Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2011)
Horror themes and violence
| Director: | Troy Nixey |
| Actors: | Bailee Madison, Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, Jack Thompson, Julia Blake, Garry McDonald, Alan Dale |
From the fantastic mind of Guillermo Del Toro comes Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, a creepy, spine-tingling story, set modern day but playing up fears from gothic childhood fairy tales - that demons, evil fairies, gnomes and ghouls lurk just outside our range of vision, and we'd better watch out.
Sally Hurst, a lonely, withdrawn child moves in with her father (Guy Pearce) and his new girlfriend (Katie Holmes) as they restore the Gothic estate, the sprawling Blackwood Manor. Sally discovers a hidden basement, undisturbed since the strange disappearance of the mansion's owner a century ago. Voices draw Sally in and she unwittingly opens a gateway into a hellish underworld from which an army of ancient, dark-dwelling creatures emerge - small in size but endless in number.
As they conspire to drag her down into the macabre mansion's bottomless depths, Sally tries to warn everyone it's not make-believe - before the evil lurking in the dark consumes them all.
| Status: | QuickPick |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 99mins |
| Origin: | UNITED STATES |
| Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 |
If you like this, try these:
Member Reviews (29)
29 Member
Reviews
Annie S
says
Poor story line. Far fetched and not enough scare factor but otherwise a reasonable movie and half entertaining.
Louise
says
the storyline was ok. the acting was pretty bad. an aussie made movie pretending to be in the USA. the little girl is out of once upon a time, where she plays the young snow white. being a horror fan this failed, even the kids thought it was pretty not good & yes it was slow. disappointed, i whish it was so much better.
Kaz
says
Not a bad attempt at an aussie made horror/thriller.
Mintiegirl
says
Small spooky people in the basement.....seen it all before...
says
Very slow movie and very frustrating..The adults just did not care..However, the child was great and the "little creatures" were very scary... not bad for one time watch..
John F
says
I like horror and fantasy , however I found this movie to be a bit slow and boring
Keith
says
Yet another remake from creatively bankrupt Hollywood writers and directors.Awful
Grace
says
I enjoyed this film. The characters were quite stupid sometimes (looking at you, Guy Pearce) but we watched it with the lights off and were thoroughly creeped out, which is all we asked for.
Mum was going "i know him/her!" every five seconds, there were a lot of Aussie actors in it and it turns out it was filmed in Victoria so maybe one day I'll go see the house.
The ending creeped me out heaps!
says
Got bored watching this. Same old horror story
Georgie
says
Awesome movie. Loved it. Creatures were nasty, the house is creepy & the acting was good.
Heather
says
The little girl was a little too brave in this movie and the adults where way too non chalant. Not scary at all with the unrealistic looking "monsters"
Lee
says
Brilliant atmospheric movie...the little girl was amazing, I loved it
Vicki
says
Not my cup of tea.
Baron-Virgo
says
This is a really good horror film, very creepy indeed. The plot is fairly basic and there is hardly anyone else in it besides the traumatised girl and her limp parents but don't let that put you off. The atmospheric setting of the house is very well done (check out the extras about the house/set), the dim lighting adds a feeling of dread and the sound effects are really good. I've read some negative comments about the little "monsters" being revealed too early but I disagree - the digitial fx for them is really well done and being so small makes them more terrifying (in the way children in horror movies can be).
sue
says
It had lots of suspense, enjoyable film, it was scarry.
Neety
says
I really enjoyed this movie. It brought back a lot of scary childhood memories
Johno
says
Not bad really..creepy.
Chlo_85
says
Loved it... best horror / thriller to come out in AGES. My partner and I were on the edge of our seats so often, I felt like id done a workout from having such tense muscles!
ben
says
Lost interest in it fairly quickly and walked away from it very boring typical horror similar plot etc predicable
SHANNON PRASHER
says
Great Movie ~ Scared The living daylights Outter Me!!..
c(=
Sogno13
says
Finally a Horror movie that scared me, LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
david simon
says
watched it alone with the lights out...very atmospheric & creepy. well acted & well made. worth watching if you're in the mood.
2greedy
says
wasn't overly good but watchable for far fetched movie
Elena
says
I love a good horror film, but this was one of the silliest movies I've seen in a while- Ludicrous.
Trevor
says
Not a great movie,im a fan of Guillermo Del Toro and his works but this movie fails to deliver.The creatures verge on being ridiculous and if it wasnt for some gruesome scenes part of me thought this movie was kind of funny even though it doesnt aim to be.Pity.
Susette
says
I really enjoyed this and was genuinely scared for the little girl at times.I liked the ending too-made you think.Great Aussie
cast in it ;and Katie Holmes did quite well as the girlfriend trying to befriend her partner's child.it was a typical Guillermo del Toro thriller/horror flick.Better than I was expecting.
Phil
says
Great photography and special fx however it could have been greater if the storyline would leave the parents and their staff to behave like human beings! Katie Holmes and Guy Pierce could be considered as the worst parents ever! I would have punched both of them so hopeless they were to react, make logical decisions... It was so dumb that they made me believe that they were nasties part of the whole plot. Frankly could have been a four stars movie but the characters were too damned stupid and flaws in the script let the movie down. Too bad. The end leaves you with some doubts and you also wonder why those creatures which are kind of a rat and small monkey blend together are so strong! It looks like they could have been walked on and crushed easily! Also they were way too intelligent, could get the automatic door worked on and lights switched off...for middle age or such an ancient period creatures, bravo!
Matthew B.
says
Really enjoyed this! Sumptuous in sound and vision. Great special effects! Filmed in Australia and you would never know it - beautifully filmed with a very talented cast. You can definitely see the influence of Guillermo del Toro (writer & producer) on this.
poshreany
says
had an original idea, and alright storyline, i didn't like the whole creature idea and what exactly where they and didn't actually explain how they got there... but it was watchable but i most likely wouldn't watch it again... as a fan of horror,thriller movies i found this weird with the creatures i thought it was going to be ghosts...