BY JAKE MATHISON
September 7th, 2011
Starring: Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce and Bailee Madison
Directed by: Troy Nixey
Written by: Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins and Nigel McKeand
Some have called Troy Nixey's Don't Be Afraid of the Dark a return to form for "haunted house" flicks. It isn't. But that's okay, because at its core it's not really a "haunted house" flick. It is, however, a quality remake, one of the best horror entries of the year, and a hell of a lot of fun. Like the original, this isn't your classic tale of the spooky old house on the hill. There are no ghosts or beady-eyed portraits. This is something very different wherein our protagonists are pitted against a very tangible threat living within the confines of their Gothic New England mansion. In the world of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, the nightmare doesn't just become real, it always was.
When a depressed young girl (Bailee Madison) is sent to Rhode Island to live with her father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes), she finds herself "befriended" by a gaggle of grotesque creatures that live in the darkness of a hidden basement and wickedly desire her for their own purposes. Yes, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a simple creature feature, and we are introduced to these "creatures" quite early in the film. This is a bold and risky move by the inexperienced Nixey, one that luckily pays huge dividends and allows us to immerse ourselves in the nail-biting flurry that is the film's conclusion, focusing on the creatures' goals rather than their appearance.
I'd be hard pressed to label this an ambitious film. Realistically it's more like a well-executed textbook exercise. And though this is Nixey's film, writer/adapter Guillermo del Toro's (Pan's Labyrinth) fingerprints are seemingly everywhere, tricks and trademarks to boot. It's a visceral, visual assault, and to his credit Nixey seems to know the ins and outs of mired moors and rising fog as well as his pseudo-mentor.
Katie Holmes, receiving top billing here, is at her serviceable best and Guy Pearce is solid for what little he is given to work with. Also adequate is burgeoning starlet Bailee Madison, who has seemingly become the go-to actress when a script calls for a moody and dour pre-teen. But Don't Be Afraid of the Dark isn't about acting; it's about stylistic genre film-making, and as such competently succeeds. It might not blow your mind, but it's handled with the utmost sincerity and is fresh enough to leave a lasting and creepy impression, whether you've seen the original or not.
3/5
Starring: Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce and Bailee Madison
Directed by: Troy Nixey
Written by: Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins and Nigel McKeand
Some have called Troy Nixey's Don't Be Afraid of the Dark a return to form for "haunted house" flicks. It isn't. But that's okay, because at its core it's not really a "haunted house" flick. It is, however, a quality remake, one of the best horror entries of the year, and a hell of a lot of fun. Like the original, this isn't your classic tale of the spooky old house on the hill. There are no ghosts or beady-eyed portraits. This is something very different wherein our protagonists are pitted against a very tangible threat living within the confines of their Gothic New England mansion. In the world of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, the nightmare doesn't just become real, it always was.
When a depressed young girl (Bailee Madison) is sent to Rhode Island to live with her father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes), she finds herself "befriended" by a gaggle of grotesque creatures that live in the darkness of a hidden basement and wickedly desire her for their own purposes. Yes, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a simple creature feature, and we are introduced to these "creatures" quite early in the film. This is a bold and risky move by the inexperienced Nixey, one that luckily pays huge dividends and allows us to immerse ourselves in the nail-biting flurry that is the film's conclusion, focusing on the creatures' goals rather than their appearance.
I'd be hard pressed to label this an ambitious film. Realistically it's more like a well-executed textbook exercise. And though this is Nixey's film, writer/adapter Guillermo del Toro's (Pan's Labyrinth) fingerprints are seemingly everywhere, tricks and trademarks to boot. It's a visceral, visual assault, and to his credit Nixey seems to know the ins and outs of mired moors and rising fog as well as his pseudo-mentor.
Katie Holmes, receiving top billing here, is at her serviceable best and Guy Pearce is solid for what little he is given to work with. Also adequate is burgeoning starlet Bailee Madison, who has seemingly become the go-to actress when a script calls for a moody and dour pre-teen. But Don't Be Afraid of the Dark isn't about acting; it's about stylistic genre film-making, and as such competently succeeds. It might not blow your mind, but it's handled with the utmost sincerity and is fresh enough to leave a lasting and creepy impression, whether you've seen the original or not.
3/5
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is rated R for violence and terror
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