Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (2011)

A little girl (Bailee Madison) is sent by her mother to live with her father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes). They are restoring the large mansion they live in in the hopes of upping the resale value. Little do they know that century old goblins, who snack on children's teeth, live in a pit below a furnace and are delighted to hear a little girl is moving in. Based on the cult 1973 telefilm and co-written and produced by horror meister Guillermo Del Toro (PAN'S LABYRINTH), this remake goes wrong in just about every way. Changing the protagonist from an adult woman to a little girl and not a normal child but a dysfunctional child was a major mistake. As played by Madison, instead of being sympathetic, she's just annoying. With the exception of one jump in your seat moment, there's almost no feeling or sense of dread and the characters don't behave with any sense of logic or common sense. The movie just plods along to the rather silly finale (done much better in the 1973 TV movie). Neither Pearce or Holmes (looking rather haggard) can do much with their roles. Directed by Troy Nixey. The opening credits, accompanied by Marco Beltrami's punchy score, are quite clever though. With Jack Thompson and Julia Blake.