Guillermo del Toro's 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'

[daflyboys]

http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00034431.html

This made for TV movie back in the early 70's scared the crap out of me then! I always thought a Hollywood version of this movie would be great if the right person got a hold of it..... and he did!

[ODogg]

Re: Guillermo del Toro's 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'

Yeah that does look pretty good

[Burns11]

Re: Guillermo del Toro's 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'

If Latchkey's Lament is any indication, Troy Nixey should knock this out of the park.

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[daflyboys]

Re: Guillermo del Toro's 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'

The Latchkey thing ain't doin it for me, but the style is interesting...

Here's the original trailer..

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and this 2011 ver:

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[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Guillermo del Toro's 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'

I'm gonna have to see this I think.

[daflyboys]

Re: Guillermo del Toro's 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'

Did anyone see this yet? If so, could you give a quick review with no spoilers?

[Blzer]

Re: Guillermo del Toro's 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'

I left impressions in the movie thread.

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...post2042771586

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

I know I was just informed not to see this, and after seeing that teaser trailer nearly one thousand times I almost wanted to abolish the film entirely, but I was with a group of people and couldn't exactly tell them all to switch to something else. It was the most appropriate film to see given the time we went there, anyway.

Overall, it wasn't greatly disappointing like IndianBird thought. Granted, I stayed for the entire film but even at 40 minutes in, I saw myself wanting to know what would happen at the end. This was a film with a well-built creepy element, but the "reason(s) to be afraid of the dark" were beyond lackluster. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I suppose I'll leave it at that.

However, one thing I want to give a notch to was the filmmaking. The camera work was so original and fantastic for a film of this nature. It was frantic and claustrophobic, but not in the sense that it was too close to see anything. It had scope and depth, but the lenses that were used really made it perceptive, in the sense that we are there with the characters.

Like most horror films, they give you a disoriented family, skeptics mixed with believers, people making farcical decisions, and rather unthorough resolve once the credits start rolling. For something that builds up to want to be something, it seems like it threw a dart at a wall of different ending types, landed on one, and they stuck with it. Oh well, it wasn't a disaster. There just wasn't enough worthy storytelling here, beyond the mysteries which clouded the film (and what little we learned from them, in fact). Perhaps that's why it's noble to walk out in the middle of the screening.

For anybody wondering, this movie was neither a scarefest, nor did it really intend to be one. It was often times grimacing, and did what it could to make you want to see how the film ended. Too bad they didn't work harder on a deeper unraveling once it all came to a close, though. Oh, and it was a moderate R-rated kind of horror movie. Not too much violence/terror, and I can't recall a single swear word (beyond "hell," "damn," etc.) being said in this movie either... for people who were wondering.

I would definitely say this is better than Insidious, and to not let an annoying crowd take away from the good aspects this films brings. Which reminds me, I have to stop going to see horror films on their respective opening nights. When you're trying to get into it, teenagers just kill it for you, because they can't seem to shut the **** up.

Although I didn't like Insidious as much, they are difficult to compare. In terms of styles of horror, these two couldn't be any more different. Insidious is loud, takes itself seriously, and is always in your face. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is much quieter (it places more emphasis on tone), is sometimes tongue-in-cheek, and doesn't rely on jump scenes most of the time.

Insidious is also very scary, whereas Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is creepy, not scary. They're both quite good, however. As far as big drawbacks, Insidious just falls apart by the third act, while Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a mess when it comes to culture origin. They could have spent ten more minutes in the film to iron that aspect out.

[daflyboys]

Re: Guillermo del Toro's 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'

Sounds like pretty typical GDT. I'll just wait to rent and watch on the flat screen.

[Blzer]

Re: Guillermo del Toro's 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'

Sounds like pretty typical GDT. I'll just wait to rent and watch on the flat screen.

Yeah, there isn't much to see here.

This wasn't a GDT-directed film, though. He was a writer and producer, I believe.

[RoyalBoyle78]

Re: Guillermo del Toro's 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'

I saw it and I though it was pretty crappy, when I let I wanted my money back.