Don't Be Afraid of the Dark [Blu-ray]

Great movie!

So I hate scary movies, I always have. This is one I’m willing to torture myself with and watch. I want a second movie so badly!

This review is about the Warner Home Archive Blu-ray of the 1973 made for TV movie, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, not the 2010 remake.I won’t go into the movie itself so much. If, like me, you watched it as a kid every time it was rebroadcast it will be just as creepy and just as much fun as you remember. The nostalgia value is through the roof with this one.I mainly wanted to rave about the video quality. It absolutely blew me away. I bought the original Warner’s DVD when it came out. It was fairly dark and murky. In the Blu-ray the colors practically explode! It’s really impressive.So if you are a fan, by all means go for the Warner’s Blu-ray - you won’t be disappointed!

Considering the overabundance of negative reviews, I fully expected to hate this movie. To hedge my bet I bought it used but in pristine condition, cheap. (I had seen the original when it was first telecast on TV, but I must confess I don't remember it enough for it to have influenced my opinion of this remake.)All things considered, no one was more surprised than I was that I actually liked this film. Now comes the uncomfortable part where I must justify my response to a film that had a lot of flaws and a horde of detractors.The easy answer is that no one can validate personal taste; it is what it is. In my case, this film resonated on a very basic level: I was entertained. I loved the crazy little rat-monkey things. I am a sucker for monster movies and at the heart of it; this was a monster movie (albeit on the minuscule side of malevolence). That gang of teeth-mongering thingies was fascinating to watch, I quite forgot everything else the moment they appeared and took over. That part I really liked. As for the rest of the film, there were definite problems. The "restoration project" was more stuffy than spooky, as far as haunted houses go. The adults were in limited supply and only kept around as plot points rather than interested parties. They were spaced few and far between to help in the isolation of the little girl. Neither Katie Holmes nor Guy Pearce made much of an impression (especially Pearce); I don't think they were intended to. Also, the colony of rat-monkey things were given a lot to overcome considering they are first introduced as disembodied voices. Rather than sinister, their chatter came off as comical. I'm also a bit confused by the introduction of a Polaroid camera into the story. Weren't they obsolete as of 2008? Wouldn't an LED flashlight have made more sense?To put it more succinctly, loved the little monsters (rogue tooth fairies), could have cared less about the human element. It's a keeper!

FINALLY the movie I have been waiting for has been officially released for online viewing in the comfort of my own home 'theater' room sans other peoples screaming kids and over priced concession snacks and $10 bucks for a ticket. Isn't the digital age just marvelous for the most part?So, for the movie at hand...I saw the original 'Don't be afraid of the dark' when it was first shown on television back in the 1970's and it was a movie that has always stuck in my mind because of the horrible creep factor of those nasty little creatures and their hoarse whispering voices combined with viciously sharp teeth that are always ready to take a bite out of some poor saps ankle. This was also the only movie that I have ever watched that gave me one of the worst nightmares that I have ever experienced, and that was several years after I had seen the movie on TV! I broke down and bought a copy of the original movie on DVD along with 'Gargoyles' (another great TV movie from the same era). Now I think I will need to buy a copy of the new version too so I can pull them out and watch them whenever I want without the wait.This movie has all of the creepiness of the original movie plus the added bonus of some great close-up shots of the nasty little teeth stealing monsters thanks to digital enhancements that really bring these horrifying buggers to life in a visceral manner that will scare the Hell out of the majority of kids under the age of about 12 years old. Good times ! The acting was pretty good for the most part and Katie Holmes is as adorable as ever. The actress that played young Sally really grated on my nerves because of her ubber precocious personality that is so typical of child actors these days. Hopefully she will grow out of that wide eyed cry-on-cue acting and some day go on to rave reviews for being a truly gifted actress. Time will tell.The movie pretty much follows the same storyline as the original TV movie did but in a far more polished manner because of a bigger budget and better special effects. All in all I give it a 5 star rating because it has some really great scream-out-loud moments (LOVE those!) and and some pretty darn good special effects that make me want to see this movie again and even buy a copy for my own movie collection. I really hope that you enjoy the movie as much as I did and if you have a chance to see the original TV movie - go for it! - John in Tucson

I love this movie! It’s a remake of one I loved as a little girl. I was so happy to find that it was remade into this truly spooky traditional horror movie.

