Music, Style & Culture

Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark

An enjoyable, old school horror with strong production design - it just doesn't deliver the chills.

Released in cinemas 7th October 2011.

Considering the original TV film scared the crap out of Guillermo del Toro as a child, it's surprising that he wasn't behind the camera for this slick remake. The director's stamp is all over the gothic horror though, as he serves as producer and co-writer.

Directing duties go to comic artist Troy Nixey, making his debut. Nixey walks the line between childhood ghost stories and brutality, but without the achingly beautiful imagination of del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth.

Instead, what we have is a cute spook story with a charming child actress in the heroine role. Bailee Madison plays Sally, an 11-year-old girl whose father Alex (Guy Pearce) restores mansions along with his new girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes). After being forced to move into the foreboding building, Sally becomes aware of strange creatures in the basement, who whisper and maliciously tease her in the dark.

There's little build up of story here, and what there is flounders in inconsistency. In a surprisingly gruesome opening scene, we learn of the tiny creatures' demands - they're basically demonic tooth fairies. However, their raison d'etre changes so often, it loses impact - sometimes simplicity is the best option.

Once Sally realises the evil beings mean her harm, the film becomes infuriating. Alex and Kim take some persuading to leave, despite actual bodily harm occuring, and the "one last night" in the home is idiotic. Holmes is effective as reluctant mother figure to Sally, and their eventual bond is quite touching. She even carries the more daft moments with some class, when her character is incapable of putting two and two together. As the absent, cynical father, Pearce's role is underwritten, but there's decent support from Julia Blake and Jack Thompson as the housekeepers. Look out for Neighbours reunion with the ever-cameoing Alan Dale.

With gleefully spiteful and vicious monsters, and some nice twists, there's a superb horror film to be made from the interesting premise. This isn't it, although there are one or two effective set pieces. A scene with a teddy bear has the dark humour of Gremlins, and a bath tub scenario is equally morbid. When the creatures are doing their twisted thing, the film works well. However, it's frustratingly repetitive and not particularly creepy or imaginative - Nixey even down the tired "using polaroid camera as a light" road. An enjoyable, old school horror with strong production design - it just doesn't deliver the chills.

Rating: 6/10