Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Miramax Films | Release Date: August 26, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
56
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
20
Negative:
3
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertAug 24, 2011
This is a very good haunted house film. It milks our frustration deliciously. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovAug 25, 2011
The fact that Troy Nixey's debut feature is one creepyass frightmare is what matters, and boy, does he put the nail in that metaphorical coffin the first time out. It's not perfect, but it's awfully close. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle SmithAug 26, 2011
Harks back to a 1960s idea of what a horror film should be. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Matthew HaysAug 25, 2011
This is still a seriously entertaining horror movie, one that will please newcomers as well as fans of the original oddity. But by the end of the film, I was wishing the filmmakers had left us wondering about precisely who and what these critters were just a little bit longer. Read full review
75
Washington PostJohn DeForeAug 25, 2011
Feels retro in all the right ways; it's a bump-in-the-night tale that, if not for the occasional glimpse of a cellphone or reference to Adderall, could have been told decades ago. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliAug 25, 2011
The movie is deliciously creepy even if it does exhibit some issues that keep it from being a top-notch example of "things that go bump in the night" horror. Read full review
70
SalonAndrew O'HehirAug 25, 2011
Some of the knife-twisting later scenes in "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" feel almost campy, like winks at the audience or studious self-referentiality. None of this is quite enough to ruin a gripping, gruesome fable, which of course del Toro's fans and other genre buffs will rush out to see, but it does render the movie a minor muddle rather than a horror masterwork. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderMichael WilmingtonAug 25, 2011
The remake plays like a shallower, more clichéd variation on his masterpiece, "Pan's Labyrinth," but its mix of gory effects and deliciously old-fashioned visuals make for a classy, scary horror show. Read full review
67
IndieWireEric KohnAug 26, 2011
Largely a cut-and-paste affair, although useful for that very reason; it provides a glaring reminder that scary movies have evolved, both in terms of style and expectations, but the evolution isn't worth the effort. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubScott TobiasAug 24, 2011
Absent any qualities beyond the surface, like the history and politics that trouble Del Toro's best films, Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark is little better than a half-decent scare machine. Read full review
63
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottAug 26, 2011
One major reason it succeeds is because of 11-year-old actress Bailee Madison, who brings a wonderful believability to her role as the girl at the center of the film. Read full review
63
Orlando SentinelRoger MooreAug 24, 2011
Entirely too literal, but it still manages to be a literally hair-raising piece of modern-style old school Gothic horror. Read full review
More From This Movie

56 Critic Reviews

5.2 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL