Darkness Falls (2003 film)

Last updated
Darkness Falls
Darkness Falls movie.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jonathan Liebesman
Screenplay by Joe Harris
James Vanderbilt
John Fasano
Story byJoe Harris
Produced byJohn Fasano
John Hegeman
William Sherak
Jason Shuman
Starring
Cinematography Dan Laustsen
Edited byTimothy Alverson
Steve Mirkovich
Music by Brian Tyler
Production
companies
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • January 24, 2003 (2003-01-24)
Running time
86 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Australia
LanguageEnglish
Budget$11 million [1]
Box office$47.5 million [1]

Darkness Falls is a 2003 supernatural horror film written by Joe Harris, James Vanderbilt and John Fasano and directed by Jonathan Liebesman, in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Chaney Kley and Emma Caulfield. It follows Kyle Walsh (Kley), who witnesses his mother's murder at the hands of a vengeful spirit lynched by an angry mob more than 150 years ago. Twelve years later, Kyle returns to his childhood home because Michael Greene (Lee Cormie), the young brother of his romantic interest Caitlin (Caulfield), is being stalked by the same spirit. Kyle must protect them from this powerful enemy and put an end to its killing spree. Released on January 24, 2003, it was critically panned, but was considered a commercial success, grossing $47.5 million against a $11 million budget.

Contents

Plot

In the middle of the 19th century, in the town of Darkness Falls, elderly widow Matilda Dixon was adored by the town's children. She would give them a gold coin whenever they lost a tooth, earning her the nickname Tooth Fairy. One night, a fire broke out in her house and left her face disfigured and severely sensitive to light. She wore a white porcelain mask and would only leave her house at night. However, the town's adults were suspicious of Matilda, believing her to be a witch. When two children went missing, the town quickly turned on Matilda. They tore off her mask, exposed her face to light and hanged her. Before her death, Matilda placed a curse on the town and swore revenge. "What I took before in kindness, I will take forever in revenge". When the two missing children returned home unharmed, the town realized their mistake and quickly buried Matilda's body, keeping their deed a secret. Over the next 150 years, the story of Matilda became the legend of the Tooth Fairy. Her spirit visits children on the night they lose their last baby tooth. If anyone lays eyes upon her, they will face her curse and be killed.

In 1990, Kyle Walsh, a teenager befriended by Caitlin Greene, loses his last baby tooth. That night, he wakes after a horrific nightmare and senses Matilda's presence, discovering that the story is true. Knowing she cannot bear the light, he shines a flashlight into her face and flees. Hiding in the brightly lit bathroom. His mother tries to reassure him that there is nobody else in the house but is killed after seeing Matilda in Kyle's room. The next morning, police arrive and Kyle is removed to a psychiatric institution after mistaken speculations that he killed his mother.

Twelve years later, Caitlin telephones Kyle to ask for his help with her younger brother Michael, who refuses to sleep in the dark. Kyle still suffers extreme paranoia from his encounter with Matilda. He has dozens of flashlights and numerous medications for anxiety, depression and sleep disorders. Kyle visits Michael at the hospital but denies any relation to his condition and walks away from Caitlin. She still believes that the legend of Matilda Dixon is just a story, one which they were all told as children but a story nonetheless.

Kyle tries to warn others of Matilda but faces ridicule and skepticism. Which leads to the death of many townspeople for not believing him. A lightning storm blacks out the whole town. Realizing that Michael and Caitlin are in danger, Kyle rushes to the hospital. He rescues them and gains allies along the way, as others see Matilda and realize the story is true. Kyle, Michael and Caitlin flee and hide in the lighthouse. They are helped by several medical personnel and a police officer, all of whom are killed by Matilda.

During his final confrontation with Matilda, power is restored and the lighthouse beacon is activated. The sudden exposure to light causes Matilda excruciating pain and Kyle tears off her mask. Seeing her grotesque, disfigured face, he realizes she is now vulnerable. Enraged, she resumes her attack. Kyle sets his right sleeve on fire and he strikes her face with it. As her spirit is engulfed in flame, Matilda is destroyed and her curse is finally brought to an end.

In a final scene, a young boy is being tucked into bed by his parents, having just lost his last baby tooth. As he sleeps, his mother replaces the tooth under his pillow with some gold coins.

