DVD & Movie Review:DONT BE AFRAID OF THE DARK(1973 & 2011) *** out of ****(both versions)
Now that Guillermo del Toro's remake of the 1973 cult TV horror movie DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK is now released in theaters this week,I'll make a comparison critique of both the original and the remake:
DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK(1973)*** out of **** Directed by John Newland,Starring Kim Darby,Jim Hutton, Pedro Amendaris Jr. Unrated 76 minutes Released by Warner Archives Home Video
Back in the 1970's,the three major American TV networks ABC, CBS & NBC made their own "made for TV movies" and one of the most popular of these films was this atmospheric horror thriller starring Kim Darby who starred in the original TRUE GRIT(1969) with John Wayne and Timothy Hutton son of actor Jim Hutton and who himself won a Best Supporting Oscar in Robert Redford's ORDINARY PEOPLE(1981). Both Darby and Hutton play newlyweds who move into a mansion with a strange sinister past which turn out to have murderous gremlins living in the basement and fireplace/chimney of the house.Darby suspects that there is a strange ominous presence in the house but her husband Hutton doesn't believe her until it's too late. The look of the creatures were done by Academy Award winning makeup effects wizard Stan Winston and the acting by leads Darby and Hutton is really top notch for a made for TV movie with great atmospheric spooky direction by John Newland who learned his trade from directing scary episodes on the classic 1950's TV horror anthology ONE STEP BEYOND. Warner Archives Home Video has released this classic horror film on DVD with anamorphic widescreen, remastered video and audio but with no extras and no trailers.
Back in the 1970's,the three major American TV networks ABC, CBS & NBC made their own "made for TV movies" and one of the most popular of these films was this atmospheric horror thriller starring Kim Darby who starred in the original TRUE GRIT(1969) with John Wayne and Timothy Hutton son of actor Jim Hutton and who himself won a Best Supporting Oscar in Robert Redford's ORDINARY PEOPLE(1981). Both Darby and Hutton play newlyweds who move into a mansion with a strange sinister past which turn out to have murderous gremlins living in the basement and fireplace/chimney of the house.Darby suspects that there is a strange ominous presence in the house but her husband Hutton doesn't believe her until it's too late. The look of the creatures were done by Academy Award winning makeup effects wizard Stan Winston and the acting by leads Darby and Hutton is really top notch for a made for TV movie with great atmospheric spooky direction by John Newland who learned his trade from directing scary episodes on the classic 1950's TV horror anthology ONE STEP BEYOND. Warner Archives Home Video has released this classic horror film on DVD with anamorphic widescreen, remastered video and audio but with no extras and no trailers.
This updated remake of the 1973 TV movie horror classic written and produced by famed horror director Guillermo del Toro(HELLBOY,PAN'S LABRYNTH,THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE) and directed by new director Troy Nixey is in itself a nice respective homage to the original, especially since Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark was always a horror favorite of writer/producer Del Toro.This version stars Guy Pierce(LA CONFIDENTIAL, THE TIME MACHINE) as a newly divorced father with his young pre-teen daughter played by newcomer Bailee Madison and his new girlfriend played by Katie Holmes(BATMAN BEGINS,TV's DAWSON CREEK) who move in a new home with a deep dark sinister secret located in the basement as well as the fireplace which are monstrous gremlins who immediately set upon themselves to terrorize and to kidnap the daughter. Just like in the original film,the little daughter tries to convince her father of her plight being threatened by the murderous creatures but only her future stepmom see the reality of the child's dangerous situation and does her best to rescue the child.The gremlins in this film version were made by CGI effects rather than the gruesome makeup effects used in the original version and are somewhat effective for the most part in this remake. The acting by Pierce,Holmes and especially Madison as the besieged girl are terrific and Del Toro's script is respectful of the original's themes,even up to the film's hairrising climax and shocking climax. This new version of DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK demonstrates how to do a really good remake of the original source.
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