make it his own but this was a little too far off the beaten path for me. I was very disappointed in the movie as a remake. Otherwise if it had been called something else, I may have enjoyed it a little more.
Based on the TV Movie, Don’t be Afraid of the Dark tells the story of nine-year old Sally (Bailee Madison) who is sent by her mother to live with her Father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes). Sally begins to her mysterious voices beckoning to her and mistakes these voices as friends. Unfortunately for her, she manages to unleash horror into the house.
Newcomer Director Troy Nixey does an outstanding job with this film, tightening the suspense at every opportunity. The film is beautifully shot, as it should be considering this is a Haunted House sort of flick, so detailed shots of the house were definitely needed. However, we can immediately tell that Guillermo del Tero, who co-wrote the screenplay and produced it, guides the film.
Bailee Madison is our lead character, playing Sally. Bailee has proved her acting ability in 2009 with Brothers, and she proves she is more than capable to lead a Horror film (with some help though). Sally goes through the stereotypical journey, thinks the creatures are nice – realises they’re not – parents don’t believe her – uhoh. Luckily, we already know all that was obvious, so the film does a good job of distracting us from the obvious clichÃ
Not very good, not very bad. Average in every way, when it comes to the horror genre. This is not a film I would watch again.
God awful, shitty, boring movie with terrible CGI. The only good thing that came out of watching this stupid movie was seeing Katie Holmes, man she is sexy even though she’s getting older. As for this movie, don’t bother with it. I downloaded it so I didn’t spend any money on it, but this is one of the shittiest attempts at a horror movie to come out in the past ten years. Laughable creatures with atrocious CGI effects. Pathetic story. Nothing scary or even remotely creepy about this movie. I feel like I lost brain cells watching this. I was so glad when it finally ended.
had zero expectations but this wasn’t bad at all.. I actually kind of liked it.. but wow this movie was hysterical at times.. those little gremlin monsters.. I laughed alot
Don’t be afraid of the dark, trust me you won’t be. This is one of the worst films I have seen in a long time. Would have been on my worst of 2011 list if I saw it in the theaters but thank god I didn’t. There was nothing scary at all about some tiny Lord of The Ring type creatures trying to eat kids teeth. Not to mention they never explain why! Do they have some kind of enamel deficiency?! Ridiculous. The film relies on the all to played out jump scare tactic that you could see coming a mile away. Pierce and Holmes are a waste with a script that makes you hate them both. The film should be watched as a guide for how not to parent a child. 0 stars.
Very disappointing. Not what I expected at all, and in no way should have been rated R.
This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I was actually angry after I watched it. This is Critters without a W.A.S.P. song attached to it. (Yeah, I’m dating myself a little.) This is pure crap. Del Torro should be ashamed, and I lost a little respect for BD for giving it a good review. Horrible.
I loved it! I was expecting a very good movie and it was more than that. I thought it was great, atmospheric, intense and exciting. I thought Bailee Madison was amazing, Katie Holmes was wonderful and Guy Pearce was incredibly cute. I think the film is underrated, mainly from all of the hate it got. It was one of the best horror films of 2011, right next to Scream 4 and Final Destination 5 and Insidious.
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is a creepy little movie that really gets under the skin. I COMPLETELY agree with the official review, but not the score. I liked it a little more…
It is what it is, and it isn’t much. Another watered down remake that was uninspired. The creatures were the only interesting look this movie had because it bombs on almost every other level. The cookie cutter formula used in this movie will drive you insane. There are no likable characters and that’s probably one of the biggest flaws. The little girl cries victim and of course, no one believes her (How Convenient). You can’t help but feel cheated after this one.
I liked the acting. That’s it. It was highly disappointing for me.
Deliciously creepy, entertaining, the little girl was a good actress, I enjoyed this one as much as the original
What’s one to expect from a haunted house horror movie produced by legendary Spanish native Guillermo Del Toro? If one has seen the great visual poet’s directorial works, one might expect elements such as storytelling told through the eyes of a child, old-fashioned scare tactics, and talk of ghosts, ghouls, goblins, and monstrosities that live under the floorboards. If it is any of those things that you desire or anticipate; then by the time “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” has ran its course, you’ll have been satisfied. A remake of a made-for-television film of the same name; this is not, alas, a Guillermo Del Toro film – it was directed by first-timer Troy Nixey – but it’s certainly a Guillermo Del Toro story. Since the man shares the screenwriting credits as well as that of a producer; this is only fitting.
