Tag: Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark

Film Review: Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark

With the intention of increasing night light sales, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark offers the traits of a vintage horror. In terms of creepiness, the film is pretty effective.

Sally is a young girl who is sent to live with her father and his partner in New England. Architect Alex and interior designer Kim intend to renovate the house they are working on. The property gives Sally ample opportunity to explore. However, it appears that Sally is not alone when she hears voices calling her name…

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is effective on a creepy level, rather than being all out terrifying. There are some jumpy moments in Troy Nixey’s film, but less so than a film such as Insidious. Instead, Don’t Be Afraid takes a different tact, opting for a more subtle, unsettled feel.

Loosely based on the 1973 television movie of the same name, Don’t Be Afraid features a screenplay by Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins. The film treads a rather familiar narrative path; featuring a child who sees supernatural things while the adults think it is all in her mind. Nevertheless, the film does not head entirely in the direction one may think; there are a few small surprises.

Much of the film is concerned with Sally; the audience is often made to identify with her with the choice of camera angles. In this way Don’t Be Afraid is most effective. Viewers should be able to empathise with the fear felt by the little girl, as well as her frustration when no one believes her. The sequences that take place in Sally’s bedroom are particularly persuasive in conveying the childlike terror that the film preys upon.

Despite some scares, Don’t Be Afraid does not tap into childhood fears and anxieties quite as Joe Dante’s The Hole. Dante’s film had a power and effectiveness that is missing from Nixey’s production. However, the special effects in Don’t Be Afraid are excellent, and the location, set and lighting combine well to create an atmospheric film.

Bailee Madison is excellent as Sally. Her performance is integral to the success of the film, and she does a fantastic job. Katie Holmes is also good as Kim. Guy Pearce, meanwhile, does not get to show much range as Alex, which is a shame as he is such a talented actor.

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark may disappoint those looking to be petrified, but it works well on a more subtle level.

The Empire Big Screen Diaries – Day 2

After staying up last night writing my diary entry, I decided to do it throughout the day. We await with baited breath what film distributors Entertainment One have to show us. Clips of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 are rumoured to be screened. Having not seen any of the previous films, this means nothing to be, but I hear the series is pretty popular. Empire editor Chris Hewitt is currently introducing the day on stage. Paul W.S. Anderson is up first introducing The Three Musketeers. The clip was in 3D which was quite exciting, but I think I would prefer a feature-length version of the Dogtanian and the Three Muskerhounds cartoon.

MyAnna Buring has just introduced The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 trailer. We are awaiting clips. MyAnna was a massive fan of the series apparently. No clips have been screened after all. [Edit] Twilight footage has been found! First clip is of Edward and Bella on their honeymoon. I think there is some unintentional humour. Edward calls Bella “Mrs Cullen”. Second clip was of the werewolves have a facing off. Now Ghost Rider 2 trailer, which has a very amusing ending.

Warner Bros Showcase up next with Sherlock Homes: A Game of Shadows. Waiting for Guy Ritchie to get his mike fixed. Guy Ritchie just introduced a short featurette on the sequel. The director is talking about how eager he was to make a follow-up to Sherlock Holmes. Jared Harris is fantastic as Moriarty, apparently. An extended clip of Contagion was screened next, along with the trailer for Happy Feet 2. Peter Jackson introduces a video blog from the set of The Hobbit. Cast and crew seem to be having a lot of fun on set. The Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer follows. Nothing new hear, but it is good to see it on the big screen. The Final Destination 5 opening sequence is so much fun, cannot wait to see it!

At this point, I received a verbal bitch-slapping from security for having my laptop out. After several minutes of indecision (and despite the best efforts of the lovely publicists), we had to put our laptops away, hence the delay in updating this post. With all the kerfuffle, I missed the beginning of the Optimum Showcase. Kill List was discussed, after which clips of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark was screened. It is difficult to ascertain too much, but the film seems incredibly atmospheric.

The Sony Pictures Showcase was next, with a plethora of trailers and clips. First up was Arthur Christmas, with screenwriter Peter Baynham appearing to discuss the film. The film features a stellar cast of mostly British actors voicing the characters. Peter Lord, director of The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists was next on stage to talk about making the animated film. The trailer was screened, as well as brief clips of the main characters.

Sony’s packed showcase continued with a series of trailers, beginning with Friends with Benefits introduced with a video message from Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. The trailer of the Straw Dogs remake was screened next, as well as Moneyball and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Next up was a clip from 30 Minutes or Less, introduced with a video message from Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari. Following this Len Wiseman introduced (again via video) some footage of Total Recall, due for release in 2012. The clip was pretty interesting; the fact that it was unfinished suggests how ‘in production’ the film is.

