If I were being completely honest, when it comes to choosing a horror film, Don’t Be Afraid of The Dark would not usually be the type of film that I would opt for. I am not a particular fan of remakes and the cast list didn’t exactly fill me with joy. (The idea of watching Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce for a full 1hr and 39mins is a terrifying prospect but not really the kind of terror I was going for!
Then we have the synopsis, the one description in which you can really give the prospective viewer a feel for the story, really sell the film…
‘A young girl is sent to live with her estranged father and his girlfriend at their new home. The father Alex (Guy Pearce) has plans to spruce up the home with the help of his interior decorator girlfriend, Kim (Katie Holmes). The previous owner of the home was a famous painter who mysteriously disappeared. Alex’s daughter, Sally (Bailee Madison), soon discovers the cause of the painter’s disappearance.’
That’s it, that’s all you get.
The only thing that really drew me to this film was that pesky ‘Guillermo del Toro Presents’ attached to the title and having the man responsible for Pans Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone was involved in the screenplay and production meant that I had to give it a watch.
So watch it I did…. and that’s when I realised that there are one or two particularly misleading things about Del Toro’s Don’t be Afraid of The Dark…
Having watched the first five minutes of the film, I thought that I was in store for quite a grisly show. The scene, involving a woman’s teeth being knocked out with a hammer and chisel, was not overly graphic with the camera cutting away at the crucial moment, but it certainly set the tone for the film. However, this did not match up with the next 1hr and 34mins that followed. What did follow is not so much a horror film as a Grimm fairy tale…
It becomes apparent that the cause of the painters’ disappearance is the tiny, bone hungry creatures inhabiting the basement of the house (technically they live in a well at the bottom of a furnace, in the basement) which was locked up and hidden by the staff of said painter when he disappeared. Not long after her arrival Sally manages to find this basement (that’s right, her dad, who happens to be an architect currently renovating the house didn’t seem to notice this, but Sally who is about 8yrs old, just happens to find it on her second day at the house….. REALLY) and unwittingly unleashes these creatures once again, who then spend the duration of the film terrorising Sally, mutilating her toys and randomly attacking people with sharp instruments.
That’s right, remember that really dull synopsis, you’d think that it might be worth mentioning that the film is actually about a tiny rabid hairless monkey army that enjoy nothing better than EATING children’s teeth and bones!
However, it really isn’t as thrilling as it might sound because as the story progresses it becomes more like a dark fairy tale and Del Toro’s attempt at providing a back-story for the creatures seems half-hearted, as do the creatures themselves, victims of CGI, they look like a cross between a miniature orc and something out of a Tim Burton movie, rather than being horrifying.
While the creatures may be very different to those in the original (there were only three of them, and they were freaking terrifying), Del Toro stuck to the original story well and kept some of the original scenes and ideas in his version while also putting his own stamp on the film. However, this doesn’t help the fact that the film just isn’t up to his usual standards and that most fans will probably be left disappointed.
One of the more positive points of the movie is Bailee Madison, who carries off a very believable performance as young Sally. Madison fits the role well and looks very comfortable on screen and she also manages to do a great job at looking petrified of the creatures.
Although Troy Nixey’s direction is excellent, you still can’t help but feel like this is very much Del Toro’s show. If you are a massive Guillermo del Toro fan then this film will probably not meet any expectations you have but is still worth a watch, even if it is just so you can moan about what you didn’t like and then watch Pan’s Labyrinth or Hellboy to make your self feel better.
If you are just looking for an easy movie to watch, then this is probably a good choice. Not much in the way of violence apart from a few scenes, one of which involves a pretty impressive ‘leg-snap’, and a few jumpy bits. It may not be the scariest of films but for those of you trying to impress the other half and don’t want to hide behind the sofa cushions all night, then this is your film.
