Eye For an Eye - Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

4 out of 5 Popcorn Kernels

See Trailer Here

When it comes to twisting a fable children's story into something quite the opposite of cute and cuddle, there are few who can do it as well as Guillermo del Toro. Many are in the same category such as Tim Burton (Coroline, Corpse Bride). But even theirs are sweet and sugary to what Guillermo can achieve. His Pan's Labyrinth was an excellent example of how he involves children in what appears to be a fairy tale situation only to sprinkle it with an adult reality of moralities. Here, in Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, he implores the fable of the Tooth Fairy - who instead of collecting little children's fallen teeth and exchanges them for silver - he implores that the Tooth Fairy, like some otherworldly vampire, feeds on the teeth of little children, whether they have fallen out or not.

At the films beginning, we realize we have fallen down Alice's rabbit hole, when we witness a prologue that delivers us a "Once Upon a Time," start, when the great Lord Blackwood lost his child down an ash chute under a chimney, in a basement, at a huge manor called Blackwood Manor - to a creature that demanded children's teeth to live. Well Lord Blackwood having no other children to gain teeth from to which he can bargain with, and decided to use his own...


...then his maids.


The outcome was not pleasant, and Lord Blackwood vanished.


Now we return to the abandoned home whre a family with real estate in their blood, deem this home to be resealable for one of their clients. Had the couple read the brochure to Rhode Island, they would know hat any home that has more rooms than occupants living there, and stands 3-stories high, with a caretaker to boot, was only meant for trouble. But alas...they didn't.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

The family consists of a father, Alex (Guy Pierce), his girlfriend, Kim (Katie Holmes), and yes, a 10-year old named Sally (Bailee Madison) - teeth and all. Sally is already upset that her mother has put her in care of her sometimes caring, but really-has-no-clue-on-fathering father, an then to seem him with a new girlfriend who's desperately trying to bond with her. It's no wonder Sally gets bored with them all and decides, as young children will, to explore. As she does, she hers voices, soothing bur eerie, that understand her feelings. That there is a place for her. There is love, fun, other children to play with ...in the basement.


Soon Sally finds a tooth in this hidden basement, and Alex is upset at her for wandering alone. Kim tries to sympathise, but in the world of adults, little creatures and voices professed to be heard by a 10-year old, just can't be takes seriously.


The caretaker, Harris (Jack Thompson), bodes them to stay away from the basement, because of the strange disappearance of Lord Blackwood and his child, who was last seen there. If a caretaker tells me anything, you best believe I would listen...but this family is not me.


But Alex and Kim do something unique in this film - the act more like real adults than acting adults. They have relationship issues, thy have parenting issues, who cares about a basement and disappearing Lord's, when they are in debt and have a house to sell. Sally has only time to focus on her and her own life, as these creatures are clever enough to realize that Sally is onto them, and if they can't have the teeth alone, then they will just have to take her.

Peek-A-Boo...I See You

Don't be afraid of the Dark then moves quickly. We feel for Sally, but understand her parents as well. So Sally has to grow up fast. This performance also takes a good actress to pull it off, and Bailee along with the direction of Troy Nixey, is able to make this horrifying without it being frightening. You can see her thinking, and not only figuring out what the motives of the creatures are, but she understands that she is in this alone by being able to analyze the reactions of her caregivers. She realizes that they are in a whole different world than she is.


Guy Pierce and Katie Holmes go through a much slower arch, but its believable as they change from guardians to protectors. This is a great acting from them both, with an ending I was not quite expecting. I was also not quite expecting the level of violence in this film, but this is how Guillermo works. These creatures manage to remain hidden from he adults, even when Sally is in the same room. Like rodents, slipping in and out like a blur in your side-vision.


Don't be afraid of the Dark is a movie that is worth watching...even with the lights on.