Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

When young Sally comes to stay with her father and his girlfriend in the mansion they're renovating, she encounters evil creatures with a taste for human teeth...

From the mind of Guillermo Del Toro comes a remake of the 1973 TV movie of the same name. Why remake something so obscure? It turns out that Del Toro and his brothers were terrified by the original in its day, and for many years since then he's been trying to get his remake off the ground.

In Del Toro's hands - and let's be clear at this stage that he didn't direct the film, but wrote and produced - Don't Be Afraid of the Dark becomes a twisted fairy tale, putting a dark twist on the tooth fairy myth, and featuring all sorts of trademark Del Toro touches in terms of design and feel.

Del Toro has recruited director Troy Nixey to bring his vision to the screen, and Nixy does a solid job particular considering this is his debut. He's keen to glide the camera around smoothly when he needs to, but handles the film's numerous cgi set pieces with confidence and clarity.

Fundamental to the film's success is the performance of Bailee Madison, as Sally. It's crucial that you accept, care for, and sympathise with her character, and for me there was never any doubt. Her performance is filled with pathos, and she holds the screen incredibly well considering she's the only physical actor in a number of scenes. She also reacts totally believably to the cgi beasties she encounters, which is something a lot of adult actors struggle with.

Speaking of which, Katie Holmes is also really likeable here. I'm not a fan at all, and have never enjoyed one of her performances, but here I was genuinely rooting for her. The chemistry between Holmes and Madison is excellent, and there's is a believable relationship. Guy Pearce comes off slightly worse in a bit of an awkward role. He's underwritten, I didn't buy him as Holme's partner, and he's also cursed with some pretty odd looking hair for the duration too. He gets the job done, but he could be played by anyone. That said, were Pearce not in the movie, the Jim Dale Neighbours reunion wouldn't have happened! It's certainly an amusing moment to look out for if you're of a certain age.

The film shows its hand a little too early for my liking, but nonetheless has a creepy vibe throughout and a deeply unpleasant opening sequence. There are also some incredibly tense set pieces, including a brilliant finale that had me completely hooked. The creatures are well designed, and realised in pretty convincing CGI for the most part. I was reminded a lot of the old Stephen King anthology Cat's Eyes, in which Drew Barrymore is tormented by a breath stealing miniature troll. These creatures move, sound, and torment in very similar ways (there may even be a direct homage towards the film's end).

There's no doubt Don't Be Afraid of the Dark skews towards the younger audience (Del Toro explained in a special FrightFest intro that it was intended as a PG-13, presumably so he could terrify kids the same way he was terrified) and it's something I'd have no concerns showing to younger teens. This is exactly the sort of stuff I grew up with, and at times has a very 80s style feel to it. There's some unpleasantness, and lots of tension and scariness, but the film isn't trying to gross out or horrify the audience, it's just trying to creep them out.

I'd say mission accomplished for all involved then. Don't go in expecting hardcore scares and gore, but leave yourself open to a more traditional creepfest and you should have a good time. A very different start to FrightFest than last year, but a great start all the same.