Roland Emmerich took to the stage to talk about his upcoming film Anonymous. Following this brief discussion, a lengthy clip of the film was screened. With phones confiscated and without a watch, I am not really sure how long this clip was. It felt at one point as if we were watching the entire movie, but not from the very beginning. The film is rather a daring take on a much-loved British icon (Shakespeare) so it will be interesting to see how it will be received. Finally, footage from The Amazing Spider-Man was screened, after a video introduction from Marc Webb, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. The first clip focused on Peter Parker, while the second featured his nemesis in the new film, The Lizard. The footage certainly worked well to wet the appetite for next year’s release.

The shortest break only allowed me to snack on prawn cocktail crisps in the press room; every restaurant and cafe in the O2 seemed full to the rafters. Dashing back to the Indigo2, the Icon Showcase was brief and to the point, focusing solely on Drive. Nicholas Winding Refn was interviewed on stage about the film. The project was initially introduced to the director by star Ryan Gosling. A clip of the film was screened – it looks amazing. This is one I am really looking forward to.

After the showcases were done for the day, we queued for the Memories of Raiders event. There were many fans trying to get in for this, but my silver-tongued friend managed to gain us entry when the event looked full. Robert Watts, one of the producers of Raiders of the Lost Ark, delighted audience members with his tales of working with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. What was great about Robert’s discussion was that he was modest as well as entertaining. Despite having worked on some of the biggest films of the late 1970s and 1980s, he remained down to earth when talking about the films.

We languished in the corridor outside after the talk, trying to ascertain the possibility of getting into the secret screening. Alas, it was not to be, and a group of us ended up going to The Change-Up screening instead. The film was watchable but not overly exciting (review to follow).

After a long long day, we decided to go for a quick drink. On our way to one of the bars in the O2, we noticed that everyone seemed to be dressed in white. Rather than a hoodless Klan meeting, it was for some dance event being held there. Unperturbed, we had a drink before deciding that our bodies required some much needed nourishment. Armadillo was our next port of call, where we had chicken skewers and bacon and cheese toasted sandwiches. I also got a chocolate milkshake served in a pint bottle, but for the first time in my life I couldn’t finish a milkshake. This lead me to reevaluate my life for a quick minute. Thus, the day was ended.

Film Review: Julia’s Eyes

Combining elements of horror with drama, Julia’s Eyes is creepy in parts. Overall, however, it is a pretty disappointing endeavour.

After finding her sister Sara dead after an apparent suicide, Julia starts to lose her vision. Suffering with a genetic disorder, Julia’s vision rapidly starts to deteriorate. Trying to investigate the death of Sara, Julia finds that the circumstances are more complicated than they originally seemed. The further Julia delves, the more danger she puts herself in…

The premise of Julia’s Eyes is perfectly fine for a thriller; it is the execution that lets the film down. Guillem Morales’ film lacks the sense of apprehension that a movie of this nature requires. The main reason for this is that the film is simply too long. Julia’s Eyes could have easily been trimmed by twenty minutes, and would have probably have been a more effective thriller as a result.

The idea of a person losing their vision over a course of days is quite interesting. Julia’s Eyes deals with this idea too messily, however, and tries to inject more strands than is necessary. The inclusion of a character that supposedly cannot be seen is again rather interesting, but the film never explores this theme in sufficient detail. Additionally, there are a number of ideas that are touched upon, but that never amount to anything. Some of the twists that occur do not make any sense, and seem to veer off too far on a tangent from the central narrative.

Julia’s Eyes features plenty of red herrings in order to try and maintain audience interest. The actual reveal is protracted, flitting away the tension that had been building. This section of the film features a particularly good scene where Julia is placed in a very perilous situation. However, it simply takes too long to get to this point. Moreover, the film declines further and further into incredulous territory with every minute that passes. It is unfathomable, for example, that Julia would recuperate at her sister’s house after her terrifying ordeal. The film requires a suspension of disbelief, to say the least.

Performances are good overall in Julia’s Eyes. Belén Rueda is convincing as both Julia and Sara. She embodies both characters, looking natural despite their different appearances. The film uses lighting very effectively, and there are some fantastic shots from cinematographer Óscar Faura.

Being sold on producer Guillermo del Toro’s name, fans may expect something a little more from Julia’s Eyes. Hopefully Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark will be more satisfying.