Written by Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins, and directed by Troy Nixey, Don’t be Afraid of the Dark opened in theaters nation-wide Friday night, and Saucy Josh was all over it. As an avid del Toro fan, I had high hopes for this film, and I’m happy to report that I wasn’t disappointed. While Don’t be Afraid of the Dark isn’t his shining star, it can stand proudly along with other great films in the del Toro cannon like: The Devil’s Backbone, The Orphanage, and even Pan’s Labyrinth.
Read the review after the jump…
Don’t be Afraid of the Dark is a remake of a 1973 made-for-TV movie that preceded a short but furious wave of mini-creature Horror flicks that included: Gremlins, Ghoulies, Critters, Troll, and Dolls. It’s a concept at least as old Gulliver’s Travels: One-on-one, you can crush a smaller, weaker enemy—but en-mass their force is mighty. We see gruesome examples of this in nature all the time, like when a troop of ants overpowers a salamander.
Don’t be Afraid of the Dark is Gothic to the core, and could easily have taken place in Victorian-era England. Moreover, the idea of evil gnomes and fairies seems like more of an Old World concept, where such mythology relates directly to the landscapes and geography. In America, fairies are sweet and feminine, so we create films like Willard and Arachnophobia with familiar pests like rats and spiders to evoke that uneasy feeling of being overcome by a hoard that “scurries in the dark”.
Don’t be Afraid of the Dark makes no attempt to portray the whispering creepies as anything besides “evil fairies” (the film even suggests a explanation to the “Tooth Fairy” mythology), a concept that is no easy sell in a market dominated by manic slashers and huge mega-beasts. But del Toro succeeds as he has before: By immersing adults in a child’s perspective, resulting in an unshakable empathy.
As for modern elements in this Grimm-style Fairy Tale, the situation becomes a metaphor for a child’s resentment towards her parents. As they become less accessible, young Sally (Bailee Madison), in essence, falls in with a bad crowd that leads her down a dangerous path. Ironically, the parent’s solution to the problem (namely drugs and isolation) only exasperates the situation. The result is an inevitable downward spiral.
Don’t be Afraid of the Dark takes the audience right to the edge of a terrifying “Rabbit-Hole”. I only wish the filmmakers had found a way to take the plunge inside. If I’m to accept a world of ancient evil that hides beneath our basements, I really want to know what I’m up against. At the end, I can only hope that Sally kept the body of the one creature she managed to crush beneath her mighty flashlight. Then we could put our top scientists on the case, and solve this riddle. That’s my “American side” showing again—the desire for concrete answers.
Great performance by Katie Holmes who’s character transitions from annoyed to concerned, before she’s finally driven to rescue a young girl who’s not even her own. If you’ve seen the original Don’t be Afraid of the Dark, then the ending won’t be a surprise. First-timers get a nice sharp chill to leave the theater with. Amazing sets, effects, and attention to detail throughout. Atmosphere and a slow-burring plot deliver consistent tension, and ever-building suspense. Don’t be Afraid of the Dark is everything a fan of Guillermo del Toro could ask for.
Saucy Josh writes a blog for intelligent Horror Movie aficionados called Blood and Guts for Grown Ups: https://bloodandgutsforgrownups.wordpress.com/
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