WORTH 12 BUCKS?: Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (REVIEW)

The story has changed since the original TV version aired in 1973 and scared the living headlights out of the young and impressionable Guillermo del Toro (this much he admits...). The Sally in this modern day version is not an adult but a child (that may be the Del Toro touch right there). Sally (Bailee Madison) is sent by her mother to live with her clueless architect of a father, Alex (Guy Pearce) and his interior designer girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes) who both live at the Blackwood mansion, which according to the prologue, has a pretty horrific story. They are working professionals who need to make a living and that living relies on getting this house on the cover of Architectural Digest. Cueste lo que cueste.

Not that this couple would even notice a Mac truck in their living room, but sulky Sally does notice pretty much everything and then some. In no time she figures out that there are some strange little creatures living in the house. Gnomes? Toys?Fairies? Little friends waiting to be rescued? 

In any case, she does hear them and sees their presence, yet no one believes her. In fact, I started to suspect that Alex was not her real father, since this girl was way sharp and daddy was the dimmest bulb around...

While there are some pretty tense moments here and there, the entire story collapses under the weight of its own absurdity. How much unexplained stuff needs to happen, including a guy practically killed by tools and a tub attack, before the dense-and-denser Kim and Alex decide it is time to leave the haunted mansion. Apparently not enough. But hey, I guess that if they left, we would not have a story...

But the story is not really the dealbreaker here. The problem is really with the monsters. Too much of a good thing I guess. This movie suffers from the Jaws complex but in reverse. Where Jaws was sooo effective by simply suggesting the presence of the shark, this film is exactly the opposite. Mucho monsters killed the mood. Yes, they look pretty neat and small and I can see Del Toro must have had a lot of fun drawing them out ... but you see, that's exactly the problem. Beautiful design won over feeling. These monsters needed to be a little more like monsters, a little more mysterious. After all, what is a monster good for if not to live and dwell in the dark? 

Overall, yes, I agree ... don't be afraid of the dark because there's no one hiding in the dark...

--Cali Tamayo

Rating: R  Duration: 100 minutes

Directed by Troy Nixey