Cast

Production

In September 2001, the film was announced as having entered development under the working titles of Don't Peek and The Tooth Fairy as the first production of the Revolution Studios based Distant Corners Entertainment Group, which itself was expanded from a 2001 short film Tooth Fairy written and directed by Joe Harris. [2] [3] Filming was slated to begin in November of that year with production in Australia on a $6–8 million budget. [3] Jonathan Liebesman was announced as director in what would be his debut feature. [3] Producer John Hegeman, who was behind the marketing of The Blair Witch Project , voiced his hopes that the film would be the first in a wide reaching franchise. [3]

Post-production

Initially, the film was to have established Kyle Walsh as more explicitly troubled while keeping the actual existence of the Tooth Fairy vague and undefined in order to make audiences question whether Kyle was the killer. [2] Matilda Dixon was also established as being a younger widow with a husband who was lost at sea rather than an older woman as depicted in the final film. [2] After completion, the producers heavily truncated the final cut removing character backstory as well as expanded details on the Darkness Falls curse and made the film much more upfront and explicit with the Tooth Fairy as the main antagonist rather than any suggestion that Kyle may be the killer. [2]

Soundtrack

Darkness Falls: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Film score (Digital download / Audio CD)by
Brian Tyler
ReleasedMarch 4th, 2003
Length48:32
Label Varese Sarabande

The film's closing credits feature the song "Gunboat" by Vixtrola. Other songs featured in the film include "Look Out Below" by Closure, "Hand of Emptiness" by Brian Tichy, and "Rock Nation" by Scott Nickoley and Jamie Dunlap.

All music is composed by Brian Tyler

Darkness Falls: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
No.TitleLength
1."Evil Rises"2:26
2."Darkness Falls"2:33
3."Eye Contact"1:50
4."Interrogatorio"2:13
5."A Bit Crispy"1:22
6."25 Words or Less"1:41
7."Stay in the Light"1:22
8."Lose a Tooth"1:31
9."Der Zylinder"2:58
10."One Kiss"1:57
11."Let There Be Light Sort Of"1:08
12."We Are Safe In Here"0:37
13."We Are Not Safe In Here"0:43
14."Aftermath"1:29
15."Overhead"0:57
16."Consultation"2:12
17."Utter Darkness"1:28
18."That Has Got To Hurt"1:25
19."Kyle and Michael"2:30
20."Perception Tank"1:39
21."Blood Red Herring"0:44
22."Meet the Tooth Fairy"2:49
23."Reading the Legend"0:44
24."Is This Kyle Walsh?"1:53
25."The Mask"1:03
26."End Titles"7:07
Total length:48:32

Reception

Box office

Darkness Falls debuted at number one its opening weekend. [4] Grossing $32,551,396 domestically and $47,488,536 worldwide, Darkness Falls was considered a commercial success at the U.S. box office, recouping its $11 million budget. [1]

Critical response

According to review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, 10% of critics out of 132 reviews gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 3.2/10; the critical consensus is: "A derivative movie where the scares are few and things don't make much sense". [5] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 23 out of 100, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews", based on reviews from 27 critics. [6] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale. [7]

In his review for The New York Times , Stephen Holden called the film "an efficient little horror movie that doesn't waste its time getting down to business." Although the film had a "deliberate sparseness of gore," Holden noted the "demonization of a benign childhood phantom" as the film's "cleverest notion." [8] Jamie Russell of the BBC gave it 3/5 stars, writing: "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." [9]

Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times said that although "the filmmakers and their cast strive mightily to work up some thrills and chills," the film ultimately was "not all that scary." [10] Philip French of The Observer called it "a mish mash of horror-movie clichés". [11] Alexander Walker of the Evening Standard wrote: "Bogey-fanciers may enjoy it; others may want to check out long before they all take refuge in the lighthouse." [12]

Novelization

Joe Harris wrote Darkness Falls: The Tragic Life of Matilda Dixon, a prequel comic, which was published by Dark Horse Comics.[ citation needed ] Keith R. A. DeCandido wrote a novelization of the film, which was published by Pocket Books in December 2002.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma Caulfield</span> American actress

Emma Caulfield Ford is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as former demon Anya Jenkins on the supernatural drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1998–2003), which earned her a nomination for the Satellite Award for Best Cast. She had recurring roles as Susan Keats on the Fox teen drama series Beverly Hills, 90210 (1995–1996), as Emma Bradshaw on the CW teen drama series Life Unexpected (2010–2011), and as Sarah Proctor on the Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021), a role she reprised in its spin-off Agatha All Along (2024). She starred in the supernatural horror film Darkness Falls (2003) and in the romantic comedy film Timer (2009), and had a supporting role in the comedy film Back in the Day (2014).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maleficent</span> Main antagonist from Disneys 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty

Maleficent is a fictional character who first appears in Walt Disney Productions' animated film, Sleeping Beauty (1959). Maleficent is the self-proclaimed "Mistress of All Evil" based on the evil fairy godmother character in Charles Perrault's fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, as well as the villainess who appears in the Brothers Grimm's retelling of the story, Little Briar Rose. Maleficent was originally animated by Marc Davis.

