Next week is the big coming out party for Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, the feature debut from my good friend and collaborator Troy Nixey and the latest Guillermo del Toro project to hit screens. I may be a bit biased (I was a producer on the movie) but I think of all the films he’s been involved with that he hasn’t actually directed, this is the closest to his sensibilities.

Little monsters in the basement terrorizing a little girl? Yeah, that’s definitely in his wheelhouse. And Troy’s, as you’ll soon see.

EW‘s Comic Con preview issue features the first still from the movie (the shot of Katie Holmes to the right) and the fine folks as Bloody Disgusting were able to get a nice hi-rez scan of it [see it here]. That’s the first salvo in a stream of great stuff coming your way between now and the film’s release date in January.

If you’re going to be at Comic Con, there are quite a few goodies relating to the film for you. For example, you know Hall H? That giant room of greatness? Here’s what’s happening on Friday there:

2:15-3:45 Miramax Films: Don’t Be Afraid of the
Dark

Producer/co-writer Guillermo del Toro and director Troy Nixey
present a first look at their new film Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,
a hair-raising, spine-chilling tale of horror about a little girl
(Bailee Madison) who is sent to live with her father (Guy Pearce) and
his girlfriend (Katie Holmes) in the old mansion they are renovating,
only to unwittingly unleash malevolent creatures bent on destroying all
of them.

The dude moderating that panel? This Guy.

I can’t say what or if we’ll be showing anything, but you’ll want to be there. I also can’t say what we will or won’t be giving away to a large group of people [hint: folks at previous comic cons left home with something for other del Toro movies] but it will be amazing. Hey Troy’s a former comic book artist. I wonder if he may have done something art related for the con?

One could speculate. Bottom line: The movie we’ve been talking about for a while is about to make its entrance in a big way. Hope you’re there.