The first long-form trailer has been released for the upcoming supernatural thriller.
Every time I hear about a new supernatural thriller, I hope it will be an actual film. I dare dream that someone will bother to make a new scary supernatural story with some substance.
Unfortunately, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is not that film. Judging from the recently released trailer, it’s just another startle flick with some tacked on, fully predictable ‘plot’ to give the actors something to do.
I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised judging from the title. But when I see that someone like Guillermo del Toro is producing, I start to think that maybe it’ll be more like his famous Pan’s Labyrinth and less like Friday the 13th.
Also, seeing Katie Holmes in there as the female lead seemed promising as well, since she has never gone in for a startle flick before.
Perhaps I’m reading too much into it.
Perhaps this trailer was cut specifically to appeal to the startle flick fans, and does not actually represent the tone of the film, but if they were trying to appeal to that group while keeping people who like real filmmaking interested at the same time, they failed with me.
The trailer comes with this synopsis:
“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark follows Sally (Bailee Madison), a young girl who moves to Rhode Island to live with her father (Guy Pearce) and his new girlfriend (Katie Holmes) in the 19th-century mansion they are restoring.
“Having stumbled upon the mansion’s hidden basement, Sally starts hearing voices calling out from the bolted ash pit, imploring her to open it. Sally obliges and unwittingly unleashes something so terrible, so unthinkable, that everyone’s life – hers most of all – is placed in immediate and grave danger.”
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark also stars Jack Thompson, and is directed by Troy Nixey. The film opens August 26th.
