[Screen It]

 

"DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK"
(2011) (Bailee Madison, Guy Pearce) (R)


Alcohol/Drugs Mild
Blood/Gross Stuff Heavy
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude Extreme
Frightening/Tense Scenes Extreme
Gun/Weapons None
Imitative Behavior Moderate
Jump Scenes Extreme
Music (Scary/Tense) Extreme
Music (Inappropriate) None
Profanity Minor
Sex/Nudity Mild
Smoking None
Tense Family Scenes Heavy
Topics to Talk About Moderate
Violence Heavy


QUICK TAKE:
Horror: After being forced to move in with her dad and his girlfriend, a young girl must contend with small monsters that live in the manor and have an appetite for children like her.
PLOT:
Architect Alex (GUY PEARCE) and his live-in, interior designer girlfriend, Kim (KATIE HOLMES), are rehabbing an old Connecticut manor known as Fallen Mill, with some of the existing staff -- including groundskeeper Mr. Harris (JACK THOMPSON) and housekeeper Mrs. Underhill (JULIA BLAKE) -- helping out as the couple lives in the workspace.

The latest person to join them is Sally (BAILEE MADISON), Alex's young daughter who's been shipped there by her mom back in Los Angeles. The girl isn't pleased by any of this, and shows her displeasure by behaving quite coldly toward Kim who really wants to connect with her and thus is frustrated by the behavior.

Sally thinks she might have found kindred spirits in the form of voices that emanate from the vents in her room and encourage her to come down and join them in the huge basement, a space Alex and Kim didn't realize existed until the girl stumbles across it. Little do any of them know that those voices belong to small monsters that live in the basement's ash pit, a vertical shaft bolted shut long ago after a former owner had a bad run-in with the creatures.

Sally ends up removing that barrier and must then contend with those little monsters, that don't like bright light, as they make their way through the house and into her room at night.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
If they're into gothic-style horror films and/or might be fans of anyone in the cast, they might show some interest in this one.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R
For violence and terror.


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