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Darkness Falls (Special Edition)

Darkness Falls (Special Edition)

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: begins well then thins out and goes dull
Review: a horror movie like this didnt give me the creeps at all. I saw it because of the beautiful Emma Caulfield and Mr. Chaney Kley who both were in tv's buffy together. the ending is really the stupidest part with the tooth fairy showing her face and it let all the suspense drop. I really wasnt thrilled with this. it shouldve been a lot more scarier and they shouldve gaving it a R rating. the beginning starts off well and then in the middle it wears thin and goes nowhere

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: And you thought the dentist was kind of creepy.....
Review: "Darkness Falls" is the type of movie that flies in under the radar and hits you with some nice surprises. It's kinda spooky, kinda scary and kinda silly all at once. First of all, it relies on the fact that we all know about the tooth fairy. Then it takes that fact, whips it into a frenzy and turns the sweet ol' tooth fairy into one wicked you know what. The story falls before you like an old fashioned horror flick that relies more on camera angles, suspenseful music and the "potential" for danger. Although you get to see the creature early on, you never get a really good look at her, but you know she is always there and will strike when given the chance.
Other reviewers compare this movie to "The Blair Witch Project," but I know not why. Sure, the movie and the featurette on the DVD build up the background for the creature, but unlike "Blair Witch," "Darkness Falls" didn't try for months ahead of its release to convince you that this story was "true." And although both films use the potential for danger and creepy noises to set you up for "jump-at-ya" scares, "Darkness Falls" actually delivers. "The Blair Witch Project" only gained popularity for the creative way that its creators conned moviegoers into seeing a supposedly scary flick that was just a major dissappointment. "Darkness Falls" never promises that, and yet, it is a far better movie.
"Darkness Falls" is also a good Halloween flick for the younger crowd, although I would stick to letting kids over 12 seeing it for the fact that it does get kind of gruesome.
Even with a PG-13 rating, this movie is scarier than other R-rated flicks that rely on gore, sex and an over-abundance of violence. "Darkness Falls" plays more with your mind, which is scarier to me than watching Jason or Freddy rip up somebody with a weed-whacker.
Overall, this was a solid film that gives you some psychologically fun scares.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Never so scared before!
Review: Not a great horror movie but sure a very scary one. What do we fear the most? Darkness! Well that's all about it! I'm a hard person to get scared. I've seen tons of horror movies in the dark. I can't say I would see this one alone again! BOOO!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Few Effective Frights
Review: A few minutes after I popped "Darkness Falls" into my DVD player, I sensed a strong resemblance to "The Blair Witch Project." Don't get me wrong: there are plenty of differences between the two movies. "The Blair Witch Project" tries to generate scares psychologically, by making the viewer fill in the terrible blanks about what those three filmmakers hear stalking through the woods. "Darkness Falls" goes straight for the jugular by actually showing you the creature responsible for so much mayhem during the course of the film. I guess the similarity struck me as I watched the opening sequence regarding the history of Matilda Dixon, a sequence resembling the back story about the Blair Witch. The fact that a few extras on the disc play up the legend of Matilda Dixon by attempting to link her with real events also reminded me of "The Blair Witch Project."

Well, "Darkness Falls" easily stands on its own two feet. The opening scenes reveal a bit of background on good old Matilda Dixon, stating that about 150 years ago she used to play tooth fairy to the little tots in the village of Darkness Falls. Then tragedy struck, as two kids disappeared and the townspeople blamed this suspicious incident on Dixon. The result was the execution and disfigurement of Matilda Dixon. Dixon cursed the town with her final breath, declaring that the children of Darkness Falls would always face her eternal wrath from beyond the grave. This curse is as follows: a child who loses his or her last tooth and peeks at Matilda when she arrives to collect the tooth faces a world of hurt. A kid who doesn't attempt to catch a peek of Dixon will come through just fine, but several children do look and consequently suffer a terrible experience. One of these children is Kyle Walsh, who actually had the gall to survive an attack by this malevolent tooth fairy. The lengthy scenes of Kyle's encounter with Matilda Dixon really deliver some chills. Regrettably, the rest of the film steps away from this promising opening.

Kyle Walsh's Mom died the night he saw Matilda Dixon, so he never got to take Caitlin Greene (also known as Cat) to the school dance. In fact, young Kyle ended up floating through foster care for ten or so years before landing in Las Vegas in the present day. Cat never forgot about her young love, and when her little brother undergoes an unpleasant occurrence with Matilda Dixon, she tracks down Kyle in the hopes that he will return to town and help the latest victim. Kyle, as we quickly notice in a few shots of his apartment, never got over his nightmarish encounter: he pops anti-psychotic pills like candy and always carries a big bag of flashlights around with him just in case Dixon rears her mug. Kyle's enthusiasm about returning to Darkness Falls is nonexistent. He does it, though, and reunites with Cat and a few other childhood acquaintances. Most of the locals are definitely not happy about Kyle's reappearance because they believe he killed his Mom, especially the town cops who quickly blame a few of Matilda's latest nighttime excursions on Walsh. The truth comes out soon enough as the town undergoes a full frontal assault by Dixon. We even get to see her face in the epic confrontation in a lighthouse at the end of the movie.

