Ok, challenge time!
To all aspiring film makers out there; complete my test and I shall forever grant you a place in DAVE’S HALL OF LEGENDARY FILM MAKING GODS where you will receive all the glory and accolades that honor entails… from me. The Challenge before you: Make me an effective horror movie about the Tooth Fairy! Think you’re up to it? If the answer is no, well quite frankly I don’t blame you.
To the best of my knowledge, the only other time a horror movie has had the balls to tackle this concept was back in 2003 with “Darkness Falls,” and even then I wouldn’t so much say that movie had balls, so much as I would say it just didn’t have the good sense to know when it had failed, or how badly. It was an amateurishly done ghost story about a kindly(?) old woman who happens to collect teeth from local children. After being unjustly murdered by a random lynch mob (Standard Plot Device for B-Horror Movies) returns from the grave as a... well, a vengeful tooth fairy. It’s been many a year since I last saw Darkness Falls and I don’t plan to do so again for the sake of this review, but when I try to recall that particular movie watching experience, fear is not one of the emotions I remember feeling. I do remember it was horror(?) director Jonathan Liebesman’s most unintentionally funny movie, but dubius honor may shift hands next year when Liebesman unleashes “wrath of the Titans,” a sequel to the 2010 remake of “Clash of the Titans.” Excited?
On a happier note, I am very pleased to tell you that the same panning I just gave “Darkness Falls” cannot be said about the film de jour, “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.” “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” is a genuinely frightening and well crafted horror movie from newcomer director Troy Nixey, whose filmography is limited to this and a fairly cool 17 minute YouTube video called, “Latchkey’s Lament,” and veteran movie writers / directors Matthew Robbins and Guillermo del Toro.
Robbins is a writer I’ve had my eye on for a while now as he’s currently attached to the movie adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness;” and to add to his street cred, he also helped write “Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind,” an all time classic of Sci-fi movies. Also on a somewhat random note, he wrote the inexplicable “Corvette Summer;” just Google the poster and you’ll see what I mean, special surprise for all Star Wars fans included!
Guillermo del Toro is a writer whose talents have already been more than adequately demonstrated in his own, very impressive filmography, which has already earned him his place in DAVE’S HALL OF LEGENDARY FILM MAKING GODS and his influence clearly shows on this film. Like most of del Toro’s works, the atmosphere of this film feels like a vibrant yet dark, adult fairy tale, but more on that in a bit.
“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” is actually a remake of the 1973 made for TV movie bearing the same name. Sadly I can’t say I’ve seen the original, but I’ve heard that it too is a fairly creepy film, if a tad sexist. The plot of the original film centers around a newlywed couple moving into an inherited house which (Surprise!) turns out to be haunted by demons summoned by the wife’s father. The bulwark of that film revolves around the wife’s vain attempts to convince her husband of the dangers of the house while he scoffs at her female hysteria (See what I mean about the sexism thing?). That little tidbit is unfortunately all I can say on the original right now, since I haven’t actually seen it for myself. My mother told me it was good and the way I see it, if she remembers a made for TV movie from the70s it’s likely got SOMETHING memorable to it.
The remake adds a step daughter into the mix, whom the demons focus their primary attention on. As I said before, the demons are tooth fairies, but in the old European tradition of the term, I.E. little monsters that hid in the swamp and fed on the bones and teeth of children who were unfortunate enough to wander into the muck. They also left coins under children’s pillows in exchange for children’s baby teeth. Bet you never thought the tooth fairy was actually eating those things, did you? Childhood memories tainted yet?
These particular monsters inhabit a pit underneath the house in question and attempt to lure / trick / kidnap humans into the basement to satiate their hunger. Also, since the creature can’t stand to be in the light, hence the title, many of the scenes involve watching the critters find inventive ways to surround their potential victims in darkness where they quickly transform into an easy, calcium rich meal. There’s a particularly creepy scene near the beginning where the fairies con the house’s previous owner into killing his maid by getting him to drive a steel pick through her clenched teeth. Don’t we all love appetizers before the main course?
The big selling point of this movie is del Toro’s style, which as I said before oozes all over this film’s look, but in a good way. From the Old World European looks of the opening credits, to the family’s first visit to the formerly sealed-off basement, to the shots of the little girl’s Victorian bedroom at night when the creatures prowl through shadows in the lamp light, this film is a real visual treat. I’d actually compare it to an early Tim Burton film, you know, the type he used to make before he started with the CG cinematic poison of recent years.
While I did really like this movie, that isn’t to say it’s perfect. I’m not sure how effective it is for a horror movie to show the monster(s) so early on in the beginning, nor do think it’s a good idea give them as much cheesy dialogue as they seem to get. Also, while all the performances are all very good, especially that of twelve year old Bailee Madison who really steals the show, the family’s dynamics are more than a bit clichéd. Aww, step-daughter doesn’t like her dad’s new wife and feels all alone. Never seen THAT before in anything.
That said, these problems are very minor and really don’t ruin the movie watching experience and because of that, I’d strongly recommend this to you if you’re into horror films. If nothing else, if you’re looking forward to “At the Mountains of Madness,” whenever it FINALLY comes out, this may be a promising look into what you could possible expect. Till then, be sure to keep those pearly whites nice and clean for any hungry dinner guests.
