Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Miramax Films | Release Date: August 26, 2011
5.2
USER SCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 130 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
45
Mixed:
52
Negative:
33
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand
Review this movie
VOTE NOW
 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Check box if your review contains spoilers 0 characters (5000 max)

User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
3
CitizenCharlieAug 28, 2011
Guillermo del Toro prefers his fairy tales to contain a certain amount of artistic fantasy, wonder, and even violence. Children today are exposed to a kinder, gentler sort of fairy tale than they were a few centuries ago when they were muchGuillermo del Toro prefers his fairy tales to contain a certain amount of artistic fantasy, wonder, and even violence. Children today are exposed to a kinder, gentler sort of fairy tale than they were a few centuries ago when they were much more graphic and held dire warnings for wayward children. In the past, del Toro has successfully revived those stronger veins of story. Donâ… Expand
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
All this user's reviews
3
cat78Jan 7, 2012
Hahaha!!!! REALLY!!!!! Here is an idea, ummmm tear the wall down and go down that freakin hole with a team of suited men and a sh@*tload of flashlights and kill those little a@%holes!!! Im sorry but this movie did all the typical things thatHahaha!!!! REALLY!!!!! Here is an idea, ummmm tear the wall down and go down that freakin hole with a team of suited men and a sh@*tload of flashlights and kill those little a@%holes!!! Im sorry but this movie did all the typical things that I was hoping it wouldn't. Lets see: 1- don't believe your child and just call her crazy, 2-act like there is some unwritten rule saying the child must remain in her room to sleep at all times even if she is terrified of the boogie man! 3-never ask the important questions like, where did you see these things, should we put a lock on the basement door where the big strong handyman got "accidentally" hurt, why is there a mini creature arm on the library floor or those weirdos in the pictures our daughter took, how about why is the bathroom curtain all shredded up when sally fell into the tub.....I mean the list goes on and on!! Plus why is going to the library more important than "get the girl out of the house", you did go to see Mr handyman for a reason and does the hospital not have nurses that can bandage up cuts properly, old fart is going to die from infection!!! My last complaint(but by far not all of them) why.....oh why do people in times of crisis when needing to leave a home fast pack and fold clothes like they are going on a family vacation! I dont know about you but Im pretty sure if they just walked out the front door they would have all been fine. Ok so another false advertising preview about a haunted creepy home, but it ends up being about a dumba@* father and little gremlin fu@*ers that could be easily punted clear across a room!!!… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
All this user's reviews
2
SorTeXApr 8, 2012
08-15-Movie without any exciting Scenes. Little fairies from the Underworld looking like some kind of ugly rats? After you saw the antagonists, there was no more sense to watch the movie to the end...
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
All this user's reviews
1
mostmoviessuckAug 27, 2011
I felt compelled to write this review to warn anyone who is thinking about spending their hard earned money and time watching this film. Absolutely terrible. You have been warned, this movie sucks, really, really, really, really, bad. I haveI felt compelled to write this review to warn anyone who is thinking about spending their hard earned money and time watching this film. Absolutely terrible. You have been warned, this movie sucks, really, really, really, really, bad. I have no idea what the critics saw in this film. There was absolutely nothing good about it.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
All this user's reviews
2
ThemadcowApr 25, 2018
I came into this with an open mind. After all - GDT scripted/produced and Guy Pearce as the lead? What could go wrong?

Well, just about everything - hammy, awkward acting, terrible plot-holes and at least 3 occasions where you feel likeI came into this with an open mind. After all - GDT scripted/produced and Guy Pearce as the lead? What could go wrong?

Well, just about everything - hammy, awkward acting, terrible plot-holes and at least 3 occasions where you feel like screaming at your screen for all the wrong reasons. At multiple points throughout the film there are opportunities for the characters to reveal the 'evil' but they somehow conspire to keep it all going until the final, pretty silly few minutes.

