There are occasional flinch-inciting moments, and there's even a pretty good sense of humor at work, but for the most part Darkness Falls is run-of- the-mill and derivative.
Darkness Falls (2003)
Tomatometer
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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.
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
Reviews for Darkness Falls
Of course, though, the climax takes place in a lighthouse (no subtlety there), and every person of authority, the cop, the lawyer, the doctor, are all incapacitated...
As amateurish as first-time director Jonathan Liebesman is with handling his performers and their roles, he is a clear technical expert, heightening a distinguishable, foreboding atmosphere while delivering thrills and chills at a clip rate.
There isn’t a character that changes in any way during the proceedings – unless you consider being lopped into bits by an angry spirit to be character development.
There's a lot of noise and blurry action in 'Darkness Falls' -- like the start of my worst migraines.
The horror genre isn't dead yet even if schlock movies like this one keep trying to bury it.
Something tells me John Agar would be looking down with pride at Darkness Falls.
The gloomy cinematography and rapid-fire editing ensure that the tooth fairy isn't overexposed, but you can't see much of anything else, either.
There's not a jot of originality in Darkness Falls, but there are a few good scares.
Darkness Falls casts a pall over its genre rather than do it justice. It should, however, appeal to horror fans looking for a cheap thrill.
Announcing her presence with a phlegmy wheeze, the Fairy strikes swiftly and sometimes even scarily, thanks to Stan Winston's ace special effects. But the movie's premise ... telegraphs her appearances and eliminates suspense.
The 'story' has editing in place of atmosphere, noise in place of subtlety.
Stephen King without the snap, David Lynch without the kink, teen horror without the teen hormones, Darkness Falls falls apart in a crescendo of creepy-crawly hoo-ha.
With it's no-name cast and dopey plot, there is little to explain why this generic piece of work did not go straight to DVD.
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