Saturday, January 28, 2012

Del Torro's 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark' was a good, creepy thriller

I watched a horror movie the other day that I’ve wanted to see for a while, “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” and I was more than a little pleased by the overall quality of this movie. If you like a good, creepy thriller, you should check this one out.

“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” is about a young girl named Sally, who moves from California to live with her father and his girlfriend in Rhode Island. Her father is remodeling their home, which is a huge, old Victorian mansion that was originally owned by a famous wildlife painter. The painter vanished without a trace under mysterious circumstances and when Sally arrives on the scene she accidentally releases a host of murderous “tooth fairies” who were imprisoned deep beneath the house.

My biggest reason for wanting to see this movie was because it was co-written by Guillermo del Torro, who directed both “Hellboy” movies. Many of you who saw “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” will remember the “tooth fairies” in that film. The creatures in “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” are similar to those except they don’t have wings and are arguably of nastier disposition.

“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” was released in August of last year and was directed by Troy Nixen, who is also a famous comic book artist and writer. Matthew Robbins and del Toro wrote the screenplay, and the cast included Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, Bailee Madison, Nicholas Bell, Julie Blake, Alan Dale, James Mackay, Garry McDonald, Edwina Ritchard and Jack Thompson.

I loved that this movie also referenced Welsh author Arthur Machen. When Holmes’ character visits the local library to investigate the disappearance of the mansion’s former owner, Machen’s stories are mentioned specifically by the librarian in regard to the origin of the “tooth fairies.” For those of you who are unfamiliar with Machen, his stories are awesome, especially “The Hill of Dreams.”

Machen was also a huge influence on horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, and I thought that it was interesting that the movie was set in Rhode Island, which is Lovecraft’s native state. Del Toro is a huge Lovecraft fan and there has been talk of him directing a long overdue movie version of Lovecraft’s famous novel, “At the Mountains of Madness.” “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” also had a similar plot to a famous Lovecraft story called, “The Rats in the Walls.”

“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” also reminded me of Joe Hill’s recent “Locke & Key” graphic novel series. The “Locke & Key” series by Hill, aka Stephen King’s son, is set in a mysterious, old country mansion called “Keyhouse,” which is located in the fictional town of Lovecraft, Mass.

In the end, I enjoyed “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” and would recommend it to any horror fans in the reading audience. How many of you have had the chance to watch this movie? What did you think about it? Did you like it or dislike it? Why? Let us know in the comments section below.

For more information about “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” visit its official Web site at www.dontbeafraidofthedark.com.

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