Rated R for violence and terror
Cast: Guy Pearce, Katie Holmes, Bailee Madison, Jack Thompson
Director: Troy Nixey
"Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" favors being creepy over being downright scary. I kind of admire that, if only because it requires more filmmaking skill to fashion a gloomy, forbidding framework through which a good old haunted house tale can be fed. Anybody can conjure up "Paranormal Activity"-style loud, sudden BANGS intended to jolt someone out of their chair. What we have in this remake of the 1973 tv version is a movie that isn't quite as scary as the trailer suggests, but is still a clever jaunt down Gothic Avenue.
Something else that appealed to me was that the film's backstory actually made sense. I'm not saying it's plausible by any stretch, but in its own fantastical way, it does follow a brand of sinister logic. The ghastly entities that whisper from the mansion's basement don't simply exist to frighten the protagonists; they have their own agenda, and it's interesting to watch them figure out ways to isolate their intended prey. As the story opens, we know very little about them, except that they feed on the teeth of children. I can't figure out why, but it does lead to a cringe-inducing scene where the previous owner violently extracts the choppers of the mansion's maid. Yuck.
At the center of the story, as is the case with most films in the haunted house genre, is a relocation. A young girl named Sally (a solemn-faced Bailee Madison) has been put on a plane by her mother and shipped from California to Rhode Island to live with her father, Alex (Guy Pearce) and his new girlfriend, Kim (Katie Holmes). They reside, of course, in a big ol' spooky mansion while struggling to restore it, despite their financial situation being gloomier than the domicile's inherent vibe.
Sally doesn't take to her new surroundings, nor to her father. On the first night in the house, she hears whispers coming from the basement. The curious young lass investigates, and determines their origin to be from an incinerator that has been bolted shut. At first, the murmurs sibilate an offer of friendship, but Sally soon learns their purpose is far more sinister.
The most notable change from the original version is altering the character of Sally from an adult to a child this time. One could argue that the goal was to elicit more sympathy for the protagonist, yet the film doesn't make her a helpless set piece posed carefully before the monsters in the background. Sally turns the tables on her attackers the best she can... she's an odd combination of Wednesday Addams and Newt from "Aliens."
Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce are both capable of playing compelling characters, but these aren't nearly compelling enough. Kim is slightly less disinterested, if only because she is striving harder to connect with her lover's offspring in any way possible. Alex, meanwhile, is a noticeably hypocritical personality. For as much railing as he does regarding the inattentiveness of his ex-wife, he doesn't seem to be faring much better.
The movie has its share of implausibilities, but they're more entertaining than distracting. After a groundskeeper (Jack Thompson) is attacked by the creatures with a horde of sharp instruments, he is discovered and taken to the hospital with cuts on over 90% of his body. Alex dismisses this as an unfortunate accident. (Huh? Wile E. Coyote isn't that clumsy.) And when Sally informs Kim that the supernatural critters fear the light, she arms the young girl with... wait for it... a Polaroid Insta-matic camera with a flash bulb. That's right. Not a flashlight or any other form of prolonged illumination. But a flash bulb. Yeah, these people aren't the sharpest instruments in the horror genre toolbox.
And yet I still found the movie enjoyable. The screenplay adaptation is by renowned cinema artisan Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins. The director is newcomer Troy Nixey. They have created an effectively creepy Gothic atmosphere in which this twisted yarn can be spun. The digital effects get the job done and don't seem overblown (though I did wonder if perhaps the creatures were revealed a little too soon). Still, the existence of a distraught but resourceful heroine, a backstory that makes just enough sense, and a healthy share of thrills made this one worthwhile. Top-notch filmmaking it isn't, but a fun late summer horror genre distraction it is.
* * * out of * * * * stars
Something else that appealed to me was that the film's backstory actually made sense. I'm not saying it's plausible by any stretch, but in its own fantastical way, it does follow a brand of sinister logic. The ghastly entities that whisper from the mansion's basement don't simply exist to frighten the protagonists; they have their own agenda, and it's interesting to watch them figure out ways to isolate their intended prey. As the story opens, we know very little about them, except that they feed on the teeth of children. I can't figure out why, but it does lead to a cringe-inducing scene where the previous owner violently extracts the choppers of the mansion's maid. Yuck.
At the center of the story, as is the case with most films in the haunted house genre, is a relocation. A young girl named Sally (a solemn-faced Bailee Madison) has been put on a plane by her mother and shipped from California to Rhode Island to live with her father, Alex (Guy Pearce) and his new girlfriend, Kim (Katie Holmes). They reside, of course, in a big ol' spooky mansion while struggling to restore it, despite their financial situation being gloomier than the domicile's inherent vibe.
Sally doesn't take to her new surroundings, nor to her father. On the first night in the house, she hears whispers coming from the basement. The curious young lass investigates, and determines their origin to be from an incinerator that has been bolted shut. At first, the murmurs sibilate an offer of friendship, but Sally soon learns their purpose is far more sinister.
The most notable change from the original version is altering the character of Sally from an adult to a child this time. One could argue that the goal was to elicit more sympathy for the protagonist, yet the film doesn't make her a helpless set piece posed carefully before the monsters in the background. Sally turns the tables on her attackers the best she can... she's an odd combination of Wednesday Addams and Newt from "Aliens."
Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce are both capable of playing compelling characters, but these aren't nearly compelling enough. Kim is slightly less disinterested, if only because she is striving harder to connect with her lover's offspring in any way possible. Alex, meanwhile, is a noticeably hypocritical personality. For as much railing as he does regarding the inattentiveness of his ex-wife, he doesn't seem to be faring much better.
The movie has its share of implausibilities, but they're more entertaining than distracting. After a groundskeeper (Jack Thompson) is attacked by the creatures with a horde of sharp instruments, he is discovered and taken to the hospital with cuts on over 90% of his body. Alex dismisses this as an unfortunate accident. (Huh? Wile E. Coyote isn't that clumsy.) And when Sally informs Kim that the supernatural critters fear the light, she arms the young girl with... wait for it... a Polaroid Insta-matic camera with a flash bulb. That's right. Not a flashlight or any other form of prolonged illumination. But a flash bulb. Yeah, these people aren't the sharpest instruments in the horror genre toolbox.
And yet I still found the movie enjoyable. The screenplay adaptation is by renowned cinema artisan Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins. The director is newcomer Troy Nixey. They have created an effectively creepy Gothic atmosphere in which this twisted yarn can be spun. The digital effects get the job done and don't seem overblown (though I did wonder if perhaps the creatures were revealed a little too soon). Still, the existence of a distraught but resourceful heroine, a backstory that makes just enough sense, and a healthy share of thrills made this one worthwhile. Top-notch filmmaking it isn't, but a fun late summer horror genre distraction it is.
* * * out of * * * * stars
