Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark, The Movie: What's Your Fear?

This weekend is a big weekend for many horror movie lovers because "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" has finally arrived in theaters.

What's your fear and what were you afraid of as a child? At early ages most children are fearless. They gravitate toward anything and everything. A baby will try to touch a wall socket out of curiosity. A child will smile and talk to strangers because they don't see, know, or care about the possible danger. A child will play with a dog or cat because they don't know of any harmful acts that might involve the pet.

My very first babysitter in Houston owned cats. I was six at the time and was not afraid of the cats. I'd pick them up, play with them, and watch them just because I could. However, after a while something changed. A cat may have scratched me, attacked me, looked at me the wrong way, or maybe I read some tall tale about the dangers of cats. I'm not sure what it was, but that fear developed. After that fear arose cats were my worst enemy. Tears would stream from my eyes if I had to be around one for a lengthy period. Since then many other fears have developed, but one that I never had was a fear of the dark.

 "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" is about a little girl, Sally, who is forced to live with her dad and step mom in a mansion. The dad is a real estate broker whose career is dependent on the re-glorification of the mansion. While in the mansion Sally starts hearing voices. At first these voices are friendly, but then they become mean after they reveal what they really want. Instead of friendship, they want her life. The only weapon Sally has against these voices (which soon turn into creatures) is the light, so she develops a fear of the dark. It was that simple.

One minute Sally was sneaking into dark rooms and the next minute she was eating, sleeping, and breathing light because the darkness was dangerous to her. Fears are powerful tools that can develop in an instant. Sometimes they are good for you and sometimes they are detrimental to you well being. So what are some of your fears that you didn't have when you were younger? What fears did you have as a child, but stopped having? How do these fears help or hinder you?

(Side Note: Don't Be Afraid of The Dark reminded me of Gremlins, Critters, and Poltergeist with a few interruptions of advertisements from The Animal Planet. The movie also gave you a sense of the beauty of art and how unrealistic it came seem, even when it's mirroring real life.)

While you're pondering on your fears, I'm not going to tell you whether you should see "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" or not. You can decide for yourself.