Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

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Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

R

2011

1h 39m

Fantasy

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

61%

Tomatometer

178 Reviews

34%

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25,000+ Ratings

Lonely and introverted, young Sally (Bailee Madison) has just arrived at the 19th-century mansion that her father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes) are restoring. While exploring the sprawling estate, Sally discovers a hidden, long-undisturbed basement. Unwittingly, she unleashes a race of malevolent, dark-dwelling creatures who intend to drag her and her family down into the mansion's bottomless depths. A remake of the 1973 made-for-TV movie.

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Critics Consensus

While it's pleasantly atmospheric and initially quite scary, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark ultimately fails to deliver the skin-crawling chills of the original.

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Keith Uhlich

Time Out

You can sense producer and cowriter Guillermo del Toro’s hand in every shadowy nook and cranny.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 1, 2024

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Next to Attack the Block, this beautifully realized bit of H.P. Lovecraft-like nastiness might just be the most fun I've had sitting in a theatre this entire Summer, the final product a B-grade sensation worthy of adoration.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 27, 2012

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is horror by-the-numbers. Parts of it are effectively chilling, and the performances are fine, but there's no sense of reality.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 3, 2011

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Maybe not the unrelenting descent into terror some were expecting, but a fantastical creature feature with lots to offer, nonetheless.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 9, 2025

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Paul Lê

Bloody Disgusting

Its technical merits can’t fix an overlong and repetitive story that fizzles out before the last leg.

Rated: 2.5/5

Aug 26, 2025

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Guillermo del Toro has always been fascinated with putting a face to our nightmares. And to be sure, many moviegoers will have nightmares from Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 9, 2023

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Richard L

An impressive ode to Weird Fiction, Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark is the kind of lovingly detailed movie that doesn't get made anymore these days. Though it's not exactly scary, and it does start to drag a bit even at the lean runtime, this dark faerytale is absolutely oozing with style and atmosphere right from the opening credits and will draw in anyone with an interest Del Toro's glory days.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/18/25

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Sankalp good S

It's a bit thrilling film unlike other not bad good for children watching Holmes Pearce performance r great also Sally's it's a okay film ♥️😃

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/03/24

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craig w

I liked the set up and the atmosphere was different a dark fairytale with a great build to the final scenes

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/20/24

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Regina P

I don't really have any specific complaints about this story. It was fine. It just didn't wow me.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/24/23

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Onia T

When I was 5 this scared me so much I hide the DVD at the top of my closet, I'm 17 now I watched the trailer and it scared me again. I both want to watch it again and don't because it scared me.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/09/23

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justin t

Looked and sounded great as you would expect. The use of surround was especially enjoyable with the little demon's voices. It didn't feel original or special at all. It felt pretty generic actually. Sadly very forgettable, it felt like a cross between The Gate (1987) and The Others (2001) but failing to live up to either.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Troy Nixey

Director

Katie Holmes

Kim Raphael

Guy Pearce

Alex Hurst

Bailee Madison

Sally Hurst

Jack Thompson

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Garry McDonald

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Synopsis

Lonely and introverted, young Sally (Bailee Madison) has just arrived at the 19th-century mansion that her father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes) are restoring. While exploring the sprawling estate, Sally discovers a hidden, long-undisturbed basement. Unwittingly, she unleashes a race of malevolent, dark-dwelling creatures who intend to drag her and her family down into the mansion's bottomless depths. A remake of the 1973 made-for-TV movie.

Director: Troy Nixey
Producer: Mark Johnson, Guillermo del Toro
Screenwriter: Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins
Distributor: FilmDistrict
Production Co: Gran Via, Necropia
Rating: R (Violence|Terror)
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 26, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 8, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $24.0M
Runtime: 1h 39m

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