56
Metascore
35 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 67The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasAbsent any qualities beyond the surface, like the history and politics that trouble Del Toro's best films, Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark is little better than a half-decent scare machine.
- 63Orlando SentinelRoger MooreOrlando SentinelRoger MooreEntirely too literal, but it still manages to be a literally hair-raising piece of modern-style old school Gothic horror.
- 60Village VoiceVillage VoiceIf the grand finale isn't as resonantly scary as the original's, maybe that's just because, try though we might, we're no longer impressionable kids.
- 58Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallTampa Bay TimesSteve PersallCurled up at home with the lights off and DVD player running, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark might be passable fun. Spread over a movie screen, the film's modest ambition gets dwarfed by expectations, especially after paying for a ticket.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe result is a scary movie that is genuinely scary in parts, although an adult can't help noticing this is set in the very worn and tattered territory of the haunted-house genre. Then when you get a glimpse of the CGI critters causing all the mayhem, the scares completely vanish.
- 50Boxoffice MagazinePete HammondBoxoffice MagazinePete HammondBlame director Troy Nixey for lacking the touch, or blame the basic material which is better suited to TV - either way, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark never gets you jumping out of your seat.
- 42Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanNeither colorfully brutal nor especially fun. It's a plodding, derivative gothic potboiler: "The Shining" meets "Coraline," with a touch of "Gremlins" played (boringly) straight.
- 38Slant MagazineEd GonzalezSlant MagazineEd GonzalezDoes Katie Holmes's hubby get script-doctoring rights even on her own film projects? That would explain why Troy Nixey's inane Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, co-written and produced by Guillermo del Toro, at times suggests an anti-Rx PSA.