hotfuzz25 Review of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)

Too Much Exposure of the Creatures

[4/10 · 29 August 2011]

This movie looked promising from what I saw in the trailers. Little creatures running around, mainly unseen. The part in the trailer where the thing jumps at you from under the sheets, unfortunately, that's the only "jumpy" part in the movie. The rest of the movie? Well, we see the scares coming. The movie literally shows you where the creatures are in the house, and the room, before the "scary" part happens. We watch them run behind a teddy bear. They then move the bear's arms and have it say "I love you," which is what it normally says without help. Then they push it off the shelf. When the girl is taking a bath, we watch the creatures run up to the tub. We then see them on the rim of the tub walking slowly up to her, with her watching them. Eerie feeling? Slightly. Scared? Nope. Remember the first Alien movie? Remember it was scary because you didn't see the creature until the end. That's the format this movie should have followed. You saw the little things so many times, and not just their eyes. You got to see exactly what they look like standing still towards the beginning of the movie. That takes the creepiness out of whatever's stalking you. These little things use tools that are lying around as "weapons." They apparently can't hurt you with their own powers. It kind of reminds you of Puppet Master. As far as story. Very little. There isn't a "shocking" ending nor is there any kind of emotional attachment to the characters. I found myself actually praying that the little girl would end up being taken away by the little creatures. I also couldn't help but hate the father, and step-mother, because of their refusal to do anything about their daughter seeing things. When the step-mother, Katie Holmes, finally believes the little girl, she agrees that they must leave the house, but decides that it will be the next morning, because the dinner party can't be put off. This movie is only worth renting if you are planning on having a lot of people over, and adding your own dialogue.