Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)

Timing: 1:39 (99 min)

5.8/10
1006

5.92/10
46363

5.5/10
52000

All about film

Video 2

Photo 24

Actors and characters

Release date

2010-11-06

Country

Australia, Mexico, United States

Production

Double Dare You Productions, Miramax, Gran Via Productions, Necropia Entertainment, Tequila Gang

Genre

Fantasy, Horror, Thriller

Budget

$25 000 000

Revenue

$38 269 529

Website

http://www.dontbeafraidofthedark.com/

Director

Troy Nixey

Actors

Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, Bailee Madison, Jack Thompson, Alan Dale, Emelia Burns, Nicholas Bell, James Mackay, Eddie Ritchard, Bruce Gleeson
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Mark Johnson, Guillermo del Toro, Nick Nunziata, William Horberg, Tom Williams, Stephen Jones

Operator

Oliver Stapleton

Composer

Marco Beltrami

Artist

Elaine Kusmishko, Michael Bell

Audition

Mary Vernieu, Christine King, Venus Kanani

Editing

Jill Bilcock
All team (69)

• Runes of the Elder Futhark (an ancient runic alphabet containing only Old Germanic runes) are carved into the stone above the fireplace, and they translate to “Beware.”
• The action takes place in Providence, the capital of Rhode Island, where Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937), author of the 1923 story “The Rats in the Walls,” which served as inspiration for the film's scriptwriters, once lived. It should be noted, however, that the story takes place in England, not Rhode Island.
• In John Newland's (1917-2000) 1973 telefilm "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark", Sally is Alex's wife, not his daughter. In that adaptation, the wife's name is Kim. Kim Darby played the role of Sally in the telefilm. Here, Sally was made a child to enhance the fairytale motifs, and because screenwriter and producer Guillermo del Toro was convinced that the story would be scarier for the audience if Sally were not an adult woman, but a child. Kim is a reference to the legendary evil stepmothers from children's tales, although Sally only appears to be evil, and in reality, there is nothing particularly malicious about this character.
• As a promotional move, a prequel in the form of a comic book was released, written by director Troy Nixey, which tells the origin story of the Tooth Fairies and explains the past of Emerson Blackwood, played by Harry McDonald. The book was titled "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark: Blackwood’s Guide to Dangerous Fairies."
• Although the creatures fear light, in the dinner scene they somehow end up under the table standing in the center of the brightly lit room, and also calmly run through illuminated spaces in some scenes.
• The film states that the creatures are very ancient and have been trapped in the chimney since at least the mid-19th century, but they speak modern English, know what a Polaroid photograph is, and understand electricity.
• Initially, it was planned to make Natsu Dragnil a celestial spirit with horns.
• Wendy Marvell, the Dragonslayer of the Sky Dragons, was originally going to be a Dragonslayer of the Water Dragons and be given a magic wand.