As the delightfully foul-mouthed monster maestro Guillermo del Toro tells it, the Don't Be Afraid of the Dark came about because, as a child, the 1973 ABC telemovie was one of the most frightening things he had ever seen, and he and his brother would chase each other around whispering, "Saaaaallllly," just like the creatures in the film.  When he grew up and rewatched the original, though, he was surprised by how much better his embellished recollection of it was, so he and co-writer Matthew Robbins set about writing a new version that would live up to del Toro's memories.

To direct, del Toro enlisted Tory Nixey to make his feature film debut.  Based on everything we've seen, it looks as though the resulting remake will live to the movie producer and co-writer del Toro had in his head for so long.  A new red band spot is quite disturbing, particularly for anyone who cringes at the idea of dental torture.  It's followed up by a clip and a behind-the-scenes video, which spotlights the adorably precocious star Bailee Madison and del Toro's wonderful accent.

Opening in theaters on August 26^th is a new horror film from the mind of director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) called Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, which actually is based on the 1973 ABC made-for-TV movie of the same name. The film has been a passion project of del Toro’s for years but he did not helm the movie, instead tapping comic book artist Troy Nixey to make his feature film directorial debut while he simply adapted the screenplay and produced the new remake.

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark stars a talented cast of actors including Guy Pearce (Memento, L.A. Confidential), Katie Holmes (Batman Begins), Alan Dale (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), Jack Thompson (Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil), and newcomer Bailee Madison (Just Go With It).

IAR’s managing editor Jami Philbrick had a chance to catch up with actor Guy Pearce at this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego last month to discuss Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. The actor spoke freely about the new film, his familiarity with the original, collaborating with both del Toro and Nixey on set, and the importance of finding the right young actress to play the lead role.

Opening in theaters on August 26th is a new horror film from the mind of director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) called Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, which is based on the 1973 ABC made-for-TV movie of the same name. The film has been a passion project of del Toro's for years but he did not helm the movie, instead tapping comic book artist Troy Nixey to make his feature film directorial debut while he simply adapted the screenplay and produced the new remake. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark stars a talented cast of actors including Guy Pearce (Memento), Katie Holmes (Batman Begins), Alan Dale (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), Jack Thompson (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), and newcomer Bailee Madison (Just Go With It).

IAR's managing editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to sit down with writer and producer Guillermo del Toro, as well as actresses Katie Holmes, and Bailee Madison to discuss the new film. We spoke candidly about del Toro's vision and passion for the project, Holmes' experience collaborating with del Toro, and how Madison dealt with the movie's scarier moments at such a young age.

More often then not, cinematic monsters are big, physically imposing beasts that lumber around feasting on human flesh and secreting goo all over the place.  Such beasts can certainly hit on some of an audience's basic fears, but they're awfully familiar by now.  Two new clips from Don't Be Afraid of the Dark prove that creatures needn't be behemoths in order to be properly scary.  The little beasties inhabiting Blackwood Manor are almost roughly-sized, but they're cleverly sinister and every shade of creepy. 

When a horror movie is titled Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, that advice is most assuredly not meant to be taken literally.  In fact, when the film is co-written and produced by the Mexican Master of Monsters Guillermo del Toro, it's a safe bet that the intent is make audiences very much afraid of the dark and whatever intricately-designed beasties may lurk therein.  The remake of the 1973 ABC telemovie is set to debut in theaters later this month, and in anticipation of its imminent release, we have not one but two brand new clips from the film.

The LA Film Fest came to a close last week with the Sunday night premiere of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, a new horror film from the mind of fan-favorite director Guillermo del Toro. The movie, which del Toro produced, is based on a 1973 ABC made-for-TV film that the Pan’s Labyrinth director has said was the scariest thing he ever saw on TV as a child.

Don’t be afraid of the Dark is the directorial debut for comic book artist Troy Nixey and the film stars Katie Holmes (Batman Begins), Guy Pearce (Memento), and newcomer Bailee Madison (Brothers). The story follows Sally (Madison), a young girl who moves to Connecticut to live with her father and his girlfriend (Pearce and Holmes) in an old house that they are renovating. Sally soon discovers tiny creatures living in the basement that she tries to befriend but quickly realizes are actually out to get her.

If Guillermo del Toro is involved with a film in any capacity, you can rest assured that it will contain some spectacular monsters, vampires, ghouls, or other creatures that go bump in the night.  He is, after all, the director behind Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, and The Devil's Backbone.  He's also the producer and co-writer of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, a modern update of a 1973 made-for-TV movie that del Toro fervently believes is the scariest film ever made.  The first official poster for the haunted house horror tale has premiered, and it is appropriately spooky.

Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes star in this Guillermo Del Toro-produced horror film coming January 21st!

Synopsis: Sally Hurst (Bailee Madison), a lonely, withdrawn child, has just arrived in Rhode Island to live with her father and his girlfriend at the 19th-century mansion they are restoring. While exploring the sprawling estate, the young girl discovers a hidden basement, undisturbed since the strange disappearance of the mansion’s builder a century ago. When Sally unwittingly lets loose a race of ancient, dark-dwelling creatures who conspire to drag her down into the mysterious house’s bottomless depths, she must convince Alex and Kim that it’s not a fantasy—before the evil lurking in the dark consumes them all.

There's a whole lot to like about the new teaser trailer for Miramax's Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, a remake of the 1972 TV movie of the same name: The creepy voice-over, the sudden jolts, the palpable atmosphere of dread... Horror fans, or just fans of getting a good scare, would be wise to toss this one up high on their must-see list, I'm sure of that much. The name Guillermo del Toro appearing halfway through the trailer doesn't hurt, either. (It's also nice to see that it's rated R for "terror".)