Tss5078 Production companies will do anything to get people to watch their movies, that's why the trailer almost always looks good, and the description on the back of the box is so eloquently written, but how often does the film live up to the hype? In the case of Fear of The Dark, it doesn't even come close! 12 year old, Ryan Billings (Jesse James), has an acute fear of the dark and his whole family thinks he's crazy. His parents rarely go out, but on one stormy night they decide to do so, leaving Ryan home alone with his older brother, Dale (Kevin Zegers), who comes to realize, his brother isn't so crazy after all. A creepy cover, a cool trailer, and an interesting description lead me to this film, even with the PG-13 rating. Some of the scariest supernatural horror film were rated PG-13, so i convinced myself, this would be a good choice. While the film has no affiliation with R.L. Stine, it is as much a Goosebumps tale as every other one of his stories. I was worried about the PG-13 rating, when the film doesn't even live up to that. How the company convinced the academy to give this film anything more than a PG rating is beyond me. Fear of The Dark has got to be the most tame and dull horror film I've ever seen. That being said, kids would absolutely love it, but it wasn't marketed to them and the creepy cover and PG-13 rating is exactly what would have kept them from this film. As for the performances, the two young actors were as you would expect, both Jesse James and Kevin Zegers, have look resumes as child actors and have done a ton of films like this and know exactly what their doing. Fear of The Dark is market towards teens and young adults when it should be in the children section. If you have kid, this is the kind of horror film you want them watching. As for me, I was utterly disappointed and shocked that a film like this would be marketed towards young adults.

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

red_green3377 Overall this was a very well done movie. Although i did feel as though i was watching the family channel at some parts it has everything you would want in a horror movie.I thought that the special effects could have been better. This movie gets you if you are one of those children who had a fear of things that go bump in the night. Overall it wasn't bad but it wasn't the best either so if you are looking for a movie to watch with your friend on Friday night and are open minded to the fact that this isn't the best graphics then sit back and prepare to jump and bite your nails down to the finger. I give this movie a 8 out of ten although maybe it deserves a little lower

sexyzbl i love this movie i watched it over and over again the boys did wonderful jobs and it is a movie younger kids shouldn't watch especially ones who are superstitious because i am and i myself got scared of the dark for a while but this movie is more then what i expected and the cast was great!and this time it was better because it was kids and not adults which made it more interesting!i loved the movie and most people may think it isn't all that good or great but i do i watched it over and over again and still liked it its like a movie you can watch then say hey lets watch fear of the dark tonight and say the same thing to somebody else a different night!