“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” is a remake of the 1973 made for television horror flick by the same name. It’s written by Matthew Robbins and Guillermo Del Toro and directed by Tory Nixey.

The movie tells the story of a young girl named Sally who has moved into Blackwood Manor, a gothic lake front house with more secrets than you expect.

I believe that this sort of movie would probably be enjoyable for those who are fans of Del Toro but not this movie goer. With low depth in character as well as characters who are depressing, the movie does not make you afraid of the dark. Some movie goers might also agree due to the minimal money it has earned – a total of $22.73 million since it has opened. Also all the characters have nothing unexpected about them. We see a neglecting parent, a misunderstood child, and a women (or adult) trying to get into a child’s life. It’s all been on film before. At times these back stories could be very interesting but this movie portrays them very poorly. Including their drab personalities they somewhat failed to keep up with the original. Due to the acting and the character development, this movie just isn’t as scary as the 1973 version.

But there are positives to this movie as well, with beautiful sets and some greatly animated evil creatures it is visually pleasing.

“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” gets two thumbs down from me. Find the 1973 version instead, which starred Kim Darby, and see that and save yourself $10.