bryangl 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.

Scott LeBrun A little girl named Sally (Bailee Madison) is sent to live with her dad Alex (Guy Pearce) and his new girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes) in Rhode Island. Alex & Kim are in the process of restoring the lavish country estate that they live in. As fate would have it, a basement room long kept hidden reveals a secret: very diminutive creatures - scores of them - reside in the place and are always demanding to be fed. Sally discovers their existence, and is initially intrigued, but the intrigue turns to terror soon enough.Remaking the memorable 1973 TV movie of the same name was a long time pet project for co-writer / co-producer Guillermo Del Toro. The bigger budget and production values result in a movie that is able to offer some decent, if drab, visuals. (There's not a big color palate in this film.) Filmed on location in Australia, this version of 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark' has some moderately engaging horror moments, although it's not without its problems. For one thing, Dad is fairly infuriating, and it's Kim (likely named after original TV movie star Kim Darby) that forges the bigger bond with the little girl. Some genre fans may be pleased to note that Del Toro and Troy Nixey, the director whom Del Toro selected for this show, focus a lot on atmosphere. That's not to say, however, that this isn't without its bloody and violent portions. The creatures are quite amusingly designed, but after a while one realizes that they're seeing them far too much. And that's one thing that the '73 version had going for it: more subtlety.Holmes is actually rather appealing as the young woman who hopes to connect with this child. Pearce is good, but like this viewer said, his character doesn't come off all that well. It's young Madison that provides the heart for this picture; you really do feel for this kid. Aussie icon Jack Thompson is delightful as Harris, the caretaker on the premises who is soon revealed to know more than he lets on. You kind of wish he had more to do.After a promising start, this soon becomes rather trite stuff, but it's slickly made and adequately paced, and in the end is faithful to its source material.Six out of 10.

MisterWhiplash For Don't be Afraid of the Dark, we get a horror story that is actually, one may not know this, a remake of a TV movie from the 1970's (!) This being about little demanoid creatures that terrorize and haunt a mother and her young child (Katie Holmes). All of this would've probably had more resonance and emotion if the director (or, hell, producer-writer-presenter del-Toro) gave more to care about with the parents and the kid. But it's a well-constructed haunted-house movie imbued with the unique creature fx that only comes from the guy behind Pan's Labyrinth. Also extra points for a surprising climax that didn't take the route I expected. For design, scares and surface thrills it's a must-see. If only there was something underneath.

makusu_max While the concept was alright, the crew producing the movie was excellent, the execution was horrible.The characters never use COMMON SENSE whatsoever. And I know many people lack it, but it gets way too ridiculous.That one part the girl caught one, no one mentioned that at all.There were too many parts that didn't add up to any realistic scenario and to me, that killed most of it's little contribution to horror films.The dad is a total moron.The people get "knocked up" and wake up coincidentally at specific moments, even if they get shaken up or stuff happens that should wake em up anyway.The critters are fun but I believe they're executed with a WANKERey attitude. These could be used much better than this crap.