A mish mash of horror-movie clichés.
Darkness Falls (2003)
Runtime: 86 mins
Synopsis:
For the past 150 years, the legend of Matilda Dixon, "the Tooth Fairy," has hung over the town of Darkness Falls like a dark cloud. After being unjustly accused of a heinous crime, the kindly old woman was savagely slaughtered by a mad rabble one night, and there are those who say her vengeful...
For the past 150 years, the legend of Matilda Dixon, "the Tooth Fairy," has hung over the town of Darkness Falls like a dark cloud. After being unjustly accused of a heinous crime, the kindly old woman was savagely slaughtered by a mad rabble one night, and there are those who say her vengeful spirit hovers over the town, just waiting to pounce on anyone who sees her in the dark.
It happened to young Kyle. One night he saw Matilda and, though he managed to escape her evil clutches, his mother was brutally murdered.
Or was it just a hallucination?
Haunted by his painful memories of that night, and plagued by guilt, Kyle (Chaney Kley) has never allowed himself to be in the dark since. One day, he is summoned back to town by his childhood sweetheart Caitlin (Emma Caulfield), whose nine-year-old brother Michael (Lee Cormie) is having the same nightmares that drove Kyle to the brink of madness.
When he returns, however, Kyle realizes that Matilda’s evil spirit was no figment of his imagination. She is real and extremely dangerous. And if she catches him in the dark again, her horrible, scarred face will be the last thing he ever sees.
Revolution Studios presents A Distant Corners/Blue Star Pictures Production, Darkness Falls, distributed by Columbia Pictures. Starring Chaney Kley, Emma Caulfield and Lee Cormie. The film is directed by Jonathan Liebesman. The screenplay is by John Fasano & James Vanderbilt & Joe Harris from a story by Joe Harris. The producers are John Hegeman, John Fasano, William Sherak and Jason Shuman. The executive producers are Derek Dauchy and Lou Arkoff. Dan Laustsen is the director of photography. The production designer is George Liddle. The film is edited by Steve Mirkovich, A.C.E. and Tim Alverson. The music is by Brian Tyler. Creature Designed and Created by Stan Winston Studio.
Darkness Falls is rated PG-13 for terror and horror images, and brief language.
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Starring: Chaney Kley, Emma Caulfield, Lee Cormie, Grant Piro, Kestie Morassi
Screenwriter: Joseph Harris, John Fasano, John Vanderbilt
Producer: John Hegeman, William Sherak, John Fasano, Jason Shuman
Composer: Brian Tyler
DVD Info
Release:
Oct 4, 2004
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Full Frame
- Widescreen - 2.40
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Additional Release Material:
- Audio Commentary - 1. Jonathan Liebesman - Director
- Trailer
- Featurettes - 1. LEGEND OF MATILDA DIXON
- 2. DARK ORIGIN: THE TOOTH FAIRY
- 3. THE MAKING OF 'DARKNESS FALLS'
- Deleted Scenes
- Storyboard Comparisons
Interactive Features:
- Interactive Menus
- Scene Selection
Reviews
All semblance of plausibility is extracted, leaving a cast of TV actors to struggle with a plot with more gaps than an eight-year-old's grin.
Darkness fell along with my eyelids, during this dire by-the-numbers horror film.
There are some scary moments in this film, but basically they're because (1) it reminds you so much of almost every other horror movie you've ever seen and (2) they fill the soundtrack with unsettling and loud noises that would make anyone jump.
Disappointing horror film that is neither frightening nor amusing.
This is a self-consciously silly, completely disposable multiplex movie that does its best to deliver its fair share of chills while struggling to keep a straight face.
It begins with not one but two prologues; one character turns up out of nowhere, his introduction no doubt left on the cutting-room floor; and the paltry 85-minute running time includes 15 minutes of end credits.
Exactly what a horror movie should be; fun, scary, fast paced, and with 'jump' moments galore.
This is, quite simply, horror porn, with barely any connective tissue linking each set piece.
Provides for more than acceptable campfire fare (although at under 80 minutes, it lasts less than most Duralogs), with occasional moments of genuine visceral fright.
The problem is that both the plot and the characters are so thin that it’s hard to care about anything that’s happening on screen.
There are a few cheap scares, but overall the film is, well, toothless.
You will find more frights in Finding Nemo. And you might just have more fun playing with your lollie wrappers, performing shadow puppets on the screen – or even picking your nose – than enduring this dimly lit horror movie.
Irritating sound effects, cheap scare tactics and a comically bad script all add up to the year's first senseless cinematic attack on the senses.
Hoping for a good scare while watching this mess really is like pulling teeth.
Related Forums

by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/17/07

by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/17/07

by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/17/07

by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/17/07
Pictures
News
posted by Scott Weinberg August 30, 2006
I was among the initially-skeptical and eventually-impressed who actually really liked Marcus Nispel's...
posted by Scott Weinberg June 07, 2006
If you're not a hardcore horror fan, this could get a little confusing: In the beginning there was Tobe Hooper's...
posted by Scott Weinberg February 22, 2006
New Line has hired "Darkness Falls" director Jonathan Liebesman to helm the as-yet-untitled...
posted by Scott Weinberg February 06, 2006
Character actor David Arquette will make his directorial debut with an indie horror flick entitled "The...


Top Critic