“Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark” is too reserved to scare much of anything or anyone.

It is a rite of passage as a child. Conquering the unsettling calm of the dark, the bumps in the night, the noises that could or could not be monsters in your room, we all have experienced those fears. Part of the reason scary movies have such long-lasting appeal is that there is a queasy comfort in being scared…or perhaps, more accurately, the anticipation we all feel as kids or adults, right before being scared. This may simply exist as an element of human nature because everyone I know, at one time or another, has faced the uncertainty of what’s around that corner, behind that door, or underneath the bed. And of course there is a satiating comfort in the realization that no, in fact, nothing was ever there at all. We all seem to relish that emotional journey of anxiety to fear to the reveal to the calming peace of mind that everything is okay.

The latest attempt to play with those fears arrives in “Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark”, a remake of a 1973 telefilm which has attained a certain level of cult status through the years. A noted fan of the film, Guillermo del Toro (“Hellboy” franchise, “Pan’s Labyrinth”), spearheaded the push to remake the film and he brands the film as “Guillermo del Toro Presents…”, and additionally serves as co-writer and co-producer on the project. Curiously though, del Toro opted not to direct the film himself and newcomer Troy Nixey is at the helm of a film that is largely much ado about nothing.

“Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark” is a surprisingly thin little tale about creatures that go bump in the night, and seek to do more than simply bump. Their existence is uncovered in present day by Sally (Bailee Madison), aged 9 or maybe 10, who has been sent to live with her father, Alex (Guy Pearce), and his girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes). Kim and Alex are redesigning and renovating a mansion, dubbed Blackwood Manor, with Kim as the interior designer/decorator and Alex as the architectural engineer. Alex is alarmingly focused on completing his project and mentions time and time again that he has to get on the cover of a prestigious architectural magazine or his next loan will not be funded and his life’s savings will be gone and forgotten.

Dismissed by her mother for reasons never really explained, Sally is largely left to her own devices and roams around the property unchecked until a discovery leaves the caretaker of the property, Harris (Jack Thompson), to demand that Sally stay away from certain places on the property. Kim and Alex are taken aback by this and are ignorant as to why Harris might ever be so emphatic in his demands. Her discovery of what appears to be a secret room in the Manor leads Kim and Alex to finding a door to a sealed off basement.

By virtue of a prologue, we already know what lurks below in the basement and Sally begins to uncover the same discoveries. Sally begins to hear whispering voices seemingly coming from a sealed up fireplace. Initially, the voices seem inviting and Sally thinks she may have found someone or some things to bond and connect with. However, her happiness turns to fear when Harris’ investigations in the basement lead to tragedy and Sally realizes that her discovery(ies) may be relocating in other parts of the house.

“Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark” carries an earnestness about itself, wanting to really only deliver a tension-filled and anxiety-laden moviegoing experience. At times, the film feels reminiscent of del Toro’s best work. Scenes in and around the Manor are populated with vivid colors and a few scenes, where Sally wanders around and about the Manor’s expansive property, and other moments in and around a koi pond, resemble discoveries made by Ofelia in del Toro’s superb fantasy-horror film, “Pan’s Labyrinth”. But sadly, the uniqueness and inventiveness del Toro typically creates is sorely lacking in his screenplay, adapted with writer Matthew Robbins.

Much of “Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark” lacks tension, the very ingredient this film banks on for finding its success. There are a couple of fleeting moments that induce some seat shifting, and I have to applaud Troy Nixey for delivering a jump scare that he telegraphs probably 60 seconds before it happens. You see the entire set up of the scare…they show you what is coming, show you the build up to the scare, and still deliver one effective payoff. Kudos. Now only the film had more of that.

The characters are so selfish and one-note that it is hard to feel much empathy for them and the plight they find themselves in. At least, Sally and Kim forge a connection and Kim starts to believe the stories that Sally is telling may in fact be more true than she or Alex care to believe. A meeting Kim has with the local community librarian works well, but is pigeonholed into essentially one scene that diffuses the revelatory power necessary to make us grip the armrest or clinch the pillow that much tighter.

Nevermind that the facts surrounding the creatures who eventually start to reclaim their mansion are never revealed. Apparently, they date back centuries and carry certain dietary requirements that sustain them. However, it would seem that they have gone decades without their necessary nutrition and yet, when they break out of their surroundings, they are spry, possess a pretty strong intelligence, and communicate in modernized English. I mean…how? Do they not need the nutrition they seek? If not, then why are there scenes built around garnering them what they need? How did they come into existence? How do they grow in numbers? I mean, if you are going to build a film around these little guys and gals, then perhaps a little perspective is important, Guillermo?

All in all, “Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark” is intermittently watchable and boring, slightly thrilling, never scary, and when thought about and considered, a bit nonsensical and goofy. But, I had a fair amount of fun with it. Pearce is nothing special sadly and Madison does what she can. Frankly, Katie Holmes is not as terrible as people would perceive and shares nice moments with her young co-star.

Truth be told though, those choosing to watch “Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark” are not looking for mother/daughter-style chemistry. They want scares. They want terror and shock. They want that emotional journey from fear and anxiety to calm and peace. In a film that promises those things, the failure to deliver is a pretty damning indictment that “Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark” is too reserved to scare much of anything or anyone.

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