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Movies / On DVD / Darkness Falls
Darkness Falls

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Darkness Falls (2003)

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Reviews Counted:125

Fresh:10

Rotten:115

Average Rating:3.2/10

Consensus: A derivative movie where the scares are few and things don't make much sense.

Runtime: 86 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

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... 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. [More]

Starring: Chaney Kley, Emma Caulfield, Lee Cormie, Grant Piro

Starring: Chaney Kley, Emma Caulfield, Lee Cormie, Grant Piro, Kestie Morassi, Alannah Oliver, Joshua Anderson

Director: Jonathan Liebesman

Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Screenwriter: Joseph Harris, John Fasano, John Vanderbilt
Producer: John Hegeman, William Sherak, John Fasano, Jason Shuman
Composer: Brian Tyler
Studio: Columbia Pictures

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Reviews for Darkness Falls

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41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

'Director Jonathan Liebesman helms a ridiculously familiar and arbitrary cheesy horror tale that doesn't effectively challenge the simple conventions of the fright genre.'

Full Review Source: Movie Eye | comment Comment
01/30/03
Frank Ochieng
Frank Ochieng
Movie Eye

It's not the idea, but the execution that is bothersome. It's totally predictable.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
01/30/03
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

Simply put, Darkness Falls is like that snake that eats itself: by the time minute 80 hits the screen, you'll have completely forgotten about minutes 1 through 10.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
01/29/03
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

The first new horror film of the new year is the sort of unmitigated donkey crap that makes even a hardcore horror fan like myself understand why the genre is held in such disdain by non-fans.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
01/29/03
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

The biggest problem with the characters is that they have all taken lobotomy pills. They are even more stupid than characters normally are in horror flicks.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
01/29/03
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
Film Threat

Darkness Falls breaks even, at least for horror fans, if not for horror snobs

Full Review Source: Movie Habit | comment Comment
01/29/03
Marty Mapes
Marty Mapes
Movie Habit

This is horror-flick boo-ya at its most rote.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
01/28/03
Alex Pappademas
Alex Pappademas
Village Voice

Inventive fiction masquerading as age-old, local legend deteriorates into a wholly generic creature flick.

Full Review Source: Radio Free Entertainment | comment Comment
01/28/03
Andrew Manning
Andrew Manning
Radio Free Entertainment

Two good elements of the film are the music score by Brian Tyler and the top notch sound design by John Schiefelbein

Full Review Source: DVDTalk.com | comment Comment
01/28/03
D.K. Holm
D.K. Holm
DVDTalk.com

There's a spooky excitement to the opening and closing showpieces that's noticeably missing from the boring middle stretch.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
01/27/03
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Every manufactured 'Boo!' operates on a logical void in this latest no-budget, teen-targeted music-video exploitation of childhood night terrors.

Full Review Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) | comment Comment
01/27/03
Jonathan R. Perry
Jonathan R. Perry
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

The terrible acting, the awful pacing, and laughable special effects make the horror of watching this movie all too unintentional.

Full Review Source: Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies | comment Comment
01/27/03
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Incrediby, the nitwit pun in the title is one of the more intelligent things in this lame-brained, incompetent horror film.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
01/27/03
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

There are more than a few images in this film that may linger once the theater empties... just imagine how much money parents could save if they let their little ones watch this...!

Full Review Source: MovieCrypt.com | comment Comment
01/27/03
Kevin A. Ranson
Kevin A. Ranson
MovieCrypt.com

Fangoria subscribers will spot shameless cops from The Haunting, The Fog, The Blair Witch Project and Jeepers Creepers, to name but a few.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
01/27/03
Jason Anderson
Jason Anderson
eye WEEKLY

Since when does the Tooth Fairy inspire terror? Guess what? She still doesn’t.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
01/27/03
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

Darkness Falls has pushed my tolerance for Hollywood horror movies to the edge.

Full Review Source: Mark Reviews Movies | comment Comment
01/26/03
Mark Dujsik
Mark Dujsik
Mark Reviews Movies

[A] laughable and lethargic scarefest.

Full Review Source: Movie Eye | comment Comment
01/26/03
Frank Ochieng
Frank Ochieng
Movie Eye

There's no particular reason to see it unless you're a dyed-in-the-wool fan of weird (and loud) noises, things not quite seen and obvious plots.

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
01/26/03
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan

Lackluster thriller.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/26/03
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

Latest News for Darkness Falls

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I was among the initially-skeptical and eventually-impressed who actually really liked Marcus Nispel's "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" remake. Do I think it's even remotely... More...

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February 22, 2006: "Darkness" Director to Helm Jason's Origin Tale
New Line has hired "Darkness Falls" director Jonathan Liebesman to helm the as-yet-untitled "Friday the 13th" prequel which is being fast-tracked in an... More...

February 06, 2006: Arquette "Trips" into Directorial Debut
Character actor David Arquette will make his directorial debut with an indie horror flick entitled "The Tripper," which he wrote with Joe "Darkness Falls"... More...

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