Darkness Falls

PG-13

Released Jan 24, 2003

1 hr. 25 min.

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

TRAILER

for Darkness Falls: Trailer 1

List

10%

132 Reviews

Tomatometer

34%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In Maine, the residents of Darkness Falls are all aware of the legend of Matilda Dixon, an old woman who was tragically murdered by a mob in the 1800s because the townspeople thought she was killing children. Now Darkness Falls has to contend with Matilda's supernatural wrath. Childhood friends Kyle (Chaney Kley) and Caitlin (Emma Caulfield) return home to uncover the truth behind the legend after Caitlin's little brother (Lee Cormie) has recurring nightmares about Matilda.

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Critics Consensus

A derivative movie where the scares are few and things don't make much sense.

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Emilliano Jr S

A misfire tooth fairy horror.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/05/24

Full Review

matthew d

Always liked watching this with my kids......its just a good simple ghost story.....love the retro feel they give the movie in a small town with old buildings and old cars

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/04/24

Full Review

Gwyneth E

If you enjoy horror it was a good movie to watch (if you ignore the acting and are not too serious about the tooth fairy), but I would not watch it again.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/30/24

Full Review

Estevo M

Amazing 90's horror movie!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/01/23

Full Review

Jack O

Whenever I heard of Darkness Falls I'm thinking that this movie's going to be awesome and since I've seen it, I was thinking that it was okay, for a horror film. I almost had low expectations on the film. I don't hate it as much as everyone did, I literally thought when I saw the cover I'm thinking that this is going to be an awesome horror flick. All right, let's get on with it. Over 150 years ago, Matilda Dixon was adored by all the children. She would give them a gold coin whenever they lost a tooth, earning her the name, the Tooth Fairy. One night, the fire broke out in her house leaving her face disfigured and severely sensitive to light. She has to wear her porcelain mask and she only leaves her house at night. But when two children didn't come home, the town's people blamed her and they hanged her in the light. Before her death, she placed a curse on the town and swore revenge. Kyle Walsh, who lost his last baby tooth, has witnessed his mother's murder by an evil spirit. Twelve years later, Kyle returns to his childhood home because Michael, the young brother of his romantic interest Caitlin is being stalked by the same spirit. Yeah, when I was experiencing it, it starts off quite well. I used to be afraid of the dark when I was a kid but not anymore. Now as I said already I don't hate the film but the only problem here is the running time where the movie finishes at 71 mins while the end credits is in 10 mins. Maybe over 70 mins is good enough. What I did get the gist is where in 1990 Kyle Walsh is a child and then twelve years later, he's an adult and the curse is still not dead and buried in 2002. However this movie is released in 2003. The movie itself is scary, that's what I like about it even the thrills in the third act. I would recommend this film to those who are horror fans if they haven't heard of it but for me I personally think this horror movie is okay.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/20/23

Full Review

jack o

Whenever I heard of Darkness Falls I'm thinking that this movie's going to be awesome and since I've seen it, I was thinking that it was okay, for a horror film. I almost had low expectations on the film. I don't hate it as much as everyone did, I literally thought when I saw the cover I'm thinking that this is going to be an awesome horror flick. All right, let's get on with it. Over 150 years ago, Matilda Dixon was adored by all the children. She would give them a gold coin whenever they lost a tooth, earning her the name, the Tooth Fairy. One night, the fire broke out in her house leaving her face disfigured and severely sensitive to light. She has to wear her porcelain mask and she only leaves her house at night. But when two children didn't come home, the town's people blamed her and they hanged her in the light. Before her death, she placed a curse on the town and swore revenge. Kyle Walsh, who lost his last baby tooth, has witnessed his mother's murder by an evil spirit. Twelve years later, Kyle returns to his childhood home because Michael, the young brother of his romantic interest Caitlin is being stalked by the same spirit. Yeah, when I was experiencing it, it starts off quite well. I used to be afraid of the dark when I was a kid but not anymore. Now as I said already I don't hate the film but the only problem here is the running time where the movie finishes at 71 mins while the end credits is in 10 mins. Maybe over 70 mins is good enough. What I did get the gist is where in 1990 Kyle Walsh is a child and then twelve years later, he's an adult and the curse is still not dead and buried in 2002. However this movie is released in 2003. The movie itself is scary, that's what I like about it even the thrills in the third act. I would recommend this film to those who are horror fans if they haven't heard of it but for me I personally think this horror movie is okay.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Jonathan Liebesman

Director

Chaney Kley

Kyle Walsh

Emma Caulfield

Caitlin

Lee Cormie

Michael

Grant Piro

Larry

Sullivan Stapleton

Matt

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Darkness Falls: Trailer 1

1:52

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Alexander Walker

London Evening Standard

The title refers to a town as well as a state of mind. Neither is worth a detour.

Jan 10, 2018

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: D

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

So bad it's almost painful. Skip it.

Rated: 1/5

Dec 22, 2010

Full Review

Paul Lê

Bloody Disgusting

All the initial criticisms remain spot on: the undercooked script, the paper-thin characters, and a shortage of scares. Pushing past that, however, there is still the chance for some meager fun in this insubstantial but attractive ghost story.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jan 24, 2024

Full Review

Matthew Rozsa

matthewrozsa.com

It is hard to imagine that Liebesman is at fault: His "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" prequel is one of the best horror films of the 21st century. Yet here he whiffs.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 18, 2021

Full Review

Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

Obviously funding for this film was supplied by energy providers like Edison, DWP and PECO who must have known that one look at Darkness Falls will make everyone flick on the light switch - and it won't be to ward off the Tooth Fairy.

Nov 7, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

In Maine, the residents of Darkness Falls are all aware of the legend of Matilda Dixon, an old woman who was tragically murdered by a mob in the 1800s because the townspeople thought she was killing children. Now Darkness Falls has to contend with Matilda's supernatural wrath. Childhood friends Kyle (Chaney Kley) and Caitlin (Emma Caulfield) return home to uncover the truth behind the legend after Caitlin's little brother (Lee Cormie) has recurring nightmares about Matilda.

Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Executive Producer: Derek Dauchy, Lou Arkoff
Screenwriter: John Fasano, Joe Harris, James Vanderbilt
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Revolution Studios
Rating: PG-13 (Horror Images|Brief Language|Terror Images)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 24, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 17, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $32.1M
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, SDDS, DTS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR

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