Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

One of the most hackneyed horror themes retold without the slightest effort to be at least a bit different or better. It is the type of movie that would be enjoyed the most by children, but their parents will not be inclined to take them to the cinema to see it. Moreover, the children themselves would prefer adult ghost-themed films such as The Others. For whom is this infantile story about small furry creatures from the cellar even intended? The dime-a-dozen ending of the story with its sloppiness is so off-putting that I am in no mood to commend the film for its decent atmosphere or nice camerawork. (09/27/2011)

You can’t make a horror movie with all of your cards laid out on the table. The challenge in the title is laughable from about the midpoint of the film, as we don’t have any reason to be afraid of the dark when we know what is lurking in it. You also can’t make a horror movie with the talent of Tom Cruise’s wife, but try explaining that to Hollywood producers (SPOILER: at least Katie Holmes is deservedly rewarded for her acting at the end). If the film had retained the inquisitive child’s perspective, reminiscent of Pan’s Labyrinth during the exploratory, slightly magical warm-up, without diversions to the traditionally clueless characters of the father and stepmother, it would perhaps have worked at least as a metaphor for a child’s struggle to get the attention of adults (Sally goes to her new friends out of boredom and loneliness). However, any second level is crushed under the stupidity of the plot and the characters. Whereas the B-movie origin of the central evil has its charm and fans of the genre will surely appreciate the fact that its roots reach back to gothic horror, I can’t find an excuse for the behaviour of the people endlessly running around like guinea pigs in a cage instead of facing up to the matter at hand (or, more sensibly, running like hell). I’m afraid that not even the imagination of Guillermo del Toro could fill this void if he had directed his own screenplay. 55% (09/08/2011)

One of the most anticipated American horror films of the year fell a couple of steps short of my expectations. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark has three fundamental problems: 1) The script is just a UHS (universal horror script), the kind we’ve seen innumerable times with some minor alterations. This genre allows for films to be unoriginal, but in this case, the ubiquitous predictability was annoying at times. 2) The utterly incomprehensible creative strategy regarding the origin of the evil. Instead of letting the viewer ponder about what’s really going on for most of the film (are there ghosts in that house? Is there someone else living there besides the protagonists? Is little Sally a dangerous psychopath?), all the mysteries are revealed already in the first scene before the opening credits, and if that wasn’t enough, the credits also include some lines about the mythology of the creatures, which is only slightly developed during the film. 3) The creatures and their mythology. The small-eyed, hostile CGI elves didn't look nasty to me, no matter how much I tried. At most, they are scary in a cute fairytale way (and if they weren’t so noisy, I would put one of them in a cage instead of my hamster, which I would never think of doing with Alien). And then they turn out to be some sort of ancient species that a thousand years ago even concluded a peace treaty with the Pope… I don’t know if this creative contribution to the original TV horror film from the 1970s is in any way beneficial. // But I’m willing to accept these shortcomings because, technically speaking, the film is very good, the actors performed their undemanding roles very well, the atmosphere of an old abandoned building is effective and there’s plenty of tension. A decent genre snack that it’s nice to watch; no more than that. 7/10 (09/16/2011)

While nothing beats the opening climactic scene (which I suspect was directed by Guillermo del Toro himself) for creepiness, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is still a decent horror film with good atmosphere and excellent music. It is spoiled only by a few incomprehensible situations, such as this one: something really unexpected and really bad happens to someone, the police come to investigate, leave, and from then on everyone doesn't care how or why it could have happened to that person. (05/12/2016)