In the words of LL Cool J, don't call it a comeback. Katie Holmes plays Kim, a wannabe stepmom, in this lame remake of the 1973 Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. This version is directed by Troy Nixey from a Guillermo del Toro screenplay (no Pan's Labyrinth, this). Kim casts many ineffectual, troubled glances at Alex (Guy Pearce), her genially banal boyfriend, after Alex's nine-year-old daughter, Sally (Bailee Madison), finds something wicked skittering behind the walls of their new home. They are ancient, pint-sized creatures who want to lure Sally away with whispered enticements. It's a creepy premise that shows promise until the whispers begin to sound more like obscene phone calls than voices of pure evil. And once we get a look at the ugly buggers, the jig is up; when they run amok, the worst they do is shred up a shower curtain. What this film really needs is a good exterminator, or a better director.
