Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)

Best movie ever!

A different way of telling a story

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Blistering performances.

I admit, it is a problem having a video night and watching one poor movie after another .. you almost expect the worst.However, this movie is bad. It is not at all suspenseful, it has quite terrible acting (which is a surprise considering the actors are by no means B-actors), bad, bad CGI .. and most prominently .. a really bad story!At its core, it is a redemption patchwork family movie .. with creatures. Sadly though, the family drama never exceeds "tele-novela" drama quality .. and the creatures themselves are about as scary as muppets. At no point the threat of those creatures feels serious in any way. They only thing they do benefit from is the clumsiness of the protagonists (the usual problem of protagonists being unable to run a straight line without falling to the ground, or fumble a key ... or make it from a room normal sized living room in less than 5 minutes.Stay away from this movie, it is terrible .. and sadly not "so bad, its good"...

Yes, there are illogicalities and loose ends; yes, some characters could have been written with more depth. And, if you want a high-action film, this is not for you.BUT, the story, despite some holes, is carefully crafted to slowly and inexorably build to its climax. The many clichés in fact are used constructively (including a backward glance to Hitchcock), in the environment of a wonderful, beautifully detailed and atmospheric house, in superb and equally atmospheric gardens. The period is Victorian (the location footage of house - modified exterior - and gardens being shot in the state of Victoria in Australia!).The cinematographer capitalises on these settings with excellent lighting (careful use of not always letting you see what you may wish to see), complemented by very good editing (plus a skilled colourist). The acting is excellent (even if Pearce isn't given much to work with) and the young daughter is a stand-out. All of this bound by a good, although much as might be expected, score.I suspect many of the negative reviews are by people impatient for a story to reach a high pitch, or for a succession of never before seen thrills. But, instead, if you let yourself go and allow the clever construction of the elements used in the films' development to work their whiles; sit back and go with carefully controlled pacing, then there is much here to enjoy.

I am truly shocked that this film has such a low IMDb rating. Here is a finely crafted, skilfully directed, well acted, and beautifully filmed fantasy horror film. It is a shame that a good film like this has to be lumped with the likes of standard horror movie crap. I was hypnotized by the visuals, which reminded me of the great film Pan's Labyrinth (both films come from the same creator, Spanish director Guillermo Del Toro). Since nobody else seems to want to defend this movie, I will. It is based off an earlier TV movie of the same name which apparently inspired Del Toro to become a filmmaker. Sally (Bailee Madison) comes to live with her father (Guy Pierce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes) in their newly refurbished manor. This place has a history of death, in fact the last owner of it mysteriously vanished. Soon it becomes clear to Sally that there is something else living in the house with them, an ancient presence that whispers through the walls and that leaves coins under pillows in exchange for teeth. . . . Of course, nobody believes Sally, until it's too late! One of the things I really like about the film is it's look. I like the use of colour throughout, especially the autumn hues. Outside the house is always portrayed as cold, with shades of blue and grey. We are always drawn back into the interior of the house, with it's cozy shades of orange, yellow, and brown. I feel like the makers of this really put a lot of effort into making each shot look great, and it really pays off. The acting is good. Pierce and Holmes are competent, but the show is really stolen by Madison. She is very convincing as a girl haunted by demons, she seems actually terrified, and the film becomes all the more scarier because of it. There's only one jump scare in the entire film, that I remember, and it's not unfairly placed. This film doesn't limit itself to horror clichés, but delves deeper into the fantasy realm, which I appreciated. The atmosphere is palpable throughout. To finish off, I would completely recommend this film for lovers of fantasy horror. It's worth checking out.

Yes this movie is not without flaws and maybe plot holes. But if there is a moment that I start actively seeking for plot holes and start lengthy debates about them, would mean I should stop watching movies and do something different. If I don't like something I move on and don't try to convince others how bad it is. So why did this movie work for me and not so much for many others here? Well it's not your typical slasher horror where lots of people die or get hurt. Actually no one dies and only one person gets badly hurt. Del Toro didn't direct this but as writer of the screenplay his influence is there. The story and character development must come from his hand and are for me the best parts of the movie. The performances of the 3 main characters and the interaction between them is splendid. Especially the young Bailee Madison as Sally blew me away. She carried this movie and deserves all the praise for pulling of such a difficult role for a child. I haven't seen the original and remain reluctant to do so. I know Sally was originally an adult. for some reason I don't think an adult as Sally works that well after seeing this movie. And another strong point is of course the setting, wow that mansion was just perfect for it. Beautiful interior and garden but than the contrast with that creepy cellar, splendid. And last but not least there is the creatures. OK their back story is not the most original but at least there is a back story. Some people complained the creatures didn't look scary (like old monkeys) but hey if you were attacked by a horde of creatures would you care if they looked scary? I think you would run and/or fight for your life and your heart would be racing. Besides it's not that you see them that often, which is a good thing. After all, what you don't see if often more scary than what you do. Maybe more drama than horror in the end but the combination works very well for me.