It would seem that Nixey sees himself as a sort of successor or predecessor to Del Toro; who appears to have stuck closely to the newcomer throughout the film’s production. As the saying goes, great minds think alike; and in this case, we get “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”. While it’s nothing great or particularly memorable, I appreciate what the masterminds behind the film and its story were trying to do; and for the most part, I feel the film serves its purpose. Yes, it could have been truly great; but it’s the rare kind of horror movie where one cannot simply dismiss what would typically be known as “flaws” by that name alone. Because in fact, they are not flaws; for the filmmakers somehow make every last one of them charming, and that’s no simple task.
The story takes place at a creepy old mansion, Blackwood Manor, which is somewhere in Rhode Island, as we are told. The movie opens with a disturbing little scene in which an old man sets up a nasty little trap for the housekeeper of the estate; tripping her with a wire that is placed on the stairs leading to the basement, and when she’s down on the floor, ultimately ripping her teeth clean from her skull. Indeed, we don’t see most of the graphic details associated with the act; but Nixey is able to establish his atmosphere this early on in the film, and we feel the fear; although perhaps not quite enough of the terror.
The building is then bought by a family of three; father Alex (Guy Pearce), mother Kim (Katie Holmes), and young daughter Sally (Bailee Madison). The kid is having trouble accepting the newest addition to their family; her mother Kim, who has just married Alex recently. Kim tries to reach out to Sally in a number of different ways; although initially, it just doesn’t seem to be working out. However, there are other problems at stake; for we are about to discover the discreet, diabolical force behind the old man’s actions in the sequence that opens the film. It would seem that small, fast, plentiful ghouls that live behind each wall and under the basement (which is sealed off upon the arrival of the new residents of the household) had driven the old man to do what he did; and now, they want Sally.
But why must they have the poor child? And why is she the only one who ever sees these little beasts? Del Toro’s screenplay puts an emphasis on the power of children in the service of perception and vision; leaving the adults of the story to remain skeptical and often in disbelief throughout, until the end, when they finally come to turns with reality. Madison is very convincing as the young, adventurous Sally -which certainly helps, given that most of the time; she’s the character we’re following. Although a general focus on the power of a child’s mind and point-of-view are not particularly new to the fairy-tale like scripts of Guillermo Del Toro.
Perhaps it wasn’t the wisest of choices to show the basement-dwelling creatures in full physical form. They are revealed to be creations of special effects, yes, but good special effects nonetheless; and I think that counts for something. I’ll admit that the movie does show a bit too much, meaning that it’s never absolutely frightening, but to deny that it’s thoroughly creepy would be doing the great horror genre a whole lot of disservice. Del Toro certainly proved that he had a story to tell with this remake; creating an entire mythology for his little CGI creatures. Del Toro is the writer; Nixey delivered the message, and he did so with style and wit. With the help of his cinematic superior, he’s able to make a giant haunted house impeccably creepy and Gothic architecture shockingly effective. The film is consistently a marvel to simply look at; visually complex, and at times, narratively resonant. There are no doubt better horror films out there, but that’s an irrelevant complaint.
Terrible. Silly romper-room horror with Gremlins-like retreads for thrills and chills–blah. The usual depth of Pearce is completely lost in a cardboard cutout role as dad, and he and Holmes have zero chemistry to add to what the young girl is trying to accomplish. Some bad scenes and goofy non-actions (the worker from the basement all cut to hell and scissors stickin’ out of him–cops tell Pearce “just an accident” and that’s it? retarded). This movie stunk.
actually a lot better than I though it’d be. I mean, it was brilliant or anything. But it was pretty decent! I enjoyed it thoroughly, and usually I CANNOT watch Katie Holmes in anything because I just think she’s terrible. But hey, this movie I thought worked as a whole. Some moments that didn’t work, obviously, but it felt like a pretty nice throw back to an era of creature-features that I’d been missing. And I thought it did the original justice for sure. Overall, I’d say it’s a pretty good time.
Del Toro’s artistry is never sacrificed for film and this only emphasizes the fact. All the nostalgic coverup does not a movie make. A few thrills and a decent setup is what “Dark” scares up for 99 minutes, but that’s 99 minutes too long. Cliche, dull, average. This isn’t Del Toro. Nice effort but I’ll keep my “Devil’s Backbone”.
I really, really, liked the storyline, but the movie itself could have been scarier
I really liked it! I thought it was a fun, well acted, extremely creepy flick. It has an amazing set and I loved the gothic feeling the whole film has. Worth seeing.
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