Several problems plague "Darkness Falls." I kept wondering what happened to Caitlin's parents. Her little brother is suffering psychotic episodes in a hospital and the parents are nowhere to be found? Why? Perhaps it's due to budgetary restrictions that hindered hiring two more actors to play concerned parents. Another problem with the film is its short running time. "Darkness Falls" clocks in at roughly eighty-five minutes, with the opening sequence on Matilda Dixon eating into that total along with closing credits that run for another eleven. This isn't a movie; it's a television special. A lack of gruesome scenes also proved problematic for me. Granted, this movie does have a PG-13 rating, but I still would have liked a few bloody encounters with the evil tooth fairy.

I do believe "Darkness Falls" delivers a few chilling and frightening scenes along with several chuckles. You might jump a few times during the Kyle Walsh/Matilda Dixon sequence at the beginning of the movie, and the part where Dixon runs rampant through the local police station works quite well too. I roared with laughter when Kyle rocketed through the windshield of a car after it plowed into a tree. Boy, how could a guy get right up after that catastrophic collision? Don't mess with Kyle Walsh, folks! He's a bad dude! Overall, "Darkness Falls" isn't the best horror movie I have ever seen, but it is definitely worth a rental.

The Special Edition DVD contains a constellation of extras, including two commentary tracks, one with the director and one with two of the writers. There are also deleted scenes, storyboards, full and widescreen options, a making of documentary, and a "Legend of Matilda Dixon" film. That's an excellent deal if you decide to watch this movie on DVD. I am willing to bet that a sequel is already in the works, and if so, I liked "Darkness Falls" just enough to watch any subsequent installments.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Truly Awful
Review: Movies like this really showcase how terrible the horror genre is nowadays. First of all, the plot is a joke and just an excuse for a continual series of cheap "BOO!" scares (which don't even frighten). The acting is also abysmal and, truth be told, the entire film is about as scary as a ballpoint pen.

There is a slight redeeming factor in that the special effects are decent, but really, special effects are just icing on the cake for me when it comes to movies; I prefer substance over style, and this movie is utterly lacking in any substance whatsoever.

Let us pray for the revival of the horror genre and the destruction of snooze-inducing garbage like this. With films like Freddy vs. Jason and Cabin Fever in theaters, perhaps there is hope. Perhaps.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A LITTLE BIT SHORT IN THE TOOTH
Review: ...horror films are supposed to give you a scare; that moment when you're holding your breath, afraid of what might happen next. DARKNESS FALLS succeeds on that level with some very intense and spooky scenes. There are some great photographic angles and the special effects, which tend to merely suggest the tooth fairy, are great in a movie that doesn't rely on gore or sex-starved teenagers to propel its plot. This is pretty straight forward spook stuff. The acting is mediocre, although Emma Caulfield and Chaney Kley put as much into their roles as the script allows. Some big logical errors: they arrest Kyle without evidence of any kind; no blood work; after Kyle is accused of murdering Ray, they don't notice that there is no residual blood on Kyle, so how did he do such a brutal killing without any blood getting on him? And the hospital is suspiciously vacant..where are all the staff you see running around in a hospital? But I found the movie entertaining and spooky, and what more can you ask for sometimes?

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Actually, a pretty good movie...
Review: Recent films, such as The Ring and Wendigo, steeped heavily in vivid folklore, are heralding a new wave in the horror genre. If the '90s were typified by Irony Age films like Scream, then the new millennium identity plays it closer to the vest: straightforward approaches to human behaviour. Sarcastic banter between characters has been replaced with more realistic responses to the situation at hand.

A recent entry into this sub-genre is Darkness Falls (2003).

I found Emma Caulfield's Caitlin to be the complete antithesis to Anya, the perky vengeance demon she played on T.V.'s Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Caitlin is dressed down in plain, earth tone garb and mousy brown hair (much in the same fashion of Winona Ryder's character in Lost Souls). Caulfield does a good job in portraying a caring, maternal figure that is intensely protective of her little brother. She conveys an internal strength but also a vulnerability that results in a very sympathetic performance.

Chaney Kley's portrayal of the soft-spoken, yet intense Kyle is a refreshing change-he plays a reluctant hero haunted by the past and forced to become more proactive if he is to come to terms with his fears.

Avoiding the annoying child actor factor, the spot on casting of Lee Cormie is a welcome relief from the Haley Joel Osment school of cutesy acting. He has big, expressive eyes that suggest a tortured soul and his pained expressions create a genuine compassion for his character.

Like Pitch Black, Darkness Falls uses the dark to suggest more by showing very little. For most of the movie the Tooth Fairy is only seen in fleeting glimpses as she uses the shadows to prey on unsuspecting victims. This is only further proof that a horror film does not need a lot of excessive gore to scare its audience. The timeless technique of playing with the audience's imagination is a much more effective way of creating suspense and terror.