<i>The Curse of Frankenstein</i> 1957 horror film by Hammer Film Productions

The Curse of Frankenstein is a 1957 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions, loosely based on the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. It was Hammer's first colour horror film, and the first of their Frankenstein series. Its worldwide success led to several sequels, and it was also followed by new versions of Dracula (1958) and The Mummy (1959), establishing "Hammer Horror" as a distinctive brand of Gothic cinema.

<i>Valerie and Her Week of Wonders</i> (film) 1970 film by Jaromil Jireš

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders is a 1970 Czechoslovak Gothic surrealist coming-of-age psychological dark fantasy horror film co-written and directed by Jaromil Jireš, based on the 1935 novel of the same name by Vítězslav Nezval. It is considered part of the Czechoslovak New Wave movement. The film portrays the heroine as living in a disorienting dream, cajoled by priests, vampires, and men and women alike. The film blends dark fantasy, eroticism and Gothic horror genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sadako Yamamura</span> Antagonist in the Ring franchise

Sadako Yamamura is the main antagonist of Koji Suzuki's Ring novel series and its eponymous film series. Her backstory varies between continuities, but all depict her as the vengeful ghost of a young psychic who was murdered and thrown into a well. As a ghost, she is dressed in a simple white dress with long black hair hiding her face, and uses nensha, her most distinctive power, to create a cursed videotape; whoever watches the tape will be haunted by Sadako and die exactly one week later unless the tape is copied and shown to another person, who must then repeat the same process. The titular "ring" from the novels and films refers to a ring-like visual that appears on the cursed videotape, which actually depicts the top of the well as seen by Sadako from its bottom. Korean and American films reimagine the character as Park Eun-seo (Korean: 박은서) and Samara Morgan respectively, with similar backgrounds and features.

<i>The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning</i> 2006 film by Jonathan Liebesman

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is a 2006 American slasher film and a prequel to the 2003 film. The sixth installment in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, it was written by Sheldon Turner from a story by Turner and David J. Schow, directed by Jonathan Liebesman and co-produced by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper. The film's story takes place four years before its predecessor. It stars Jordana Brewster, Diora Baird, Taylor Handley, Matt Bomer and R. Lee Ermey.

<i>The Mummys Curse</i> 1944 American horror film

The Mummy's Curse is a 1944 American horror film directed by Leslie Goodwins. Produced by Universal Pictures, it is the fifth entry in Universal's original Mummy franchise, serving as a sequel to The Mummy's Ghost (1944). It marks Lon Chaney Jr.'s final appearance as Kharis, an Egyptian mummy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Liebesman</span> South African film director

Jonathan Liebesman is a South African film director and screenwriter. He is known for directing the films Darkness Falls (2003), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006), Battle: Los Angeles (2011), Wrath of the Titans (2012), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014).

<i>Beyond the Darkness</i> (film) 1979 Italian horror film directed by Joe DAmato

Beyond the Darkness is a 1979 Italian exploitation horror film directed by Joe D'Amato. It follows Francesco Koch, an orphaned taxidermist who inherits a house in the woods where he lives with his housekeeper Iris, who is determined to become the new owner. After Iris kills his girlfriend Anna with a voodoo curse, Francesco steals her corpse from the local cemetery. He then commits murders connected to his enduring passion for her. A local undertaker investigates and meets Teodora, Anna's twin sister.

Chaney Kley Minnis was an American actor. During his career he was best known for his recurring role as Officer Asher on the FX drama The Shield and as the lead in the horror movie Darkness Falls.

<i>Legion</i> (2010 film) 2010 American film

Legion is a 2010 American action horror film directed by Scott Stewart and co-written by Stewart and Peter Schink. The film stars Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Adrianne Palicki, Kate Walsh, and Dennis Quaid. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group acquired most of the film's worldwide distribution rights, releasing the film theatrically in North America on January 22, 2010 through Screen Gems. A story of the Second Coming, Legion follows a group of people as they attempt to protect an infant savior from angels and the possessed in an apocalypse.

