Don't Be Afraid of the Dark : Movie Review


It was a school yard talking point for fright fans growing up in the early '70s: the American Broadcasting Corporation, looking for a prime time hook, came up with the now notorious ABC Movie of the Week. Within its many 90 minute delights were such future fixations as Kolchak, the Night Stalker, Killdozer, and the diminutive demon delights of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. Starring Jim Hutton and Kim Darby, it remains today a potent bit of haunted house hokum. Longtime fan Guillermo Del Toro was so taken by the seminal scarefest that he decided to foster a remake. The new version of Don't, directed by protégé Troy Nixey, reimagines the narrative as a Grimm's fairy tale come to horrific life. While not always successful, it definitely delivers a nice amount of late Summer shivers.

Poor little Sally (Bailee Madison). She's been shipped off to live with her high strung house flipping Dad (Guy Pearce) and his interior designer girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes). Currently in the middle of a massive renovation on the mansion of renowned naturalist painter Emerson Blackwood, the girl gets lost in the seemingly endless space. When she stumbles upon a hidden basement, she hears voices calling her name. Later, something unnatural and malevolent starts haunting her, wanting to "play" while constantly threatening her safety...and sanity. It turns out that Blackwood Manor is home to a group of evil fairies who want Sally all for themselves and no one or nothing will stop them from achieving their wicked aims.

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Author : Bill Gibron