The opening film of Frightfest 2011 was the heavily anticipated Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, the first film from Australian director Troy Nix and the latest producing role for Guillermo Del Toro of The Devil’s Backbone (2001) and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) who also co-wrote it. The film was introduced by a pre-recorded video message from Del Toro in which he claimed the film was a labour of love after he and his brother were terrified so much by the original 1973 ABC TV movie that even whispering about it would send shivers down their spines. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that anyone will experience similar aftershocks after watching this version.
After a prologue hints at the gruesome past of the gothic Blackwood mansion, the film then speeds along to the present day where Sally (Bailee Madison) has been sent by her troubled mother to live with her father Alex (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes) who are currently in the throws of renovating the place. It isn’t long before Sally uncovers a hidden basement and begins seeing small creatures around the house prone to sinisterly whispering sweet nothings into her ear but, as is always the case in these films, the adults struggle to believe her tales until its too late.
For its first 30 minutes, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark creates an uneasy atmosphere and subtle scares. The prologue is surprisingly nasty and the following shots of the house, the gardens and the large interiors all look great. The first half of the film is also the one that stinks most of Del Toro. Whilst the critters throughout the film could very well be relations of the tooth fairies in Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), early shots of Sally wandering around the creepy house and exploring its mazy gardens carry serious undertones of Ofelia’s opening travels in Pan’s Labyrinth.
These initial visuals look good, however it’s the sound design of the film that really engages. As the whispers of the creatures and pitter-patter of tiny feet echoed around the Empire, it became clear that it was what we were hearing rather than seeing that would haunt us and made for genuinely unsettling listening.
Unfortunately, that’s about as scary as it gets when it comes to Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. The biggest jump in the film is already ruined for anyone who has seen the trailer and Nix shows us the monsters too early and too often, meaning they lose any real sense of dread that they carried when they only existed in subtle whispers.
When it comes to the acting it’s a mixed bag. Bert and Ernie make a million times more convincing couple than Holmes and Pearce do but in their stereotypical roles as ‘work obsessed father’ and ‘girlfriend desperate to impress a kid that isn’t hers’ they do fine. It is Bailee Madison who shines as Sally, both funny when it calls for it and also convincingly afraid and interested in the waves of CGI mini-gits that she acts with for most of the film.
When the lights came up it became clear that aside from a fantastic scene with a teddy and an ending that surprised and pulled the film out of being average and into the ‘good’ region, Del Toro’s latest project is little more than the dark side of The Borrowers. Its fun and old-school in its pacing, but unfortunately Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark proves its title right.
