Not being believed is an effective horror trope because it
is a terrifying position to be in. However, it does hit a bit too close to home
at the moment with victims of abuse finally speaking out. These women have more
courage than any horror movie final girl.
In light of this, it has been a pleasure to discover ‘Don’t
Be Afraid of the dark’ (2010, directed by Troy Nixey)- a movie which shows us that
we can take people seriously, even if their stories seem unbelievable. It’s
been a while since I’ve fallen in love with a movie enough to watch it over and
over again like I have been over the last few weeks.
Sally is a young girl arriving at an old mansion her father
is renovating. She feels lonely and confused over her parents’ divorce. Her
presence awakens evil fairy-like creatures who have an appetite for children’s
teeth and bones. I knew I was down for a film about evil tooth fairies as soon
as the opening scene involved a chisel and hammer tooth extraction.
Sally’s relationship
with her father’s new girlfriend (Kim) goes refreshingly against the ‘evil step
mother’ archetype. From the beginning Kim is supportive of Sally and cares for
her despite being thrown into a motherhood she isn’t quite ready for. This
female comradery was great to see play out; instead of the two female
characters being pitted against each other like in so many other films. It’s an
important and positive representation of female relationships that needs to be
in more films.
The movie surprised me by having a good amount of realism
and depth to the characters. Then Child
actor Bailee Madison (look for her all grown up in the upcoming sequel the ‘the
strangers’) put on a fantastic performance, largely helped by the script which
gave the character of Sally genuine reactions and statements a child her age
would make. Her words were never forced or overly childlike. Guy Pearce’s
father character takes on a minor role despite his big, Hollywood name. This
film is foremost about Sally and Kim. It is occasionally refreshing to see male
characters take a backseat, used mainly as a plot device.
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is absolutely stunning to watch.
The sprawling house is a setting with just enough space and ornateness to be
beautiful yet entirely cold and isolating for the Characters, especially Sally.
The woods near the house look amazing and it really helps pull you into the
story. This film successfully whisks you away into a neo-gothic fairy tale. The score for this film perfectly matches this
and is a nostalgic reminder of big fantasy films.
 |
| Filmed in Victoria, Australia (50/50 chance it's either a winery or kangaroo hostel) |
Now, I guess I should mention this film is a remake, but I
for one think Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins did wonders with the
source material. I’ve watched some of the 1973 tv movie but it just wasn’t
interesting enough to keep going with.
The main switch between the two films is that Sally is an adult in the old
version instead of a child. I thought the change was a stroke of genius and
really amped up the agency in the story
I loved the creature design too, they were creepy and rat-like.
While they were CGI, it didn’t take away from the film. Which just goes to show
that CGI is often not the problem- a weak film under this type of effects is
what makes CGI a bad thing most of the time. I think the director is so be
congratulated on bringing Del Toro’s screenplay to life so well. Del Toro had a
big hand in this movie as he was also producer, it’s great to see that it
matches his other cinematic masterpieces. You’re either a fan of Guillermo del
Toro or you’re a fan of Guillermo del Toro; the man has made a name for himself
by bringing fantasy to adults and helping us relive the sense of wonder we had
when we were young.
I’m giving 'Don’t be afraid of the Dark' a 9/10.
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