The newly formed studio, FilmDistrict, will release horror thriller Don't Be Afraid of the Dark throughout the US on the August 12th.
This picture was developed with Miramax and was initially set the release date for the January 21, 2011. But in the wake of the division's closure and Walt Disney Studios' sale of Miramax, it has been finally released by Lionsgate. “Don't Be Afraid of the Dark” is produced by Guillermo Del Toro and Mark Johnson, and stars Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, Bailee Madison and Jack Thompson. It is being directed by first time director Troy Nixey.
A remake of the cult 1973 TV movie, the film was a passion project for Guillermo Del Toro who co-wrote and produced but decided not to direct while he was off in New Zealand working on The Hobbit. Instead, former comic book artist Troy Nixey was brought on board. Peter Schlessel, CEO of FilmDistrict, said in a written statement:
Nixey made a very impressive first film and we are thrilled to be working with Guillermo and Mark Johnson.”
Hair-raising, spine-chilling tale of horror spins around a little girl (Bailee Madison) who is sent to live with her father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes) in the old mansion they are renovating, only to accidentally set free malevolent creatures bent on destroying all of them.
In terms of the plot, it's a pretty traditional and straightforward story. But in terms of the acting, all three leads do a fantastic job, particularly Bailee Madison and Katie Holmes. Mark Johnson revealed that Guillermo del Toro actually wrote the script for this movie about 12 years ago, well before he had written Pan's Labyrinth. When he wrote Pan's Labyrinth, he borrowed a lot of the themes and details from his “Don't Be Afraid of the Dark” script. For fans of Pan's Labyrinth, you'll definitely spot the similarities.
The movie has been hit with an R rating despite there's no nudity and minimal blood (everything happens off screen), and none of it seems like anything you wouldn't see in a PG-13 movie.
In case you haven't already watched it, check out Don't Be Afraid of the Dark teaser trailer.
