Miramax is a studio in flux, a property that was absorbed into Disney proper and now rumored to be on the block, with the Weinsteins a possible buyer. Among the films in the Miramax library of unreleased masterpieces is a film I worked on. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.
We had a test screening in March and it was the first time I was able to see the movie in its current state. I left with a big smile.
But still, we’re adrift in a weird sea. Waiting to see how the chips fall. What I do know is that the film is very much a smash-up of the great 70’s horror movies and the great 80’s horror movies and that the folks who read this site are going to be shitting themselves with glee when it finally comes out.
A blogger I’m not familiar with recently ran a piece on the film possibly undergoing a title change and quite a few readers have asked me about it. Honestly, I can say that some of what’s covered in the piece isn’t all that outlandish but nothing’s been decided. Even though the film is a remake, it’s a remake of a film that was on television that few people saw and one with name recognition that doesn’t dig too deep into the consciousness of the fan community. Here’s what the blogger revealed:
Disney registered DBAOTD.com and DontBeAfraid-TheMovie.com. They also recently registered domain names for They Are Waiting (TheyAreWaiting.com), They Wait in the Dark (TheyWaitInTheDark.com) and What Lurks in the Dark (WhatLurksInTheDark.com).
Interesting.
Because the film is produced and written by Guillermo del Toro (with Matthew Robbins, of Dragonslayer fame), one could argue that his name carries as much or more value that the title, but I must admit that I like the title. There’s an old school vibe to it and it certainly reflects Troy Nixey’s (the director and a great voice on our message boards) sensibilities that permeate every frame.
For now, I think it’s just speculation.
Read the piece here. It’s interesting stuff and frankly, I just want you folks to see this film soon, regardless of the title. Little monsters tearing shit up is so missing from our cinematic diet it isn’t even funny.