DARKNESS FALLS
A Columbia Pictures, Revolution Studios release 

review by Joseph B. Mauceri

SYNOPSIS: 150 years ago, Matilda Dixon was unjustly accused of a heinous crime and the kindly old woman was hung by a mad rabble one night. And so the legend  "the Tooth Fairy" was born, and has hung over the town of Darkness Falls like a dark cloud. The legend claims that her vengeful spirit hovers over the town, just waiting to pounce on anyone who sees her in the dark. It happened one night to young Kyle. He saw Matilda, but managed to escape her evil clutches. However, his mother was brutally murdered.

Plagued by guilt and haunted by the painful memories of that night, Kyle lives in fear of the dark and would never be caught dead without a flashlight! After years have past, his childhood sweetheart Caitlin summons him back to Darkness Falls. Her nine-year-old brother, Michael, is experiencing the same nightmares and fear of the dark.  As Kyle tries to help Michael he comes to realize that Matilda's evil spirit is no figment of his imagination. She is real, extremely dangerous, and if she catches him in the dark again, her horrible, scarred face will be the last thing he ever sees.

REVIEW: Yes, filmmaking is a collaborative process. Still, there are times when you see multiple listings under producers, story, screenplay and other film credits that you come out of a theater and realize a bad film is a result of death by committee. Then there are those rare occasions when all the players are on the same wavelength and the film is that much better because of the "team" effort.

The Fast & The Scariest! DARKNESS FALLS combines haunted house scares with a roller coaster's thrills to deliver one of the most terrifying rides you'll find outside of an amusement park. Why? The filmmakers understand the horror genre and care about the scares. Two key elements are the director of photography, Dan Laustsen, and creature effects master Stan Winston. Of course you know Stan Winston, but Dan Lausten was the D.P. on the incredible French feature "Brotherhood of the Wolf." The other element that makes this a memorable theater experience is the brilliant sound design. There is a 10 second blackout in the film where the sound will have you literally jumping out of your seat. Heck, William Castle, the great "Gimmic-O-Rama" filmmaker would be envious.

The filmmakers deliver a socking opening and keeping building upon the tension and suspense. The key is that they setup a basic, simple premise at the beginning and then take the audience on a ride.  What's scarier then watching a film about a creature that lurks in the dark in a lightless move theater? It's a natural. I was hooked, and I had such a good time that I didn't think about the small plot holes or couple of inconsistencies. From the early trailers and artwork it appears that there were was a bit more to the story concerning the children of the town. The film constrains its focuses to Kyle, Caitlin and Michael's peril and then the filmmakers edit it of thrills, chills and screams. DARKNESS FALLS is a relentless scarefest.

DARKNESS FALLS has no graphic gore. There is no gratuitous sex. Doesn't need it! There are loads of action and hefty amount of scares that make DARKNESS FALLS a truly extraordinary, out of control frightfest.

OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/darknessfalls/
 
 

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