Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark – Film Review
Director: Troy Nixey
Starring: Guy Pearse, Katie Holmes, Bailee Madison
Distributor: Optimum Releasing
Don’t let the poster fool you. Firstly, to my profound displeasure, this film is not based on the 90’s children’s television programme Are You Afraid of the Dark? Which is an automatic missed opportunity for some nostalgic goodwill from the audience. It is instead a remake of a 1973 TV movie of the same name. Secondly, despite his name being the prominent one plastered on the poster, this isnot a Guillermo Del Toro film. Here, he merely enjoys a co-writer / producer credit. And while there are various similarities to his other work, this ultimately comes across as a misguided cover version. Because, unfortunately, Don’t be Afraid of the Dark is a pretty bad film.
Haunted house stories are a dime a dozen, but at least there are no poltergeists and/or ghosts here. Instead, the mysterious forces are… tooth fairies? Yes, you read that correctly. The film begins with a high camp prologue set in 1910, where a demented scientist fellow offers his (and those of an unfortunate maid) teeth to mysterious voices emerging from an equally mysterious hole in the basement. It appears he’s making the offering to try and get his son back. Things, alas, don’t go so well. Jump forward a hundred years. Our troubled young protagonist Sally (Bailee Madison), for ambiguous reasons, is sent to live with her architect father Alex (Guy Pearse) and his girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes) in an old mansion they’ve put all their resources into renovating. No prizes for guessing that it has a hidden basement. Soon Sally discovers the long-sealed room: naturally it takes an innocent child rather than a trained architect to stumble across it. The groundskeeper warns the family to stay out, but Sally is curious. Mysterious voices emerge from a hole sealed by a grate. Sally opens it up, and soon the mischievous tooth fairies emerge. They’re afraid of light, but they have a particular interest in this particular little girl, and are determined to drag her back to their home…
There is one thing that stops this film from being completely useless, and that’s twelve-year old Madison. Like Pan’s Labyrinth before it (and perhaps the single major non-financial input Del Toro had into this particular production) the film benefits tremendously from a young protagonist. This isn’t your average happy child – she has deep psychological issues, including a mother who medicates her heavily. The increasingly violent mischief caused by the tooth fairies is initially interpreted as Sally acting out. The adults don’t know what to do, including a child psychiatrist who concludes Sally’s ‘tall tales’ are the result of an over-active imagination. The result is a story told through an interesting point-of-view, especially as Kim slowly begins to believe Sally. An excellent performance by Madison captures cruelly interrupted innocence perfectly.
Perhaps if Del Toro had directed, he would have made even more out of this original, engaging point-of-view. Unfortunately, under the direction of newcomer Troy Nixey, the film’s one real strength struggles to disguise serious flaws elsewhere. And there’s one huge problem here that renders any positives close to moot: it explicitly shows the creatures way too early. For a film called Don’t be Afraid of the Dark, you’d think it would get the most out of the concept of creatures that go bump in the night. After all, what you imagine is usually scarier than reality. Alas, the tooth fairies make their full appearance before the halfway mark. There’s nothing to be surprised by after that. Instead, we’re led to believe these absurd computer generated creatures are meant to provide some sort of credible threat. They simply aren’t scary.
Indeed, as it goes on, it’s hard to tell what tone this film is aiming for. Initially it seems like Gothic Horror (the house itself is a menacing creation). But once the big reveal occurs, the film resembles an action movie more than anything. Scares disappear, and we merely are led through a series of predictable, half-assed set pieces in bathrooms and libraries. Apathy sets in quickly, despite the odd burst of intensity. Pearse particularly doesn’t help matters – Alex is a particularly deplorable, unlikeable character. How are we meant to feel terror when we don’t give a shit if the characters live or die? The plot feels increasingly stretched as the Del Toro and co-writer Matthew Robbins struggle to keep the characters in the house, despite clear shenanigans being afoot.
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark feels painfully half-baked. There’s promise in the concept, but a distinct lack of subtly holds it back. Even the good ideas seem undercooked. Any goodwill the film garners during its first half is quickly squandered by a series of ludicrous, repetitive set pieces. The only thing you’ll want to do when the lights go out here is grab a nap.
Score: 2/5
Please Join us on your Social Platform of choice
