Fear of the Dark

FEAR OF THE DARK

A spooky PG-13 film from 2003, Fear of the Dark might appeal more to young teens than to grown-ups (though some of the imagery it contains will evoke chills in any age group).  The plot follows a 12-year-old boy named Ryan who suffers from a debilitating clinical fear of the dark.  One night while he and his older brother are home alone, the power goes out during a thunderstorm.  The bulk of the movie follows the siblings as they wander about the house with flashlights investigating strange noises as Dale (the older brother) tries to assure Ryan that “there’s nothing there in the dark that’s not there in the light” while Ryan attempts to convince Dale that there are in fact unpleasant creatures lurking in the shadows.

Fear of the Dark is not a bad film, but I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I could have seen it when I was like 14 years old.  I’m not really in the right demographic for this project.  The monsters that Ryan glimpses resemble the “gentlemen” from Hush (a fourth-season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer).  If you know a young adult in search of a creepy little tale, you could do worse than to recommend Fear of the Dark.  Anyone older than 15 might find it tame.  Fear of the Dark taps into the universal anxiety that there might be something nasty lurking under your bed waiting to grab an ankle that slips out from under the covers.  It’s a fine scary diversion for kids, but I would not recommend it if you’re looking for more mature fare.