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Darkness Falls (2003)

8 ^%

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Reviews Counted: 121

Fresh: 10

Rotten:111

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

Theatrical Release: Jan 24, 2003 Wide

Box Office: $32,032,215

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...

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

Director: Jonathan Liebesman

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Release:

Apr 22, 2003

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Reviews for Darkness Falls

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10/18/08

Urban Cinefile Critics

Urban Cinefile

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.

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02/26/07

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

A mish mash of horror-movie clich�s.

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02/26/07

Philip French

Guardian [UK]

The kind of movie that gets laughs entirely unintentionally.

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12/30/06

Adam Smith

Empire Magazine

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.

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01/26/06

Time Out

Exactly what a horror movie should be; fun, scary, fast paced, and with 'jump' moments galore.

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09/30/05

Scott Nash

Three Movie Buffs

Oy, how it falls.

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09/26/05

Ann Hornaday

Washington Post

Top Critic

This is, quite simply, horror porn, with barely any connective tissue linking each set piece.

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02/08/05

Michael Dequina

Mr. Brown's Movies

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.

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01/21/05

Andrew Wright

Portland Mercury

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.

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01/04/04

Daniel M. Kimmel

Worcester Telegram & Gazette

There are a few cheap scares, but overall the film is, well, toothless.

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09/06/03

Josh Bell

Las Vegas Weekly

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.

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09/01/03

Shannon J. Harvey

Sunday Times (Australia)

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09/01/03

Sunday Times (Australia)

N/R

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08/30/03

Sydney Morning Herald

Darkness fell along with my eyelids, during this dire by-the-numbers horror film.

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07/08/03

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian [UK]

Darkness has fallen and it can't get up.

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06/26/03

Nick Rogers

State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)

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.

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05/20/03

Tyler Hanley

Palo Alto Weekly

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.

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05/11/03

Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

Disappointing horror film that is neither frightening nor amusing.

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05/10/03

Matthew Turner

ViewLondon

Hoping for a good scare while watching this mess really is like pulling teeth.

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05/08/03

Harry Guerin

RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

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