It’s been a little over fifty years since the made-for-TV horror classic Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark first aired. This memorable installment of ABC Movie of the Week sent a lot of folks flying for the light switch after watching back then. That first generation of viewers, in particular the youngins, will have been the most affected by the concept of diminutive, whispering creatures stalking a woman in her own shadow-filled home, however, the fear of the dark is never something you outgrow. For many people, it’s simply forgotten or minimized over time. Yet as this one movie demonstrates, when that fear does return, it can be relentless.
Nigel McKeand didn’t come to Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark with a great deal of horror under his belt, but director John Newland was well acquainted with the genre before he signed up; Newland had already helmed the entirety of One Step Beyond plus episodes of Thriller, Night Gallery and The Sixth Sense. His familiarity with horror helped to offset McKeand’s greenness as well as produce a movie that stayed with people long after viewing. That lingering quality remains today even when Dark is considered obscure and outdated. Newland clearly knew his way around hauntings and the uncanny, and that is precisely what this movie is; it’s a haunted house story, regardless of there being gremlin-like monsters present as opposed to ghosts.
Old Victorian houses will never beat those allegations of being plain creepy, thanks to movies like Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. The TV and film-famous Piru Mansion is the centerpiece here, seeing as how the story never strays too far from the gothic domicile. Kim Darby’s character, a housewife named Sally Farnham, is practically glued to the place, which admittedly doesn’t look all that scary during the day. The decade’s preference for ornate interior design is more busy than frightening. Newland and cinematographer Andrew Jackson, though, pull a real Jekyll and Hyde with the venue; the abode’s nocturnal transformation is effective at emphasizing the growing darkness of not only Sally’s new home but also her mind.
Image: Kim Darby as Sally in Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.
By toying with an ominously sealed-up fireplace, one which an anxious handyman (William Demarest) all but said was a gateway to hell, Sally freed more than just wee demons. She soon feels the full force of her latent unease as husband Alex (Jim Hutton) takes his workaholism to the next stage and further isolates his wife. The shoes of a happy homemaker don’t fit as well as they used to, and Sally crumbles as the whispers get louder and the dark shapes in the corner of her eyes become clearer.
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark stays with you more than first anticipated, on account of its downbeat ending. The story resolves grimly as Sally, whose spirit has faded to nearly nothing in the last act, succumbs to her predicament. It’s hard to find any relief as you watch Darby’s defeated character surrender to her small stalkers and be dragged to that lower part of the house that she couldn’t leave well enough alone. So this movie ends on an exceptionally sad note about living unfulfilled lives, but much to my own surprise, the conclusion here is less bleak when compared to that of the remake.
While Steven Spielberg’s Duel—another horror telefilm from ABC Movie of the Week—was hurriedly re-edited and then released in theaters overseas, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark didn’t see the big screen until over thirty years later. And this tale of tiny terrors and domestic dread was reintroduced in the form of a remake. For the 2011 version, Nigel McKeand’s story was reimagined by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro along with his creative collaborator Matthew Robbins (Mimic, Crimson Peak). Together the pair penned a notably different yet thematically resonant update.
Image: Bailee Madison as Sally in the remake of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.
Del Toro said of the ‘73 Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark: “There are probably twenty films that have scared me in my life, and I’ve rarely been so scared and thrilled as I was watching this.” That affection is discernible in the remake, a movie that, despite its divergence from the source material, retains what many liked about the original Dark. We still have an imposing house, malevolent monsters individually smaller than a breadbox, and an ending so brutal that it’s a complete wonder how it wasn’t changed for the sake of a happier Hollywood ending.
The differences between the two iterations of Dark are glaringly apparent yet also comprehensible. In the 2011 movie, Bailee Madison’s eight-year-old Sally is no less miserable than her older counterpart. Of course Darby’s role stayed stoic for as long as she could, whereas Sally Hurst is downcast upon reuniting with her somewhat estranged father Alex (Guy Pearce), an interior designer, and meeting his work partner and girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes). Certain viewers will not take to this temperamental Sally at first—or at all—although it’s worth remembering she’s a kid whose life was uprooted and she feels abandoned by her mother. Who, by the way, is very much alive. She just doesn’t want her daughter around anymore.
In terms of sheer scale, the ‘73 house where evil dwells pales in comparison to its successor, a stunning slice of Australian architecture that’s been passed off as a late artist’s old property in Rhode Island. As Roger Ebert stated in his favorable review of the Dark remake, it’s “an extraordinary house that should be haunted, even if it isn’t.” Plenty of effort went into the venue’s macabre makeover, and the result is crucial to the movie’s always-unnerving and cold setting. There’s no getting comfortable in Blackwood Manor and Madison’s character communicates that restlessness with skill beyond her years.
Image: A comparison between the creature designs.
The remake trades one hoary setup for another; we now have a menaced family instead of just a menaced couple. The remainder of the movie, which was directed by comic artist Troy Nixey, doesn’t exactly avoid other clichés as it furthers along. Madison’s Sally is put through hell as she realizes what’s happening in the house, but in a refreshing change of pace, Holmes’ character is supportive like best friend Joan (Barbara Anderson) in the TV-movie. Kim is neither a wicked would-be stepmother nor a dismissive adult; that second part is reserved for Pearce’s Alex, who initially cares more about the house’s renovation than his daughter’s well-being. Kim, however, is compassionate to the very end, and unfortunately, she pays rather dearly for that.
Nigel McKeand expressed his dissatisfaction with the first Dark movie as a whole, yet his biggest peeve was the look of the creatures. And because he didn’t provide a description for the director and the crew, they came up with what McKeand deemed apelike and having coconut-shaped heads. The writer—who lent his voice to the monsters—imagined something more along the lines of English illustrator Arthur Rackham’s work. The remake, on the other hand, ditched the man-in-a-suit approach and delivered digitally-devised creatures that, visually speaking, are perfect for their new Tooth Fairy-esque origin. Guillermo del Toro’s reverence for Welsh author Arthur Machen was influential in the antagonists’ new backstory.
Either version of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark comes with its own flaws and upsides. The original didn’t have too much money to spend, but it compensates with a priceless amount of atmosphere. In addition, the level of suspense in those seventy-ish minutes is impressive. As for the remake, its technical merits can’t fix an overlong and repetitive story that fizzles out before the last leg. And the creatures, while well designed, are shown too often and in exhaustive detail. You’re bound to become desensitized to their sinister frolics even when the characters, some of whom are more underutilized than others, are fraught with fright.
To see a hidden gem dug out from the vaults of vintage television and be given the remake treatment, especially one with a mid-sized budget and recognized actors, is bizarre. In a mostly good way, but nevertheless bizarre. It’s these unexpected moments in horror history that keep things interesting.
Image: Bailee Madison, Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce respectively as Sally, Kim and Alex in the Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark remake.