DARKNESS FALLS
US, 2003, 85 minutes, Colour.
Chaney Kley, Emma Caulfield, Lee Cormie.
Directed by Jonathon Liebersman.
With so many scary movies these days and a tradition of slasher teen movies, it is an eerie pleasure to watch Darkness Falls. The logic of the plot is not strong - but that doesn't matter. It is the atmosphere, jumps and screams and a spookie malevolent ghost which are the main attractions. South African director, Jonathan Liebesman, made his American horror story in Australia on a small budget, but it looks very stylish indeed, boasts a frightening creature created by Stan Winston and is edited to maximise frights for the audience.
We have heard about the benign tooth fairy. In this legend, a kindly old lady, Matilda Dixon, who lived 150 years ago, gave children coins when they lost their teeth. Unfortunately, she was disfigured in a fire, wore a mask and incurred the suspicions of the townspeople who finally accused her of killing two children and hanged her. Now she is back, not only in nightmares, but flying through the darkness to destroy all those who see her - and she does quite a thorough job! But, of course, she has to meet her match: a young man who was tormented by her as a boy, his girlfriend and her brother who is suffering the same fears of the dark. Only 85 minutes, playing it straight rather than as a send-up, it has more scares than most scary movies.
1. A successful horror film? Chills and scares? Creepy atmosphere? Audiences enjoying this kind of horror story?
2. The opening credits, the story of the tooth fairy, Matilda and her kindness in the past, giving the children coins for their teeth, her accident and the fire, the disfigurement of her face, wearing the mask, the townspeople of Darkness Falls and their antagonism towards her, the horror of her face? The accusations that she had killed two children? The townspeople hanging her - and then the news that the children were safe? Her coming back as the ghost to haunt and destroy? The plausibility of the premise - and the variation on the good tooth fairy?
3. Widescreen photography, the atmosphere of the town, the atmosphere for the action and the scares? The details of the town, the homes, the streets, the hospitals? The roads at night, the homes, hospital, the lighthouse? The musical score? The irony of the name of the town?
4. The prologue, Kyle, as a young boy, his tooth, his being bullied? At home with his mother? The coming of Matilda, the scares, his asking for his mother, her going down the corridor, her death? The police coming and taking him into custody?
5. The passing of twelve years, Kyle and institutions, police suspicious that he had killed his mother? His memories of the young girl and his promise to take her to the dance? Her visit to his room and his not going out? The burdens of the past and his moving away?
6. Michael and his fear of the dark, in hospital, Cat and her looking after him? Her decision to get in touch with Kyle, the phone call, the making of contact, the memories of the past? Asking him to come? His coming to the hospital, meeting Cat, meeting Michael, feeling that he could not do anything?
7. Kyle in the town, the bullies attacking him again? The fights? His decision to help Michael?
8. The police, the chief and the memories of the past, his son? The suspicions of Kyle, especially when the bully was killed and his head cut off? The arrest? The other police and their friendship, those who were antagonistic?
9. The hospital, the doctors, the treatment of Michael? The various tests? Their wanting to put him in the machine for the scan, in the dark? Kyle hurrying to warn them not to put him in the dark? The attack in the hospital? The attack on the lawyer?
10. The latter part of the film and the build-up to the confrontation with Matilda? The police and their being destroyed by her? The group in the car, the gradual elimination of the victims? Cat, Michael and Kyle being left to fend for themselves in the lighthouse?
11. The importance of being in the light, all the attempts to be in the light, in the hospital, the corridors, escaping? Lights going out, generators failing, getting lamps, their limited light? In the lighthouse, the confrontation with Matilda, the dangers, Michael having to reach for the switch? Their survival?
12. The visuals for Matilda, her appearances, her murderous brutality, wanting people to be in the dark, her fear of the light? The range of deaths? The confrontation in the lighthouse, the fights, the light, her being destroyed?
13. The epilogue with the young boy and his tooth under the pillow, his mother putting the coin - and audiences expecting Matilda to come again?
14. The effectiveness of playing the film straight rather than with ironies or innuendos and references to past scary films? Its being more effective for this?
