Spooktoberween #19 Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

I can't always count on Guillermo Del Toro. Directing, yes, he is my kind of storyteller. The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth are two of my favorite movies. Blade 2 is my favorite of the Blade movies (not a high bar to cross). Pacific Rim and the Hellboy movies are a lot of fun. He put his production stamp on Splice and directed Cronos, both of which I just thought were so-so. The Orphanage is another of my favorite horror movies. So, all in all, more hits than misses, even if he dabbles in genres I don't have a big interest in.

I had heard bad things about Don't Be Afraid of the Dark and that kept me away for a couple of years. Firstly, I am no Katie Holmes fan since she usually talks out of the side of her mouth like a stroke victim. She actually acquits herself well in this one. Guy Pearce overcomes a ridiculous haircut to do a decent job, too. The little girl is not one of the more sympathetic actresses that could have been cast but she kind of grows on you after awhile.

It was odd that I watched this right after The Hole as both are about families split by divorce and moving into a new house with a portal to unspeakable horror in the basement. While Dante keeps things light and devilish, Troy Nixey (in his big screen debut) makes things slightly more sinister and grotesque (fitting, given the subject matter). Although Arthur Machen gets a shout out, Lovecraft's The Rats In the Walls feels like the obvious ancestor to this story of a little girl who finds a race of fairy folk living in her basement. That they only eat the teeth and bones of children is no nevermind. In fact, I was kind of hoping this movie would tie into the Hellboy mythos since he fought these same fairies in Hellboy 2 (although they were designed very differently).

Pearce plays the disbelieving father, too wrapped up in his work to pay attention to his child. Holmes is Pearce's new girlfriend, who is trying hard to win the bratty little kid over. The creatures are creepy enough but seem as menacing as the Gremlins (which could get slightly nasty when needed). Their aversion to bright light also reminded me of Joe Dante's little beasts.

Not a bad movie. Of course, if it is Del Toro, don't expect a rainbows and lollipops ending. Worth a watch if bored and if you want to delve deeper into Del Toro's world.

My Spooktoberween reviews to date:

#18 The Hole
#16 and 17 Nine Dead and The Awakening
#14 and 15 Red State and The Bay
#13 Hatchet 2
#12 A Horrible Way to Die
#11 VHS 2
#10 The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh
#9 The Corridor
#8 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
#6 and 7 Atrocious and Fright Night
#5 The American Scream
#3 and 4 Transylvania 6-5000 and The Pact
#2 The Dunwich Horror
#1 Room 237