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Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Fantasy · Horror · Thriller · 2010

A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own.

Movie details

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

“Fear is never just make believe.”

2010 Fantasy · Horror · Thriller 1h 39m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.8 / 10

Community rating

A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Don't Be Afraid of the Dark?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Troy Nixey

Written by

Guillermo del Toro · Matthew Robbins · Nigel McKeand

Katie Holmes

Katie Holmes

Kim

Guy Pearce

Guy Pearce

Alex Hirst

Bailee Madison

Bailee Madison

Sally Hirst

Jack Thompson

Jack Thompson

Harris

Alan Dale

Alan Dale

Jacoby

Emelia Burns

Emelia Burns

Caterer

Nicholas Bell

Nicholas Bell

Psychiatrist

Court is in session

Put Don't Be Afraid of the Dark on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Prestige Tourist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.