Optiluiz here once more with another weekly movie review. So, this week I went to the movies in order to could get you guys a review of something recent for a change. I'm a fan of Guillermo Del Toro, so I thought this would be alright. Sure, it's directed by Troy Nixey, but Del Toro's style seeped in even though he's not directing. Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark is about a little girl who moves in with her father after he remarried. He's trying to renovate an old mansion that once belonged to a mysterious artist and, naturally, something evil resides in the bowels of the house.
I stepped inside the theatre with an open mind, having only seen a trailer or two of this movie. I thought it would be your usual fairy-tale reinvention, the kind Guillermo usually endorses, but it wasn't. Troy's direction really stood out in this film, and imagine my surprise when I realized how Lovecraftian the whole tale was. Sure it's a horror film about 'tooth fairies', but the Lovecraft vibe is still there, hidden in the shadows.
It's funny really, I found out later that this was filmed in the house that inspired Lovecract's 'Rats In The Walls'. Aiding the classic horror tale that is the backbone of this movie, is a very retro atmosphere, aided by a great (albeit eerie) musical score. Everything in this movie just fits together to form a great creepy adventure. Well, almost everything.
You see, there are some unforgivable plot holes in this film. And the script isn't as strong as it could (and should) have been. There are a few scenes where the dialogue just feels unnatural and phoned in, but maybe that's just me. Overall, what saves most of these shortcomings are the great performances, especially by Bailee Madison and Katie Holmes. I give this movie a 7.5/10.
Thanks for reading yet another movie review,
Chainsaw cheers,
-Optiluiz out...
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