Tetrady not as good as all the hype

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

BA_Harrison A lonely house with dusty basement and dingy attic; a raging thunder storm; a sudden power outage; eerie noises in the shadows; a creepy ventriloquist's dummy: Fear of the Dark has got everything necessary to make an effective spooky film.... well, everything except one: a decent plot.Having firmly established that it's central character, twelve year old Ryan Billings (Jesse James), has a morbid fear of the dark thanks to the malevolent spirits that lurk there waiting to attack, the film fails to develop the concept any further, preferring to concentrate on simply delivering routine scares.There is no explanation for why the spirits have singled out Ryan for torment all his life, no clues as to who or what these monsters are, and no reason given for why no-one else has ever been bothered by the ghosts until now; it's lazy film-making that relies on cheap modern horror movie tactics (crap CGI spooks and convenient jump scares) to try and disguise the fact that the entire thing has been built around the flimsiest of ideas.Technically, the film is OK, with reasonable enough direction and acting, but there really needs to be more to a film than endless wandering around a dark house waiting for the next lame CGI effect to pop out of a closet.

johannes2000-1 This is such a great movie!! It seems in every aspect a "small" project: just 2 actors (three, if you count the girl next door in); a very simple setting of the interior of one (not even a very special or scary) house; all of the action taking place within a few hours on one and the same evening; a script that's rather straightforward, no complicated twists or multiple layers; and only some slight use of CGI. But they really used all this modest material to the greatest advantage and effect, to create a very entertaining and hair-raisingly scary modern horror-classic. It's about two brothers. Young Ryan (about 12) is scared of the dark, maybe due to some prior traumatic experience that we never much get in to. It's more important that he is convinced that there are real monsters lurking in the dark, threatening him every night. His adolescent brother Dale tries to rationalize the fears of his brother, especially since this night their parents go out and leave them all alone. But soon he must admit that there's maybe some terrible truth and reality in the convictions of his little brother.Sure, there are lots of cliché's: the whole movie through it's storming outside and there's continuous thunder and lightning; there's a scary attic and an even more scary cellar; and naturally at one point the fuses give way and the lights fall out. But hey, what self-respecting horror-flick does NOT use some of these all-time ingredients, and as ever they provide a solid sense of tension. The original side of this movie lies in the relationship between the brothers. Contrary to so many other (horror-)movies, here's two brothers that actually love each other! No sign of rivalry or jealousy, or of Dale being wearied with his little brother's apparently silly fears. He just tries to understand them, he takes his brother actually very serious and does his utmost to help him. Kevin Zegers and Jesse James both do a great job here. I recently saw Zegers in Transamerica and was equally impressed then, but here in Fear of the Dark he has a leading role and he very convincingly carries this whole project on his shoulders. The monsters that eventually DO exist and come out in the open (or do they??) may be a little weird, I mean you would expect a Toothfairy or a Darkness Falls-like screaming witch, but here they turn out to be big guys in long black trench-coats, like the evil versions of hit men in a Sergio Leone western. Although different, this doesn't make them any less scary, they are really some mean and ugly menacing buggers. In short: a great movie that kept me at the edge of my chair for the full one and a half hour. I rank it a heartfelt 10!

slayrrr666 "Fear of the Dark" is a lot better than expected once it gets going.**SPOILERS**Stuck together for the night, Dale Billings, (Kevin Zegers) is forced to stay home babysitting younger brother Ryan, (Jesse James) who has an intense fear of the dark. As they spend the night home during a raging thunderstorm, he's driven insane at his constant mentions that something is in the house with them, despite his insistence that there's nothing there to bother them. When friend Heather Fontaine, (Rachel Skarsten) shows up to keep them company, they all realize that he was right all along and that the house is haunted by a series of ghouls that are afraid of venturing out into the light and are forced to overcome their fears to survive the night.The Good News: There was some good stuff to this one when it tried to. The best thing about it is that there's some really good suspense scenes spread throughout. The very first one, where the furniture appear scattered throughout the house only to reappear back in the original position moments later is one of the greatest scenes in the film, and it sets off the rest of the film to a great touch, making it seem really creepy and gives off a wonderful atmosphere that the rest of the film works perfectly with. They're in perfect keeping with the early parts of the film, which has a pretty healthy level of atmosphere that works wonders for the film as well, and it helps to set up the genuinely creepy and unnerving last half. Presented as a series of chases around the house with the shadowy creatures pursuing them around the house, there's literally nothing to these that doesn't work and it's all the better. From the scenes in the bedroom under the covers to the confrontations in the hallway and the finale in the basement, as well as the fun scenes in the attic, all work wonderfully for the film and give this one a really creepy and unnerving atmosphere. The ghosts on display in here are actually really nicely done, with the severely white face, demonic grins and evil expression leaving quite an impression and leaving the film with a freaky-looking villain that's actually a worthwhile haunting tool. The last good part is that this one plays up the rating well, really seeming to be comfortable with the tag and not really requiring or needing to have anything to push it beyond what it is which is much different from others out there. These here are the film's good points.The Bad News: There wasn't a whole lot really wrong with this one. The fact that this one does have some really slow-going and boring parts in the beginning is the biggest thing with this one. There's really not a whole lot more to them other than an imaginative scare tactic followed by everyone around saying it was just that, the imagination running wild. The sheer repetition of the same cycle of scenes manages to produce anything less than aggravation and annoyance at what's happening. It goes on for so long in the beginning half that it feels like it goes on forever and just gets old after it keeps on going. The only other thing that doesn't make much sense is the rushed ended, which just sort of stops and ends the film right in it's tracks, and compared to what had happened before it, really should've been stretched out a little more. Other than these, though, there's not a whole lot to hurt this one.The Final Verdict: Actually really enjoyable and interesting once the film decides to get going, it's actually one of the better entries in the genre. Give this a shot if you're into the style or think this one sounds decent, though if you can't overlook the rating factor, then just ignore it altogether.Rated PG-13: Language and Mild Violence

WarpedRecord The lights are off but somebody's home in this tale of childhood fear, which builds to a climax that never quite arrives.Jesse James plays Ryan, a 12-year-old diagnosed with acute fear of the dark, and Kevin Zegers plays Dale, his skeptical older brother. When their parents leave them alone for the evening, Ryan convinces Dale that the fear may be justified, and assorted misadventures in babysitting ensue when a storm knock out the power in their house.The performances are better than in most thrillers, and James and Zegers are likable enough to keep you interested. It's also a treat to see Linda Purl, an actress with a disappointing career after she was a mainstay in '70s TV movies, as the boys' mother, though she's given little screen time here.Unfortunately, as with the similarly themed "Boogeyman," the thin script and gimmicky special effects leave you longing for more. The film has a decent buildup, but no real resolution. Teenagers may be entertained by "Fear of the Dark," but adults are likely to be bored at this overly familiar tale. There's absolutely nothing to fear here.