“I’ve always dreamed of having a room like this.” Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark has been obscure on video and DVD for decades and has only recently gained more recognition with the announcement of Guillermo del Toro’s theatrical remake. Since the plot has promise, the gore is at a minimum, and the goblins are rather stiff and leathery, this made-for-TV movie is actually a prime candidate for a new version, promised to be R-rated for unrelenting terror. Perhaps the greatest inclusion will be that of a little girl, played by Bailee Madison, taking over as the creatures’ primary target.

A curious voiceover intro describes a family moving into a large house – odd because the conversing couple is present, just not in frame. It’s preceded by harsh, inhuman, grizzled voices pondering if someone will eventually return to the mansion. Sally Farnham (Kim Darby) and her husband Alex (Jim Hutton) have just moved into the creepy old house left by her grandmother, and she preps for a party at their new home. Upon touring the insides, she comments on the quiet basement, a lightless room with shuttered windows and cemented, iron bars surrounding a bricked up fireplace, closed some 20 years prior. The crotchety carpenter/handyman Mr. Harris (William Demarest) won’t open it up and strongly advises against it - he knows something about it, something dangerous, but won’t divulge details. Stubborn and curious, Sally pries the grill away from the fireplace – and unleashes a horde of tiny, vengeful creatures, bent on taking Sally away with them into a hellish otherworld nightmare.

The majority of the movie is dark, including the dinner party, cleverly explained as Mr. Farnham trying to prevent his guests from spying unfinished sections of the house. A smashed ashtray can’t be blamed on mice, and mysterious, heavily wrinkled little monsters taunt Sally from behind walls, curtains and in cupboards. One of the most terrifying scenes involves the dropping of a steely straight razor. Alex is convincingly disbelieving, providing a strong source of realism, gruffly doubting Sally’s wild accusations. Is her imagination working overtime, is she quickly going insane, is she being tormented by miniature bloodthirsty demons, or is she just upset that her husband is more concerned with an upcoming promotion than her happiness? Even if her good friend Joan (Barbara Anderson) believers her story of things that go bump in the night, will anyone else?

“We’ve got to get out of here. We’ve got to get out of here,” Sally drunkenly slurs, drugged by the mischievous, furry ne’er-do-wells. The dialogue is suggestive of genuinely eerie horror, and the screeching violin music is perfectly unnerving, adding to the frightening idea of evil gremlins trying to drag Sally’s spirit to the underworld. The scene transitions are tailored for television, the special effects and creature designs are noticeably outdated, and the acting is only mediocre. But the atmosphere is sharply crafted and the gravelly-voiced whispers are inspiringly chilling; occasionally they’re hypnotically beckoning, other times horrendously jeering. The imps aren’t afraid to come out during the day, just as long as they’re submerged in shadows, lending to even more shock-tactic possibilities for the remake. Additionally, producer del Toro stated that he wouldn’t shy away from the shocking ending. Regardless, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is an impressive little thriller, made more petrifying if nostalgic from viewings as a child.

- Mike Massie

 

Click HERE to read the review of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2011)

 

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