Review of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010) by Jollyg87 — 15 Dec 2011

Horror movies don't have to be scary, but if they're going for the chills, they have to do one thing at least. They can't blatantly show the antagonists. This is a mistake "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" makes, and it completely kills the movie.

Early on, the film is decently creepy. We get a very disturbing opener, but 30 minutes in the creatures come out to "play" and we get to see every bit of them. By seeing the creatures, "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" turns into an incoherent fantasy masquerading as a horror film.

Another thing that bothered me was the little girl, Sally. Bailee Madison is a terrific actress, but her character is forced to make so many illogical choices that it's hard to appreciate what she does here.

After she has been attacked by these creatures in a way that would force any child into therapy, her character pleasantly takes a bath and doesn't seem to mind that she's vulnerable and alone. What child does that? It's these inconsistencies that take us out of the situation.

On the positive side, the cinematography is alright and the performances are all fairly strong. Katie Holmes, who is an average actress through and through, gives one of her best performances here as a concerned girlfriend of Guy Pearce.

But there's not really much to appreciate here. If you want to catch a horror flick, see the new "Fright Night." It's not scary either, but it's a heck of a lot of fun.