Credit where it's due though - the sets are great.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
2
MorriBeyNov 3, 2011
Dont be afraid of the dark. Should be called dont be afraid of this movei. Its not scary. Its brings nothing new to the genre. The scenes seem to be badly cut and the characters have no weight behind them.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
3
kat43081Jan 7, 2012
WTF! really? Boring horror flick I have ever had the displeasure of watching. The previews really made me think how I HAD to see it. But of course I was seriously let down. To the point that i would have rather washed dishes by hand orWTF! really? Boring horror flick I have ever had the displeasure of watching. The previews really made me think how I HAD to see it. But of course I was seriously let down. To the point that i would have rather washed dishes by hand or laundry then be forced to watch this movie and what the heck about the ending???? Boo!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
2
unisonrussSep 12, 2011
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It is a terrible film. They got the atmosphere right in the beginning, had a decent ending moment, and that's it. -Characters: completely one dimensional, and boring. No reason to care about them, and the girl was a brat...aren't we supposed to empathize with the lead? - Creatures: laughable. They are shown WAY too early, so no suspense is built wondering what they are. When you don't see the creatures for a while, it's scarier, but we saw them ten minutes into the movie! And TBH, the creature design was very uninspired (unlike his previous works). They could of at least had different looking ones, some small, some larger...diversity is always welcomed! - Pacing: it was really slow. A lot of exposition, and waiting for something to happen. - Plot holes: oh dear, the plot holes! For instance, when the little girl closes the bookcase on the creature, killing it, and severing it's little arm (they show a close-up of the little arm even!), NO ONE SEES IT! There are 20+ people in the room staring at the little girl like she's mad, and she doesn't even point to the bookcase, WTF? If you were her, wouldn't you pick up it's little severed arm and wave it at them, yelling, "Told you they were real!" Wouldn't you? Or at least show them the squashed bugger, or even one of the hundred pictures she snapped (BTW, what was up with that camera? It NEVER ran out of film!?)? Nope, instead we CUT TO: her laying in bed, drugged up, because she's a psycho apparently. There's more, but this one infuriated me in the theater (as you can tell). There's other threads here if you'd like to know more about these lovely plot holes. - Suspense: did I mention there was no suspense? - Katey Holmes: Yep. She's as bland as ever. Yup. I hated this *beep* movie. Worst part is, I tried to salvage my evening by watching Shark Night 3D...didn't work. It was an even bigger piece of *beep* but for different reasons. Which is sad, because I loved Piranha 3D. Why would they make a movie off the success of another, and make it so watered down, cliched, and just bad? A$$holes. A terrible night at the movies, indeed.

I am a huge fan of del Toro, so I feel really let down. He is a genius. so I must wonder what he was thinking. I would have done a ton of re-edits, and recast the three leads. I'm glad some people enjoyed it, I just don't know how they did. I really believe that critics are giving good reviews on the sole purpose it has del Toro's name attached. How were they not distracted by the familiar cliche's and plot holes?… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
1
woaima82Nov 27, 2011
this may be the worst movie ever. You have to be both deaf and blind if you will appreciate it .... In the end you just want them to die so that the film could end .....
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
1
fatherskytribeMay 29, 2012
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie is trash. First off, there are continuity problems with the story line. The male lead is a huge P word and the story is written in such a way that you cannot connect with the characters. In fact, it has you hoping that the little girl or father will soon be murdered. There were holes in the logistics of the writing that made this movie holier than swiss cheese. For example: At one point a man gets attacked by a bunch of little D suckers, leaving like 25 stab wounds all over his body along with a pair of scizzors sticking out of his shoulder blades and the family, the cops and medical officials pronounce it an "accident." After the fact that the house is being overrun by little D suckers and after one is smashed leaving a dead body, the father still puts the girls to sleep, in a dark room, by herself, to let the little monsters diddle the little girl. The "man" of the family caters to old men perfectly but wastes a solid 20 seconds of life threatening crucial time to get a mallet break off the door nob rather than just kicking it around. He does this same thing with a window oping to find something to break it with rather than using his fist. To best describe the end of this movie, I felt more at peace at the end of the Titanic than I did with this movie. Katie Holmes who gave the only acceptable performance and played the father figure of the movie was apparently transformed into one of the monsters. That's a theme that cannot be introduced in the last 15 seconds of the movie. That's elementary essay writing. The only saving grace was Katie Holmes' sphincter clenching leg snap scene. Overall this movie comes in as a close second to Lady in the Water. If you've seen this movie we suggest writing Mr. Del Toro a letter requesting a return of the two hours that were so brutally taken from you. Awful. Just awful. :(… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
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