Film review: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

4/5

Generally speaking I tend to avoid horror films. I don’t see much point in sitting in a cinema and getting scared by looking at things that would never occupy even the darkest of dreams.

And I do get scared. To the point where I feel quite stressed. Why would anyone willingly put themselves in a situation they know will give them unnecessarily high levels of anxiety?

I wasn’t looking forward to Don’t be afraid of the dark.

It is an American horror film written by Matthew Robbins and Guillermo del Toro (producer of Pan's Labyrinth amongst many) and directed by comic book artist Troy Nixey. Starring Katie Holmes as the lead female, tickets will no doubt sell for those wishing to see if Tom Cruise has stolen his wife’s acting skills as well as her soul.

The story line revolves around an old mansion, purchased by Alex (Guy Pearce) with his interior designer girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes), the couple are renovating their new property in the hope of getting it onto the cover of a property magazine.

The history of the house is a dark one and a hidden basement is discovered with a secret story unveiled through old drawings.

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The basement is home to little golem like creatures, who haven’t eaten for a very long time.

Alex’s daughter – Sally Hirst (Bailee Madison) comes to stay who is a lonely and emotionally scarred little girl. She is, of course, drawn to the basement and tries to befriend the little creatures. But the creatures want blood..well..children’s teeth to be exact and you can imagine where this leads...

Without giving too much away the film then proceeds with accusations of overactive imagination, unexplained happenings and power cuts.

‘Fear in the unknown’ successfully keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, and those little monsters faces are shown just at the point where you need to sit back and follow the fast-paced ending to the story.

Katie Holmes meets her demise in a suitably horror-ble ending and the film wraps up nicely.

Don’t be afraid of the dark has all you would expect from a horror. Whilst it is nothing revolutionary it delivers just the right amount of gore without being tasteless, a few clichés without being boring and an accurately measured dose of suspense.

If you want to see a good old horror film, Don’t be afraid of the dark will give you exactly that.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark will open in UK cinemas on 7th October 2011, certificate 15

Film review: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

4/5

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