Fear of the Dark

Excellent drama with a good message worthy of at least an 8 out of 10. The movie centers on a child's fear of the dark and there are many scary and dramatic moments climaxing in how to come to terms with ones fears. The script is good, the acting convincing and the direction very professional. And the youngsters who are the main leads give quality performances. Well done to those making this movie. More of the same please!

The gist is, there's this kid who is afraid of the dark. He sees things in the dark that others do not. What culminates from his fear is one of those 'dark and stormy night' scenarios with some very intense moments loaded with suspense.

It's an excellent play on everyone's favorite childhood drama (including the Closet Monster) and the devisive measures kids take to ensure late-night safety (stay completely tucked in). I dare say the evils that await him in the pitch of night are genuinely creative and pretty darn threatening. There are some jumpy moments that renewed my faith in screenwriters and directors of the modern horror genre. I strongly urge all horror geeks to check into this one, even if you don't think it's your cup of tea. It will literally take you back to that time in place in your life when a pile of clothes in the corner of your bedroom was as threatening as the schoolyard bully--only worse!

Sure, this is not a perfect movie but it beats the heck out of the boring horror drivel that's being released these days in theaters. Why this 2002 film was so overlooked is a mystery to me. It was 1,000 times better than 'Darkness Falls' or 'They' and doesn't even compare to crappy films like 'Cabin Fever' or 'House of the Dead'. I checked this one out at a local Blockbuster and if you like things that go bump in the night, you should too!

It seems like 2001-2002 was prime season for movies about the dark. We had "Darkness Falls" and "They," which were hugely hyped, a bit pretentious, and fell flat. Then there was "Fear of the Dark," which got almost no attention, yet turns out to be the best of the lot.

Don't get me wrong; there are some big holes in the story (why does the big brother keep leaving his darkness-dreading brother alone? Why isn't the girlfriend at the door when big brother answers?), and the monsters are a bit too fairy-tale-ish at times. Still, the movie holds up pretty well overall. There's a tension at work as the story builds to its climax that keeps things interesting without a lot of outrightly horrifying things happening. The acting isn't bad, and at times its even good. The director and cinematographer obviously took a great deal of care in creating a general environment spookiness in a fairly normal suburban home (although the added artifice of mom's strange metal sculptures didn't hurt).

This definitely isn't a great horror film. There's not too terribly much that's original about it, and it's pretty tame by most standards. On the other hand, I couldn't help but like it... and it's certainly far better than the two similarly-themed duds that came out at around the same time.

There's potential in everything about this movie. The actors have the potential to do bigger and better things. The director could certainly go on to make better movies. If anything, I'd recommend seeing it for what it holds out in the future that were involved with a pretty good effort. As "boogie man" films go, this is one of the better ones.

I have to disagree with some comments that I have read about this movie. Personally, I thought it started quite poor in that it would be another cheesy, cheap, suburban style movie. However, the route that it followed was surprising and interesting.

Basically, from my own personal thoughts, this movie brought into reality, the fears that I've experienced as a kid. Whenever you think there's something in your room, the safest place is always under the covers and if you peak out there's going to be a scary face staring at you. Or if part of your body is not covered by the duvet it'll get grabbed by a hand...

This film takes all these fears and myths into consideration and tries to tie them all in. No it's not necessarily scary in this sense, but I believe it tries more to 'relate' rather than scare, and perhaps 'spook' you rather than terrify.

Without spoiling it for people who have not seen it, the film takes an interesting route as mentioned before, making these fears more than the kid's imagination, and that was a surprise.

Some good camera work has been implemented but the film is still very basic. I would say it's an enjoyable film for those who are a little precautious of dark corners.

Full of goofy scares and monsters about as dangerous as a pop-up book, this flick would be an excellent after-school special. I can't fathom how this film managed a PG-13 rating when G would have been just fine. Disney has made less innocuous horror movies. The critters, like those in Monsters, Inc., want only to scare the kiddies, perhaps to bottle their screams but we're never really told what the "living dark" creepy-crawlies are there for -- although they do appear to shop in the same stores as the too-cool vampires who prefer sweeping black overcoats.

Tight script? Ha! Maybe for a student film project, this thing rocks. The dialog is stiff and silly, awkwardly sidestepping any swear words with a "gosh" or "darn." The parents are flat, Brady Bunch rip offs and Jesse James' part could have been better brought to life is they had used a marionette. The older brother did a good job; he at least showed some range of emotion.

If there's such a thing as a wholesome horror movie, this is it.