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Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark paints a chillingly mythical portrait but commonly forgets to turn the lights off. Lord Blackwood. Wildlife painter, doting father and sacrificial murderer. His son kidnapped by miniature entities residing in the darkened ash pit of the manor’s basement, demanding for children’s teeth. Blackwood fails by chiseling the teeth of his housekeeper instead, ultimately leading to his untimely demise. Months later, a fragmented family consisting of an architectural father, interior designing girlfriend and depressingly introverted daughter move into the manor to restore it. Young Sally yearning to move back in with her mother whilst Kim attempts to form a parental bond with her. Alex on the other hand only concerned about his career. With Sally’s entrance awakening the mysterious creatures once more, she must confront her own fear and escape the manor before she herself is dragged into the depths of the ash pit. Locked away for eternity.Nixey’s nightmarish adaptation of the ‘73 TV film, rarely alters the original’s plot. By only introducing the daughter and modifying the origins of the mischievous creatures, writer and producer Del Toro retains the core essence of Newland’s instance, allowing attentive detail to be applied on other elements. The ornate production design, from the manor’s gothic tapestries to the whimsical labyrinthian gardens, has Del Toro’s fingerprints plagued throughout. The verminous design of the creatures, described to be folklorish tooth fairies, derived from writer Machen’s work. A name Del Toro has mentioned before for his influence on ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ and ‘Hellboy II’. With one eye close to the project, it’s ultimately surprising why he decided to hire another individual to cover directing duties instead of himself, as the final product clearly exudes an imitation of his previous endeavours. The increasingly slow atmospheric tension as the camera swoops through the tenebrous corridors whilst sinister whispers echo across the manor. Beltrami’s strengthened score granting the restored structure life.Unfortunately, explicit modernisations within the story prevent the success of the inherent chills from creeping through. The inclusion of Sally, performed energetically by Madison whom practically held the feature together, applied an unoriginal gloss over the finished painting. A typical plot strand of adults not believing the child’s imaginative stories revolving around mystical creatures, so they send them off to a therapist etc. before they realise they were telling the truth all along. It undoubtedly makes for a predictable plot, diminishing the majority of characterised development in the process. Much of the runtime is expended on Kim’s natural motherly instinct wanting to bond with Sally, with Holmes delivering a decent performance. Sally’s hostile confrontations with the creatures representing the catalyst for their growing relationship. The ending however seems somewhat mean-spirited when the central bond is shifted onto the father whom has not cared in the slightest. Almost seemed like a waste of time. Especially when they decide to stay the night after Alex and Kim realise Sally has been terrorised by these unknown entities (fantastic parenting...).The creatures themselves succumb to overexposure, with their contorted bodies being fully introduced too early, lessening the second half’s creep factor. And an expositional scene involving a librarian, attempting to tackle the similarities between Blackwood’s unpublished artwork and Sally’s tales, was derivatively redundant considering the introductory scene. Relinquishing the majority of the mystery.Alas, Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark is a fine folklorish fairy tale that offers just enough atmospheric chills and technical astuteness to be classed as watchable. Regrettably the plot and its fundamentally detached scares were surprisingly ineffective, which unequivocally should’ve been better executed given Del Toro’s involvement. You won’t be afraid of the dark after watching this, that’s for sure.

Sally is a troubled 8 year old who has been sent by her mother (for reasons never explained) to live with her father in his grand manor, along with his girlfriend. On arrival, Sally discovers a hidden basement room long boarded up by previous residents. Sally hears voices through the old internal grates, calling her name, and she opens the grates, releasing monsters that need a child sacrifice before they can rest.Off to a bad start, Sally is an obnoxious child who can't seem to decide if she is angry with the world or completely oblivious to danger by listening to creepy voices coming from deep underground, imploring her to come and play with them in the basement. Unfortunately, for the bulk of the film she is both and garnered little sympathy from me as the viewer. Guy Pearce seems largely disinterested in his daughter and spends the film in various degrees of bad temper involving everything and everyone around, which becomes tiresome quite quickly. Katie Holmes as the girlfriend starts off rather weakly and looking extremely sick but comes into her own as things progress and ends up being the saving grace for the story. Unfortunately, the monster element was not the slightest bit frightening and seemed to draw much of their antics from that old comedy 'Gremlins'. Add to this a preposterous ending where the characters just let things happen and don't attempt any investigation or explanation, and it was all too much for me.On the plus side, the production values are excellent and this is apparent in the locations, props and of course the acting talent that the filmmakers were able to employ with their bigger budget. This is also reflected in the excellent digital effects.The Blu-ray disk presentation is top notch which is a bonus although much of the film is shot in the dark often making it difficult to see what is going on. There are a number of lossless audio options available - I chose the dts-HD MA 5.1 option which was excellent with great clarity in voices and effects and realistic use of ambient sounds from the surround channels. But all up I was very disappointed with the film and wouldn't recommend it unless you are looking for something with limited scares and silly monsters.

This is an effective little film, a remake of a memorable TV movie from the 70s; Guillermo Del Toro serves as the writer/producer - this is director Troy Nixey`s first feature film.There is a tangible 70s feel to this production which is treated very much as a classic Gothic horror story typical of that period, although this has a contemporary setting.It differs from the original in that the main character is a child rather than a housewife and the malevolent presence in the basement is given the full benefit of CGI.A well-paced story-line, convincing sets and a chilling visual realisation of that presence make this a tight, suspenseful and wholly convincing frightener, driven on by a fine musical score provided by Marco Beltrami.The actors acquit themselves well enough, Bailee Madison in her first leading role carries things along very well.A satisfying and enjoyable old-school horror, well-made and respectful of its antecedents. The DVD extras don't amount to much (cumulative running time is about 15 minutes) but they provide some interesting background to the film, which - incidentally - was shot in Australia.

This film is creepy and unpredictable. I was very surprised by the ending. The young girl in it is a very talented and believable character. Made me jump a lot and is very dark and scary. Well, at least it was for me. I would recommend a look it is very entertaining if you like your horror films.

Because of the low price I paid for this I wasn't expecting much. But it was actually really good. The story was really great, and it had perfect amounts of creepy going on. It really wasn't a dumb film.