<i>Tooth Fairy</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Michael Lembeck

Tooth Fairy is a 2010 American fantasy comedy family film directed by Michael Lembeck and produced by Jason Blum, Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray. It was written by Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel, Randi Mayem Singer, Joshua Sternin and Jennifer Ventimilia with music by George S. Clinton, and stars Dwayne Johnson in the title role, Ashley Judd, and Julie Andrews.

<i>Dont Be Afraid of the Dark</i> (2010 film) Supernatural horror film by Troy Nixey

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a 2010 dark fantasy horror film written by Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins, and directed by Troy Nixey in his feature directorial debut. It is a remake of the 1973 ABC made-for-television film of the same name. The film stars Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, and Bailee Madison, as a family moving into a 19th-century Rhode Island mansion, where the withdrawn daughter begins to witness malevolent creatures that emerge from a sealed ash pit in the basement of the house. Jack Thompson also stars in a supporting role. An international co-production between the United States, Australia, and Mexico, it was filmed at the Drusilla Mansion in Mount Macedon and Melbourne.

Lee Cormie is an Australian actor known for his starring roles in Darkness Falls and Australian film December Boys alongside Daniel Radcliffe.

<i>Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings</i> 2011 film by Declan OBrien

Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings is a 2011 American slasher film written and directed by Declan O'Brien. It is the fourth installment of the Wrong Turn film series and served as a prequel to the original Wrong Turn film. The film grossed $3.6 million in home sales.

<i>The Scarlet Worm</i> 2011 film

The Scarlet Worm is a 2011 American Revisionist Western film directed by Michael Fredianelli. The film was first released on January 7, 2011 at the Riot Cinema Film Festival. It stars Aaron Stielstra as a young mercenary who is sent to assassinate a cruel brothel owner. Funding for The Scarlet Worm was partially accomplished through a successful Kickstarter campaign.

<i>Dark Fields</i> (2009 film) 2009 American film

Dark Fields is a 2009 American horror film directed by Douglas Schulze, written by Kurt Eli Mayry and Douglas Schulze, and starring David Carradine, Dee Wallace Stone, Richard Lynch, Ellen Sandweiss, and Sasha Higgins.

<i>Antlers</i> (2021 film) Supernatural horror film

Antlers is a 2021 supernatural horror film directed and co-written by Scott Cooper, and starring Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T. Thomas, Graham Greene, Scott Haze, Rory Cochrane, and Amy Madigan. The screenplay was adapted from Nick Antosca's short story "The Quiet Boy". The film follows a school teacher who suspects one of her students is suffering from personal problems in his home life, not knowing that he is harboring an evil demon in his house.

<i>The Mortuary Collection</i> 2019 film by Ryan Spindell

The Mortuary Collection is a 2019 American horror anthology film written and directed by Ryan Spindell. It stars Clancy Brown, Caitlin Custer, Christine Kilmer, Jacob Elordi, Barak Hardley, Sarah Hay, Mike C. Nelson, and V Nixie.

Daniel Farrands is an American filmmaker who specializes in the horror film genre. His first major credit was as screenwriter of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995). He has subsequently worked as a producer, writer, and director of both feature and documentary films.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Darkness Falls on Box Office Mojo". Archived from the original on 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Lê, Paul (January 1, 2024). "'Darkness Falls' – Revisiting the Tooth Fairy Horror Movie and Its Novelization". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Distant Corners takes 'Peek'". Variety. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  4. ↑ "A Spirited Debut for 'Darkness'". Los Angeles Times. 27 January 2003. Archived from the original on 3 March 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  5. ↑ Darkness Falls on Rotten Tomatoes. Archived 2008-03-05 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 9 February 2023.
  6. ↑ "Darkness Falls". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  7. ↑ "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com. Archived from the original on 2015-02-17. Retrieved 2017-10-16.
  8. ↑ Holden, Stephen (24 January 2003). "FILM REVIEW; A Child Losing a Tooth? Better Keep the Light On". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 December 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  9. ↑ Russell, Jamie (6 May 2003). "Darkness Falls (2003)". BBC. Archived from the original on 2022-04-30. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  10. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (24 January 2003). "'Darkness' Descends, Despite All Its Energy". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 3 March 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  11. ↑ French, Philip (May 11, 2003). "Darkness Falls". The Observer . Archived from the original on 2022-04-30. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  12. ↑ Walker, Alexander (2012-04-10). "One bad tooth fairy". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 2022-04-30. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.