Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Contagion

Matt Damon stars in this drama as a man whose wife (Gwyneth Paltrow) is the first victim of a deadly virus. As he grieves and tries to keep himself and his daughter safe, the world goes through crisis, and several other characters try to solve the mystery of how and where the disease broke out. Stephen Soderbergh directed this thriller, which boasts an ensemble of A-listers that includes Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Marion Cotillard. The subject matter may make you feel like a germaphobe, but the movie is a tense and entertaining ride. The DVD extras include several featurettes.

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Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

A woman (Katie Holmes) moves into a decrepit mansion with her boyfriend (Guy Pearce) and his daughter, but their home life is less than idyllic when the little girl starts complaining about being tormented by creatures in the house. Guillermo del Toro produced and co-wrote the horror film (a remake of a '70s made-for-TV movie), but his touch doesn't save the film from feeling a bit formulaic. A three-part making-of documentary is included as a DVD extra.

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To see one more new release, just keep reading.

Despite three new releases and a hurricane that shut down much of the East Coast, The Help took the number one spot at the box office for the second weekend in a row with $14.3 million. In what was the second slowest weekend at the box office this year (behind only Super Bowl weekend), new film Colombiana saw a modest debut, taking second place with $10.3 million. Other newcomer Don't Be Afraid of the Dark followed close behind in third place with $8.7 million. Rise of the Planet of the Apes maintained a top five spot, coming in fourth with $8.6 million, while Our Idiot Brother came in fifth with a disappointing $6.5 million in its opening weekend.

Photo courtesy of Dreamworks

In Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, a young girl named Sally (Bailee Madison) moves cross-country to Blackwood Manor, a Gothic estate her architect father (Guy Pearce), and his interior decorator girlfriend (Katie Holmes) are renovating. Soon after arriving, Sally begins to hear eerie voices coming from tiny creatures in the mansion's basement, and what follows is a pretty formulaic approach to a horror film — there's a house with a dark history, an all-too-knowledgeable groundskeeper, and a child whose fears are written off by the adults around her. The story feels all too familiar, and you can pretty much guess what's going to happen every step of the way.

The film is a remake of a 1970s made-for-TV movie that producer and cowriter Guillermo del Toro cites as the scariest movie he ever saw as a child. It's hard not to expect a unique take on a haunted horror film, given the fact that del Toro created such a vivid imaginary world in Pan's Labyrinth. Instead we get a lot of clichés, and one of the only deviations from standard horror movie fare — an intricate mythology surrounding the creatures — emerges as more confusing than scary. To find out more about why del Toro's monster's failed to make my skin crawl, just read more

Guillermo del Toro is the force behind this weekend's Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, and he recently spoke about his involvement with the Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce film during a NYC press day. Troy Nixey directed the scary movie, with del Toro operating behind the scenes as a producer and "presenter." Del Toro discussed what his duties included and how he stuck to his original vision for the picture. He also revealed his favorite movies, admiration for the young actress Bailee Madison, and how he thinks perpetuating the weak-females-in-horror-movies cliche is immoral.

• On their film having an R rating despite little sex or profanity: "We shot the movie carefully — no profanity, no sex — and it’s not graphic at all. There’s not a single moment when you see anything gory, but when we asked the MPA, 'What would it need to change?' they said, 'The whole movie. It’s too intense . . . it’s intensity with a child.' And frankly, at that point, they said something really nice! They said, 'Why ruin a perfectly good R-rated movie?' Which I thought was very nice coming from them. So we wore it as a badge of honor."
• On working with Bailee: "I think the term 'child actor' is a mistake. They're either actors, or they're not; whatever they are, at any age. If a kid is a real actor, he’s a thrill."
• On attaching his name to a movie, despite not directing it: "I only presented three movies, one in Spain and The Orphanage internationally, and this is the third time. I only do it when — (a) I am introducing a filmmaker to the world, but (b) I endorse and say I believe in this movie very, very strongly. For whatever reason, it’s a more risky proposition in one way, but it’s one that I believe needs to continue to support first-time filmmakers. . . . I only do it when I fully believe I was involved in the product in a way that is meaningful."
• On his favorite movies: "When DVDs came out I made a solemn promise to my wife that I’m just going to get my 10 favorite movies — which are really 7,000 movies. But instinctively, which may change tomorrow, I’d say Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Erich von Stroheim’s Greed, Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights, Taxi Driver, Blade Runner, Beauty and the Beast. It’s almost impossible to make this list. I’d say all Chaplin and Hitchcock . . . it’s impossible. It’s a horrible dilemma."

To read what Guillermo said about the movie's 10-year development period, the importance of storytelling, and female protagonists in horror films, just read more

Katie Holmes linked up with her Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark producer Guillermo del Toro recently in NYC to chat about their scary film. They were in Australia nearly two years ago shooting the project, which was directed by Troy Nixey. Katie dished about their shoot down under, saying she loved their desserts — actually, after the interview was over, Katie beelined to the junket's dessert tray to eat sweets with young costar Bailee Madison. Katie had kind words to share about Bailee and Guillermo, and shared her favorite movies of the moment and how she prepped to act in such a scary film. Katie said:

• On getting to know Bailee on set: "It was a pleasure working with Bailee and getting to know her mom Patti. They're so lovely, such a nice family . . . I think it’s really fun to work on movies because everyone's families get to know each other. I know Guillermo’s family, he knows my family, and we all stay in touch. We're all raising children in a very creative environment — it’s great fun. Bailee is a very strong human being and she is so good at what she does. We're going to see many of her films over time."
• On doing the movie: "I was really excited to work with Guillermo, first of all. And I love this script. I was scared reading it. I love these characters and I really loved [my character] Kim’s journey from really resisting a relationship with [Bailee Madison's] Sally then getting to the point where she can identify with Sally. I love that emotional tension and then turning it into a great emotional art. It was really fun and challenging, and I really loved how strong these two female characters are. It’s great to see on film and it’s really fun to portray."
• On being on the set: "We loved Melbourne, Australia. The people in town were so lovely, and they have the best doughnuts and great bookstores and great pavlova."
• On watching scary movies growing up: "I did! I was affected by them, and when I read this script, I was so terrified that I started hearing noises — and I kind of held my daughter closer and looked in the corners of her bedroom a couple of times. I really enjoyed being a part of this, because I really do think it takes the audience on that thrill ride."

To read more from Katie about how she prepped, playing opposite make-believe creatures, and the legacy of strong women in scary films, just read more

• Paul Rudd is set to star in film about freezing people — The Hollywood Reporter
• Ted Danson joins CSI cast — Aol TV
• What's Oprah's next career move? — Zap2It
• Vin Diesel signs on to star in new action film — Moviefone
• Steven Colbert debates monogamy — TrèsSugar
• See photos from the fifth installation of Final Destination — Rotten Tomatoes
• Get a sneak peek at Soderbergh's Contagion film — /Film
• Check out the poster for Katie Holmes's upcoming horror film — MTV Movies Blog