Limacher Low Down: I will be honest; I was expecting quite a bit of thrills and chills from this movie, and I was unfortunately let down. “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” does offer a few scares and good plot development, but I wanted MORE than good, I wanted GREAT! The previews makes it look like this is going to be scary from beginning to end, yet I didn’t get that feeling. I figured with Guillermo del Toro as the producer and co-writer there would be more intensity. This movie definitely has a niche audience, but I am NOT a part of that niche.
It starts out as your classic “haunted mansion” tale. The owner is being haunted by something and is willing to do whatever he can to appease those who are “haunting” his house. This is a really good set up of what to expect, and both the visual and audio of the scene really helps to raise the tension for the audience. You got a good sense of an enjoyable ride, and I was looking forward to strapping in for the long trip! Unfortunately, the rest of the movie was lack luster as compared to the opening scene.
Now present day, we see a little girl, Sally (Bailee Madison), on a plane going to an unknown destination. Meanwhile her father, Alex (Guy Pearce), is going over some business while his girlfriend, Kim (Katie Holmes) waits as well. Sally arrives and we find out Alex is her father, and Kim is meeting Sally for the first time. Alex, Kim, and Sally arrive at the house that we saw at the beginning of the film, and absed on the opening scene, we have high hopes of horror. Sally quickly shows disgust for her father, Kim, and the house in which they will be living. Alex is restoring the house in an attempt to get his name out there, and Kim is his interior designer.
Sally, disturbed by everything, starts to hear voices that know her name and tell her they are her friends. This raises many questions, and some of which we really don’t get answered, ever. The next morning, Sally is walking around the grounds when she discovers an unknown basement to the house. As she is attempting to get a closer look; the groundskeeper, Harris (Jack Thompson) snatches her away and lets her know of the perils that may befall her around the mansion. Alex and Kim run over to talk to both Harris and Sally, yet get side-tracked when they discover the unknown basement. Finding the entrance, they come across something hundreds of years old. Harris quickly ushers everyone out and seemingly knows more than he is letting on. This scene is important for development, but didn’t really offer much to the audience. We saw the basement in the opening scene, and we know that something is down there.
After the discovery of the basement, the movie quickly develops. Sally learns that the voices are malicious, and she tries to warn her father. But, Alex, too naïve to listen to his own daughter and the frightened tone in her voice, puts his head down and ignores her pleas. Kim, wrestling with what to do and who to listen to adds a different dynamic to the movie, which was rather unexpected. The scares start happening, but not in the way I was hoping. We finally see what is terrorizing Sally. It wasn’t overly terrifying. When all is said and done I was left just sitting in my seat going, REALLY? The movie has subtle nuances that make it better than an average “horror” movie, but it didn’t deliver the way I was hoping.
“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” is formed from an early 70’s made for TV movie, and it still has that feel to it at the theater. The acting by Bailee Madison is something that really keeps you immersed throughout . . . as she more than holds her own. There are a few scares, and some laughs, but I doubt the laughter was del Toro’s intent in these scenes. This one can be enjoyed by some, but others may leave a little disappointed by everything, and like myself, may get their hopes up a little too high. Overall, this film is decent for horror fans, but it might be one best saved for Blu Ray.
