cinema review Darkness Falls (From Penarth Times)

cinema review Darkness Falls

Darkness Falls (15)

More than 150 years ago, in the small town of Darkness Falls, an old lady named Matilda Dixon used to give children a gold coin in return for their baby teeth.

And this kind old lady earned the nickname The Tooth Fairy.

This good deed continued until an unfortunate chain of events led to her house being burned down, leaving her horribly disfigured, and then being hanged by an angry mob.

But Matilda vowed to get even with the townsfolk - after all, she was so nice to the children - so with her last breath she cursed the town.

Since that day, the children of Darkness Falls have lived under the threat of this curse.

A century and a half later, Kyle Walsh (Chaney Kley) learns that the tooth fairy legend is all too true, as he peeks when Matilda comes to take his baby tooth.

Now this evil spirit is out to kill him, but she can only get him at night when it is dark.

Twelve years pass, Kyle has grown up, but he is paranoid and only with the help of strong medication can he make it through each day.

He spends all of his time in illuminated areas, his apartment is stocked with copious amounts of flashlights and batteries and numerous back-up lamps.

Out of the blue, Kyle's former girlfriend Caitlin (Emma Caulfield) calls and asks for his help, as her little brother is showing the same symptoms Kyle had just before he left the town.

Reluctantly, Kyle ventures back to Darkness Falls to help the little boy, and ultimately face the fears that have haunted him for over a decade.

Darkness Falls is more of a scary movie than a true horror film. Matilda's wrathful figure spends the majority of the film swooping around the screen, but director Jonathan Liebesman wisely leaves the big reveal of her true 'grotesqueness' until the final scene.

It is quite an ingenious plot line, but as with most 15-rated movies, don't expect too much blood and gore.