Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark – Broody (Recommendation)

Year: 2010

Director: Troy Nixey

Starring: Katie Holmes, Guillermo del Toro, Bailee Madison, Guy Pearce, Jack Thompson, Julia Blake, Garry McDonald, Alan Dale, James Mackay, Nicholas Bell

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFE4lGvRt8E

 

 

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is about Blackwood Manor, a large estate that has been vacant for many years, due to the strange disappearance of Lord Blackwood and his young son many years ago. Suddenly a new family pick up residence at the manor; a little girl called Sally (Bailee Madison), who has been sent to live with her father, Alex (Guy Pearce), and his new girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes). When Sally decides to explore the house, she discovers a hidden basement, and unlocks a fireplace, awakening hidden creatures that slowly stalk and torment her, all in the hopes of killing her.

 

Sometimes when we’re feeling broody, we just want to separate ourselves from those around us, which is exactly what Sally tries to do with her father and Kim. However this behaviour leads to them not believing that there were murderous demons ‘tooth fairies’ in the house, whittling it down to her having an overactive imagination and attention seeking. We are definitely shown an extreme negative to being moody.

 

Additionally, a fantasy horror film such as this is a perfect way to distract ourselves from the tedious moments in everyday life. As the protagonist is a small child, we feel an extra sense of urgency as they’re often seen and portrayed as being defenceless and naive. A poignant example of this is when Sally is trapped in the bathtub while the ‘tooth fairies’ slowly descend on their prey, her. Especially as the scene is intercut with that of Kim discovering the myth of Blackwood Manor and the creatures.

 

As a non-horror film watcher, I found Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark to be engaging, frightening, and an interesting change from other horrors I’d had the unfortunate pleasure of watching. I liked that it was revolved around a creature that is seen as a figure of sweetness and innocence within the media and society, as it’s interesting to see a contrasting representation of a childhood fantasy character. In the end, you find your negativity has transformed into adrenaline, as you’re more preoccupied with checking the fireplace or under the bed than acting sullen.