Darkness Falls R1 DVD

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Travis Willock reviews

Darkness Falls
Distributed by
Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment

    Cover

  • Cert: PG-13
  • Cat.no: 01265
  • Running time: 86 minutes
  • Year: 2003
  • Pressing: 2003
  • Region(s): 1, NTSC
  • Chapters: 28
  • Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
  • Languages: English, French
  • Subtitles: English, French
  • Widescreen: 2.35:1; Fullscreen: 1.33:1
  • 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
  • Macrovision: No
  • Disc Format: DVD 9
  • Price: $27.98
  • Extras:2 Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Storyboard Comparisons, Audio Commentaries

    Director:

      Jonathan Liebsman

Screenplay:

    John Fasono, James Vanderbilt and Joe Harris

Cast:

    Kyle: Chaney Kley
    Caitlin: Emma Caulfield
    Larry: Grant Piro
    Michael: Lee Cormie
    Matt: Sullivan Stapleton

How fitting that a direct-to video like theatrical films hits DVD so quickly.

Yep, you read right. This film was released theatrically herein the states on Janurary 24th and this title just debuted on DVD onApril 22nd. Geez, barely three months! Now the first thing you’reprobably asking, besides what this has to do with the actual review, isdid it turn slow box office revenue. No and in fact it actually madesome bank.

So why did this come out so fast? Tie-ins. ‘The Ring’ is insanelypopular here, almost to the point of where I choke back bile every timeI hear someone say: “I saw The Ring last night, it was so scary!”. Let’sface it folks, “The Ring” is NOT that scary, maybe creepy but not scary.

On the cover of this DVD you’ll find the quote: “In sheer terror, itruns rings around ‘The Ring'”. The Ring premiered here on DVD on March4, about a month ago and ample time to let the film sink further intopop culture. Now one month later you release a “scary” movie with acover that mentions “The Ring” AND sports a pretty similar backdrop toafforementioned DVD cover and you’ve got more bucks than before. Adastardly and sneaky move by Columbia but altogether clever. But doesall this rushing around affect the film? Let’s find out.

CoverTo it’s credit Darkness Falls offers a good premise. Long ago, inn thesleepy town of Darkness Falls (at the next town meeting I suggest aprompt name change to Sunlight Falls), Matilda Dixon was adored bychildren. They would bring her their teeth in exchange for coins orpresents. A fire scarred her features and she was doomed to wear aporcelian mask. Light further scarred her and she only went out at nightto give the children their coins. Then one night two childrendisappeared. The townsfolk immediately blamed Matilda and hanged her.Soon after the children were found safe and sound leaving Matilda’sdeath pointless. Just before she died she put a curse on the town. Okay,sounds good right?

Now jumping ahead to present day, Kyle is forever haunted by the brutalkilling of his mother. Only his mother was killed by the Tooth Fairy(told in the film’s soley creepy moment), Matilda Dixon acting out hercurse. Now he takes medication and always carries flashlights becauseonce you lay your eyes upon her porcleian face she’ll hunt you down.Kyle returns to the town to help an old flame’s brother who claims tohave the same problem as him. Of course carnage ensues when the ToothFairy starts attacking the town and now Kyle, Caitlin, and Michael mustfind a way to rid Darkness Falls of the curse forever.

Aside from the opening scene of Kyle under attack this film is a dud.The Tooth Fairy, herself, is done by Stan Winston and it’s the only realhighlight of the film. The creature flies around and makes these screamsto an effect where they’re actually pretty damn scary. But what’s socomical is the stupidity of the plot itself. The only way to stay aliveis to stay in the light essentially. So when the town is hit by ablackout the emergency lights come on. Well every time our charactersneed to rely on one of these emergency lights they, surpise surpise,burst into pieces.

There is also a scene where our characters need lightinside a car… DOME LIGHT you idiots! Ugh. One more thing is how theTooth Fairy kills her victims. Much like the creatures inPitch Blackshe swoops down, picks them up, and they’re never seen again. If youcan’t tell I got nothing from this movie and it’s a slap in the face towhat’s left of the horror genre.

Darkness Falls comes complete with both anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreenand 1.33:1 FOOLscreen transfers on the same disc. Why Columbia, andother studios for that matter, don’t just ween these people offfullscreen is beyond me. Eventually people who hate widescreen would getused to it and thus save the studios money by releasing one version. Butuntil that day we’ll be stuck with discs like this which have thewidescreen version crunched in.

The widescreen image appears crisp in many scenes but this film is sodark. I know it’s intentional but geez it’s pretty ugly. Lighted scenesoffer some nice visuals but pixelization and edge enhancement arenoticed throughout. Certainly the picture would have looked much betterit weren’t crunched in with a wortless fullscreen transfer.

The audio on another hand is the highlight and only pro to this disc.The scenes involving the Tooth Fairy are awesome. Her screams and swiftmotions surround you and when she pounces on her victim you’ll jump too.This is what makes the film moderately scary, without this great 5.1track the film would be an even bigger joke than it is now.

Here’s how the extra features stack up:

  • Audio Commentaries: Two are offered. The first offers insight from thefilmmakers. The second is the highlight and features all three writers.The writers’ track sounds like the film could have been something greatand they seem to know what they intended. At one point the script wasextremely violent and an R rating was in tow but the film wasdrastically rewritten to accommodate a PG-13 rating. Grrrr… pop cultureand it’s minions.
  • Deleted Scenes: 7 total, non-anamorphic. None of these are of interesting nature and onlyprolongue the suffering that is Darkness Falls.
  • Featurettes: “Legend of Matilda Dixon” explains the “real” legend ofthe Tooth Fairy and the basis for the film. Hmm… these intervieweessound a little too knowledgable and reheared to not be acting. The shortis also narrated by the owner of one of the worst voices I’ve everheard, trust me you’ve got to hear it to believe the cheesiness.”Making-Of” is 17 minutes long and offers interviews with the cast andcrew. Not too much fluff but a little is present.
  • Storyboard Comparisons: 3 split screen sections are offered highlighting the differences in 3 scenes.But why would you want to watch a shitty movie in the early stages of shitivity?

Overall, the extras are mediocre much like the movie.

Packaging is amaray sporting a cover much like another popular film’scover as mentioned before. The front menu is animated and the rest arestatic. 28 chapters are offered.

Overall, Darkness Falls is another mediocre splash in the ailinghorror genre. I recently saw Rob Zombie’s much delayed horror flickHouse of 1000 Corpses and while many are not in favor of it I thoughtit was a swift jump start to the genre even if it was much likeThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre.And now this comes along and slams it right backdown again. Rent for the aggressive soundtrack but buyer beware of thesteaming pile that is… Darkness Falls …cue menacing laugh now.

FILM CONTENT
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS


OVERALL
Review copyright © Travis Willock, 2003.

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