Rated R for violence and terror.
Starring Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce and Bailee Madison
Directed by Troy Nixey
Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro
I think I’ll sleep with the lights on tonight.
Based on the 1973 film with the same title (that director and writer Guillermo del Toro believes is the scariest TV production ever made) the story follows Sally (Bailee Madison), a young girl who moves to Rhode Island to live with her father (Guy Pearce) and his new girlfriend (Katie Holmes) in the 19th-century mansion they are restoring. While exploring the house, Sally starts to hear voices coming from creatures in the basement whose hidden agenda is to claim her as one of their own. Akin to Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labrinth, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark focuses on a young girl’s struggle against menacing and terrifying forces.
OK, I’m gonna start out with a few negatives. The first is my biggest complaint about almost every horror movie…the characters seem to be dumber than a bag of hammers. I hate watching a movie and every 5 seconds I’m yelling, “Come on, don’t go downstairs!” But they always do…and I’m assuming they always will. Oh well.
Other than that, the movie is great. Rookie director Troy Nixey does not disappoint this Guillermo del Toro (writer) fan. It is just as creepy and disturbing as some of del Toro’s films. The house and creatures are right out of the warped mind of del Toro and gave me that unsettled feeling for the entire film.
Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce are good, but it’s Bailee Madison that keeps you caring and (in my case) yelling at her to stop going downstairs.
The gore or the scares drive most horror movies, but this one has a pretty decent story as its driving force…and I liked it. There was a quick but adequate back-story that sets up the rest of the film and works all the way through till the end.
This is not the scariest, smartest or most original horror movie, but it’s creepy enough to earn a strong “Rental” score from me.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
This movie is Rated R for violence, terror and pervasive scariness. Although there is almost no profanity, there are plenty of disturbing and bloody scenes
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
Q: What’s the message/theme of this movie?
A: So the name of the movie is Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. Were you afraid of the dark when you were little? What are you afraid of now?
Q: How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
A: In the movie, Sally had a very good reason to be afraid of the dark, but what about us, should we be afraid?
In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul told Timothy not to be afraid. He said, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
How do you think Timothy felt reading that? How do you feel reading that?
Read Philippians 4: 4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
What does this verse tell us about being anxious or fearful?
In the movie, Sally used a flashlight to help with her fear…according to this verse, what can we use?
Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
A: Do you want to live with the peace of God, which transcends all understanding? Well Paul gives us a very simple formula…worry about nothing, pray about everything!
Tough test this week, don’t worry about it, pray about it.
