Don’t Be Afraid of
the Dark (originally published on August 27, 2011)
Most kids, when they hear a creepy whisper coming from deep
inside a forbidden basement and saying things like "We just want to be
your friends," and "Come down here and see what it's like,"
would run screaming. Bailee Madison, who plays the little girl named Sally in Don't
Be Afraid of the Dark, is much braver than most kids. She is willing to
investigate strange noises in the night. She even turns off her bedroom lights
on command. Her father and his girlfriend, Guy Pierce and Katie Holmes
respectively, have been fixing up this old house where nobody has lived for a
very long time. The last time somebody lived there, the guy's kid was snatched
away by a group of goblins that live in the basement and feed on the teeth of
children. Now they have been released by the curious Sally and are determined
to do dreadful things to her.
Guillermo del Toro is well-known to have an extreme interest in scary stories. He's already had a hand in bringing several to the big screen, and these are often enormously effective thrillers made mostly of atmosphere and weirdness rather than guts and gore. Though del Toro did not direct Don't be Afraid of the Dark, he did write the screenplay based on a 1973 TV movie that he saw as a young boy, and he also serves as producer. Though he wasn't involved all that much in the creative process of making this particular production, his fingerprints can be found all over it.
Guillermo del Toro is well-known to have an extreme interest in scary stories. He's already had a hand in bringing several to the big screen, and these are often enormously effective thrillers made mostly of atmosphere and weirdness rather than guts and gore. Though del Toro did not direct Don't be Afraid of the Dark, he did write the screenplay based on a 1973 TV movie that he saw as a young boy, and he also serves as producer. Though he wasn't involved all that much in the creative process of making this particular production, his fingerprints can be found all over it.
It was directed by Troy Nixey, a comic
book artist, and this is actually his first film. As a beginner with literally
no motion picture experience, I must say this is an exceptional first take.
This is an entertaining movie that does not depend solely on scares. It is
scary to be sure, but in more of a fairy tale way than the R rating would
suggest. In fact, if it wouldn't scar them forever, there isn't anything
actually inappropriate for children. The villains are basically evil tooth
fairies anyway. Make up some moral about brushing your teeth and you've got the
perfect thing to show them when they've upset you.
Though the adults do well in their parts as the parent figures that think their child is a wacko, little Bailee Madison is the star of the show. She is a wonderful child actor who hopefully has a future ahead of her, and she is so adorable it makes the violent attacks on her more intense than they would have been if she had been an adult, like in the original. The execution of this movie is so superb, though, that even when the goblins do attack a grown-up, it is frightening. This does bring me to my one real issue with this otherwise exemplary horror story, and that is the goblins themselves. At first they are just whispers in the dark, which is their scariest form. Then we start seeing their shadows crawl across the screen, which is also acceptable. Then they start jumping at the camera, which comes across a little cheap. By the end, we have seen extended close-up shots of the computer-animated critters themselves, and they are not very frightening. This is because a computer can only show so much, when our imagination could have made things more unsettling. The final scene of violence would have been far more disturbing if we could not have so clearly seen who was doing it.
What are essentially minor quibbles aside, I was very impressed with this little fright-fest. It bothers to take its time telling an actual story and letting us into the characters' lives, even if it is just a little girl. She's more intelligent than the teenagers in most horror movies. Suspenseful films depend entirely on timing; on the build-up of terror. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark has all the patience necessary to do things right.
9/10
Though the adults do well in their parts as the parent figures that think their child is a wacko, little Bailee Madison is the star of the show. She is a wonderful child actor who hopefully has a future ahead of her, and she is so adorable it makes the violent attacks on her more intense than they would have been if she had been an adult, like in the original. The execution of this movie is so superb, though, that even when the goblins do attack a grown-up, it is frightening. This does bring me to my one real issue with this otherwise exemplary horror story, and that is the goblins themselves. At first they are just whispers in the dark, which is their scariest form. Then we start seeing their shadows crawl across the screen, which is also acceptable. Then they start jumping at the camera, which comes across a little cheap. By the end, we have seen extended close-up shots of the computer-animated critters themselves, and they are not very frightening. This is because a computer can only show so much, when our imagination could have made things more unsettling. The final scene of violence would have been far more disturbing if we could not have so clearly seen who was doing it.
What are essentially minor quibbles aside, I was very impressed with this little fright-fest. It bothers to take its time telling an actual story and letting us into the characters' lives, even if it is just a little girl. She's more intelligent than the teenagers in most horror movies. Suspenseful films depend entirely on timing; on the build-up of terror. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark has all the patience necessary to do things right.
9/10
Five
rather stupid teenagers go for a weekend retreat in a reclusive cabin way out
in the middle of a wood located nowhere near anywhere. Ignoring the menacing
warning of the hillbilly gas station attendant, they begin their frolicking,
only to accidentally awaken a trio of specters bent on brutally murdering them
all. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Even a casual movie-goer has heard this
synopsis describe any number of other movies, with the cause of the deaths
being the only thing that really differs. Ever since movies like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Halloween solidified the slasher genre
as a reliable money-maker, a formula was put in place and has rarely been
altered through the years. Now, with their new movie The Cabin in the Woods, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon have put their
collective creativity towards what they call a “loving hate letter” to modern
horror.
Here’s
the thing. What I described above is not the actual plot of the film, but a
scenario created by the movie’s real main characters, a group of scientists and
law officials who are forced for mysterious reasons to perform this murderous
ritual every so often on five unsuspecting stereotypes. This plot is ingenious
because it allows the movie’s creators to not only have fun with making countless
references and jabs at the horror genre, it is also a way to reprimand the very
people who probably went into the theater expecting a barrel of thrills. The
way that the simulation’s creators (or screenwriters or audience members) laugh
their way through their grisly work is more subtly disturbing than any of the
actual violence in the movie, which is very rarely frightening. Then again,
when was the last time a slasher movie actually was scary? 1978, I’d imagine.
No, this movie plays out as pure parody, though there aren’t as many laughs as
there is finger-pointing. I could feel Goddard and Whedon’s frustration with
their own target audience as they go out of their way to explain what is wrong
with movies today. And that’s what made me appreciate this thing the most.
There aren’t very many people in Hollywood
who will admit how much of a machine it is, because this movie pretty much
explains how movies are constructed today, and that goes for all genres, not
just horror.
The Cabin in the Woods is such a
pleasantly unique experience. It is a horror movie for those who have seen too
many of them and, trust me, you haven’t seen this one before. My only complaint
is also a rather big one. The climax, which includes a thorough explanation for
everything that went on prior, is very underwhelming. The surprising
imagination that makes the first two-thirds so enjoyable quickly runs out
before the ending. Regardless, this is a great piece of new entertainment that
manages to make its statement without sacrificing enjoyment. This may not be
great horror or even great comedy, but is great criticism. Now, if we would
just learn our lesson…
7/10
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