Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (7.5/10)

Don’t be mistaken; this is a Guillermo Del Toro movie at its core. Just because he let fist timer Troy Nixey sit on the director’s chair doesn’t mean the style is gone. Del Toro is one of the most imaginative people making films today. He’s the master of the adult fairy tale. “Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark” brings in Del Toro’s visual flare but it isn’t a great horror film. The trade off is fine but one can now only dream if the film had both.

Blackwood Manor is a place I wouldn’t want to live in. At first site the mind just thinks “creepy”. It’s horror movie heaven though. Sally (Bailee Madison) comes here to live with her father Alex (Guy Pearce) and his new girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes). Since this film is a remake of a 1970’s horror story they both have a similar ground. However the lead in the 70’s version was a normal woman, not a 10-year-old girl. Having Sally be a young girl is the smarter move. She doesn’t understand yet why those creepy whispers coming from the vents shouldn’t be normal. She like Del Toro lives in an imaginary world. Sally begins talking to small creatures that stalk her around and skulk the house at night. They’re not that scary (part of that being they are shown in full form far too early) but do have a rich history. Kim believes Sally’s wild stories while Alex thinks she needs help. Rich characters make a horror film better and here is a great example of that. It’s not going to make you jump but it’s well crafted. Nice characters and acting, perfect environment and relatively fresh material make this worth the money.

7.5/10

Recommendation: Don’t go expecting to be scarred, but you’ll get the creeps. It’ll keep your attention through out (it should).