October 8. A Horror Film That Mostly Takes Place in a Library

Decades ago, inside Blackwood Manor, wildlife painter Lord Emerson Blackwood took the teeth of his maid and those of the creatures who lived within the fireplace and tried to reason with them. They turn him down and kill him, as they only want the teeth of children. This scene got me — teeth smashing is that one taboo even I can’t get over.

Sally Hurst (Bailee Madison) has come to live with her father (Guy Pierce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes), as her mother is too depressed and he’s renovating the manor. She awakens the creatures, and fortunately, Kim, her father’s girlfriend, believes her. They visit a library and discover Lord Blackwood’s unpublished artwork, which depicts these tooth fairies. The librarian is even aware of them, saying they sometimes transform humans. One of them is Blackwood, who wasn’t killed but has become the leader. Sally is trapped in the library but manages to escape, even killing a creature with a bookshelf.

Co-writer and producer Guillermo del Toro chose comic-book artist Troy Nixey to direct and art direct this. Obviously, it comes from the TV movie of the same name. This even has an ending that is so close to the first film. It’s good, but it can’t be compared. That’s fine — the original is such a big deal to me. But this is still a good film.