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Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)

R  |   |  Fantasy, Horror, Thriller  |  26 August 2011 (USA)
5.6
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Ratings: 5.6/10 from 39,005 users   Metascore: 56/100
Reviews: 247 user | 294 critic | 35 from Metacritic.com

A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend believes that she has released creatures from a sealed ash pit in the basement of her new home.

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Kim
...
...
...
Garry McDonald ...
Emerson Blackwood
...
Charles Jacoby
...
Mrs. Underhill
Bruce Gleeson ...
Buggy Driver
Eddie Ritchard ...
Housekeeper (as Edwina Ritchard)
Carolyn Shakespeare-Allen ...
Airport Cart Driver
David Tocci ...
Workman
Lance Drisdale ...
Policeman
...
Psychiatrist
Libby Gott ...
Nurse
...
Librarian
Edit

Storyline

A young girl is sent to live with her estranged father and his girlfriend at their new home. The father, Alex has plans to spruce up the home with the help of his interior decorator girlfriend, Kim. The previous owner of the home was a famous painter who mysteriously disappeared. Alex's daughter, Sally, soon discovers the cause of the painter's disappearance. Written by Jeff Mellinger

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and terror | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

| |  »

Country:

| |

Language:

Release Date:

26 August 2011 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

No temas a la oscuridad  »

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$8,525,728 (USA) (26 August 2011)

Gross:

$24,042,490 (USA) (11 November 2011)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

, ,  »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

| (as Datasat Digital Sound)|

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Guillermo del Toro:  Passenger on the plane behind Sally. He also voiced one of the creatures in the film See more »

Goofs

It is established that the creatures recoil in pain to any light no matter how dim yet they are somehow able to stalk Sally in the dinner party scene in a fully lit room. See more »

Quotes

Sally: They don't like bright lights, you know, those things.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Bingo (2015) See more »

Soundtracks

Crystal Images
Written by Onaje Allan Gumbs
Performed by Onaje Allan Gumbs
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
A Lame Screenplay, Despite the Participation of Guillermo del Toro
18 February 2012 | by (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) – See all my reviews

In Rhode Island, the interior designers Alex (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes) welcome Alex's nine year daughter Sally (Bailee Madison) that was sent by her mother to live with Alex. The couple brings Sally to the manor of the painter Emerson Blackwood (Garry McDonald), who had disappeared with his son many years ago, and Alex has invested all his money in the mansion expecting to be promoted in his business with the restoration of the house.

Sally rejects Kim and feels lonely in the mansion and while walking on the real estate, she finds that the manor has a hidden basement. Alex's employee William Harris (Jack Thompson), who is a descendant of Blackwood, warns Sally to never go to the basement but the girl overhears voices in the ash pit calling her. However Sally brings a wrench and removes the bolts of the ash pit cover. Sooner Sally finds that evil creatures that fear the light have escaped from the underground through the ash pit and are threatening her. However, Alex and Kim believe that it is only her imagination.

"Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" is a remake of a 1973 film that I have never seen. The cinematography and the performance of the girl Bailee Madison are great. Unfortunately the lame screenplay has many plot holes and, for example, the disappearance of Kim and the weird events that the guests have witnessed have no consequence in the end of the story.

The DVD has interviews and behind stage footages and it is visible the interference of Guillermo del Toro in the direction. Unfortunately his participation is not enough to save this film. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Não Tenha Medo do Escuro" ("Don't Be Afraid of the Dark")


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The biggest and most laughable plot hole... import22
100 Things I Learned from Don't Be Afraid of the Dark beb-13
To people who don't get the ending: SidneyDB
How would you kill the creatures? waterloggedfrog
Is it really so bad that i should avoid this? Soul_er
I want two hours of my life back ptwob_kingry
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