The DVD features two audio commentaries. First up is the filmmaker's commentary with director Jonathan Liebesman, producers William Sherak and Jason Shuman and co-screenwriter, James Vanderbilt. This is a more light-hearted audio track as the guys joke between each other and exchange anecdotes about the filming and touch on other films that influenced them. On the downside, both Liebesman and Vanderbilt talk about cut scenes that would have fleshed out some of the characters' backstories but none of them are included in the deleted scenes section!

The second commentary is with the film's two other screenwriters, John Fasano and Joe Harris. The latter scribe wrote the original short film and then turned it into a feature-length screenplay. Fasano then re-wrote the screenplay which was, in turn, re-written by Vanderbilt. The two screenwriters track is much more focused as they talk at length about the early drafts: the original setting of the film was Long Island because that was the home of both men.

There are seven deleted scenes and alternate takes that are all quite short in length and revolve around a sun necklace that Caitlin gave Kyle when they were kids. It's a shame that this subplot was removed from the film and no commentary is provided to explain why this footage was cut.

Two featurettes are also included on the disc. "The Legend of Matilda Dixon" provides background on the actual legend of the Tooth Fairy. The story originates from an incident that occurred in the fishing town of Port Fairy, Australia in the 1800s. The "locals" that are interviewed in this featurette come across as well-rehearsed actors which calls into question the authenticity of this material.

"The Making of Darkness Falls" is a standard electronic press kit material as everyone speaks highly and enthusiastically about the project. This is Liebesman's first feature film and the producers picked him because he wanted to make "a classy horror film" in the tradition of Alien.

Finally, three scenes from the movie are compared to their storyboards in a split screen effect so that both can be viewed simultaneously.

Darkness Falls is a straightforward horror film that uses traditional scare tactics in a refreshingly effective way. It is a must-see for fans of Buffy's Emma Caulfield for her strong performance that is an exciting change from her T.V. persona. She has successfully made the difficult transition from T.V. to movies with this entertaining genre film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Funny
Review: I thought it was really good. I won't say it was the best movie I've ever seen, but I liked it.

It was thriller. I myself am not a big scary movie person. I have seen a few, but I tend to watch more romantic/comedy stuff.

But I liked it. I jumped a few times. Like the bit with the cat and at the end with the new kid and his mum.
It was actually really funny in parts, like when Caitlin was in the car crying and then the cat comes and she laughs. Also the bit when Michael was under the bed and Caitlin is telling to get out from under the bed, that there is nothing to be afraid of, THEN big scary noise and she's all "okay we'll get under the bed" or something like that.

You know what was really strange, listening to Emma's very american accent and Lee Cormie's(Michael, everything comes in threes tip top ad kid) very Australian accent.

the snackstop guy was good as an American guy.
I liked the cops.

I'm from Australia so I know where the lighthouse is and have been to it. So that's kinda scary.

There is a blooper, when the show Kyle and Larry walking around town and you see the end of a street and the lines are on the opposite side to in the US.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Like JEEPERS CREEPERS - good for about 10 minutes . . .
Review: I was suckered into renting this movie based on the preview. I knew it would bring nothing intelligent to the table, but still I figured it could manage a cheap teenagers-in-peril kind of thrill. And for about 10 minutes, it did. The opening attack is downright chilling (especially if you have surround sound and are watching in pitch black at about 2am. The screeching slowly arising from behind you will give you goosebumps.) Also, the premise wasn't silly in theory to me. Some of the most horrifying images are of traditionally good things being turned evil (evil clowns, evil dogs, evil cops . . . and so forth). Really, the premise packed alot of promise.

Then, the rest of the movie happened. Instead of giving us a batch of teenagers with angst and hormones getting offed one at a time, we are given two boring adults and one annoying child. Rather than attempting to explain why Matilda suddenly comes back to attack, and why she can only kill you if you see her, or just exactly how much light do you need to repel her - instead it is just "Hide here, get attacked there . . . repeat 50 times." The "monster" is not remotely scary looking, with or without the mask. And the one scene that seemed really creepy to me in the trailer (the girl walking down the dark hallway trying not to look at the monster) was DELETED out of the finished film! You can still see it in the deleted scenes - but it loses all of it's chilliness being out of context and in low-grade video display.

So, is it even worth a rent? Brother, it ain't even worth a viewing on basic TV! Sorry, Charlie!

By the way, if you REALLY want to ruin your night, watch this back to back with the movie "THEY" - try to decide which one [is] worse!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Scary as hell
Review: This is not an intelligent movie. It is pretty straight forward with its premise. And what a scary premise it is. If you happen to look at the tooth fairy while she is taking your last tooth, she is gonna get ya!! And if ya get away this time, she will come after you until she does get you. That is pretty much it. It is not original or well acted or the best movie you will ever see, it is more like a roller coaster ride. Sit down and prepared to be scared and then be done with it once it is over.
It does not stay with you after it is done. You will not be talking about the meaning of this or that. All you will be talking about is how fun it was and how scared you are.
Just a first rate scary movie.


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