Don't Be Afraid of the DarkSynopsis and Overview

Poster art for "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark."

Gifts + Promos

Fandango Gift Card

Give the gift of movies with Fandango Bucks Gift Certificates! Design your own gift card, or choose from our collection.

Avengers Gift Cards

Superhero fans! Don’t miss out on these Limited Edition Avengers gift cards!

Need Help?
Showtimes + Tickets
  • Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
  • Opened August 26, 2011 | Runtime:1 hr 39 min
  • R
    violence and terror
  • Information for parents: Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+. Read More
  • Based on the 1973 telefilm that del Toro believes is the scariest TV production ever made, the story follows Sally (Madison), a young girl who moves to Rhode Island to live with her father (Pearce) and his new girlfriend (Holmes) in the 19th Century Read More
  • Cast: Guy Pearce, Katie Holmes, Bailee Madison, Jack Thompson, Alan Dale
  • Director: Troy Nixey
  • Genres: Horror, Suspense/Thriller

Friends

See what your friends are saying about this movie.Sign in with Facebook

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Movie Photos & Trailers + Clips

  • Katie Holmes in "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark."
  • Guy Pearce as Alex Hirst in "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark."
  • Guy Pearce as Alex Hirst in "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark."
  • Bailee Madison as Sally Hirst in "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark."
  • A scene from "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark."
  • Bailee Madison and Guillermo del Toro on the set of "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark."
View All Photos

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Featured Trailers + Video Clips

Watch All Videos

Exclusive Features

Del Toro Interview Exclusive Guillermo del Toro, Katie Holmes Interview Del Toro and Holmes talk scary movies, Guy Pearce and future projects. Exclusive Interview: Director Talks 'Afraid of the Dark' Director Troy Nizey discusses how close Don’t be Afraid of the Dark is to the 1970's original at Comic-Con...

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Recent Fan Reviews

  • Go

    I am afraid of the dark ;)

    by Muvie Reviewer

    I saw the original in 73' when I had no business watching this movie as a 4yo. Yep, the original scared the crap out of me and gave me nightmares for many years. It made my bathroom trips in the middle of the night terrifying.

    Almost 40 years later, I couldnt wait to be scared like that again. The remake is a little different (no spoilers here) however many of the same elements remain; the ominous music, the lighting, the tension and the creepy creatures are all very effective.

    Stand alone the remake is very good, in comparassion I think the original is still better. However, Director Troy Nixey does a good job in retelling this story. I love that Nixey provides a background on the creatures (which was missing from the original).

    I was not scared by this "Don't be Afraid of the Dark" but then again I am writing this review in the daytime, lol...

    This is Definitely a must see for my fellow Gen Xers who have a special bond to this movie and others should like it too.

  • Must Go!

    Don't Be Afraid of the Dark review

    by SuzannaR

    For fans of the original movie this is a must go! Although its not exactly faithful to the original story, the changes Del Toro made enhance the movie to be even better than the ioriginal . Goid old fashioned creepy, suspenseful horror movie!

  • So-so

    Heard audience members call it dumb

    by rockydoggies

    I went to watch it with a rowdy Saturday night audience, my mistake. The movie starts out with a very disturbing scene, not scary, just sick & disturbing...I only want to be scared. The middle portions of the movie serve the purpose of a good scare, but the remaining quarter of the movie becomes very annoying, no more scares left in this movie. In the end, there's really nothing a good boot size 11 could have solved, or maybe a good exterminator. I never saw the original, strange I have not. This movie reminded me of the last half of the movie Gremlins. If you scare easily you'll like this movie. If you are really looking for a good scary movie then you will be disappointed. I'm down the middle on this movie, just "SO-SO"

More Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Recent Fan Reviews

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Critic Reviews

So-so Avg. Critic Score 56 out of 100 Metascore ® based on all critic ratings.

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    This is a very good haunted house film. It milks our frustration deliciously.

  • 75
    Washington Post |

    Feels retro in all the right ways; it's a bump-in-the-night tale that, if not...

  • 63
    Orlando Sentinel | Roger Moore

    Entirely too literal, but it still manages to be a literally hair-raising piece...

  • 60
    Village Voice |

    If the grand finale isn't as resonantly scary as the original's, maybe that's...

More Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Critic Reviews

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

So-so 740 fan reviews

Critics say

So-so See all critic reviews

Facebook Movie Fans

Fan Fandango on Facebook