Point out Darkness Falls to your fellow horror followers, and also you may get two very totally different reactions. One might scoff, dismissing it as one more teen jump-scare fest with zero creative advantage. One other may enthusiastically high-five you and say, “I don’t care what anybody says, that movie rules!” The huge distinction doubtless brought on by a studio aiming to copy The Blair Witch Challenge’s viral advertising and marketing success, whereas making a movie extra corresponding to the trendy popcorn horror of Blumhouse or the Conjuring Universe. That is the story of a movie with sufficient lore to fill a novelization, a pretend documentary, and a comic book ebook prequel. Lowered to a movie so quick they needed to make the ending credit final eleven minutes lengthy simply to have the ability to launch theatrically; a studio that determined to thoroughly exchange the design and look of its foremost villain in POST-PRODUCTION; and eventually, that is the story of a lady who had her pores and skin burned off and haunted the entire world. Or at the very least one small city. That is the story of what occurred to Darkness Falls.
Primarily based on a 2001 quick movie referred to as Tooth Fairy by author and director Joe Harris. The 5 minutes lengthy quick incorporates a younger boy being tucked in by his mom. The child tucks the tooth away safely in an envelope behind his pillow. There’s a genuinely creepy wing flap that begins to happen outdoors as he closes his eyes, resisting the urge to peak. When the boy awakens he realizes the alleged tooth fairy remains to be in his room, standing earlier than him. We all know this as a result of he does his finest Ben Stiller as Easy Jack in Tropic Thunder face whereas somebody offscreen pelts him with gold cash. Quickly although, the shadows engulf him and he screams. His mom involves test on him and realizes that her son has been attacked. The phrases “NOT GOOD ENOUGH” are pinned to his chest because the digital camera pans as much as reveal his eyes have been ripped out and stitched again collectively. Identical to the Teddy Bear on his mattress.
In September of 2001, Distant Corners Entertainment Group introduced the horror quick can be turned of their first official movie. The corporate was a subsidy of their father or mother studio, Revolution Studios, who produced a litany of mid 2000s comedies corresponding to Click on, the Daddy Day Care franchise, and White Chicks; in addition to different in style movies like Rocky Balboa and Black Hawk Down. The movie had working titles of each Don’t Peak and The Tooth Fairy earlier than Darkness Falls was settled on, primarily based off of the title of the city the place the haunting occasions happen over centuries.
It’s very straightforward to see what the studio was considering compared to the horror quick that preceded it: “Holy shit, what if the tooth fairy were a horror villain?”. It’s an especially marketable idea and so they didn’t even should raid the underside of the barrel, expired Disney-character rights for it. “The Tooth Fairy” as an idea is a part of public area folklore. That means, the final thought of the character is open for use by anybody. To craft a narrative round her, the studio enlisted the assistance of the late author and Tombstone Producer John Fasano. On the time, Fasano had formally written tasks Common Soldier: The Return and One other 48 Hours. He’d additionally been an uncredited author on Alien 3 and Alien Versus Predator. Darkness Falls would even be the primary movie formally written by frequent Radio Silence collaborator, Scream V and Zodiac author James Vanderbilt.
The duo crafted a narrative that began within the nineteenth century and adopted a girl named Matilda Dixon who liked youngsters. A lot so, that when a baby on the town misplaced their tooth, she would give them a gold coin, main her to be referred to as the….you guessed it….(clip right here of Will Smith saying “what are we some form of Suicide Squad? In Suicide Squad) The Tooth Fairy! A hearth in her dwelling finally ends up horribly disfiguring Matilda’s face. Leaving her, for some cause, extraordinarily delicate to gentle. In flip, she wore a porcelain masks to cowl her disfigurement. Which form of made her seem like a methamphetamine addict carrying a Social gathering Metropolis Michael Myers masks. Scary for us, scary for the kids, and in the end scary for the superstitious townsfolk. Who, in the end hung her after accusing her of killing two lacking children. Children that awkwardly confirmed up once more a number of days after her lynching. Along with her final phrases she promised revenge in town, cursing Darkness Falls without end.
We then see 90s model of Matilda Dixon, firmly cementing herself because the world’s most f*cked up tooth fairy as she chases younger Kyle Walsch round his dwelling. The foundations are set shortly, and very similar to the later launched Lights Out by David Sandberg, we be taught that the villain’s solely Achilles heel is gentle. However Kyle’s Mother doesn’t know or imagine that and is heinously murdered in a banger of a gap scene.
Quick ahead once more, to 12 years later after the beginning of butt rock and Kyle’s now a damaged, paranoid man, nonetheless afraid of the darkish all these years later. Kyle, full with a full duffel bag filled with flashlights and flashlight equipment; should then return to Darkness Falls to assist a pal in want.
Behind the digital camera, the studio regarded to first time director Jonathan Liebesman to deliver the script to life. The long run director of The Texas Chainsaw Bloodbath: The Starting had just lately gained accolades such because the 2000 Hollywood Movie Pageant’s Younger Filmmaker Award for his 8 minute adaptation of quick story Genesis and Disaster that very same yr. Author John Fasanowould later declare in an interview that it wasn’t the debut Liebesman had had in thoughts. Fasano said that the director didn’t even like horror motion pictures. That he was merely following his brokers recommendation to make a movie for the studio in order that they’d then enable him to make one for himself.
The lead position within the movie, grownup Kyle, would go to relative newcomer on the time, Chaney Kley. Kley had simply achieved his first official roles two years beforehand within the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV sequence. Adopted by a job in Reese Witherspoon’s Legally Blonde. The actor, who would later be identified principally for a recurring position within the profitable TV sequence The Protect, was clearly succesful. And it didn’t harm that he form of had an Andrew Garfield look to him, albeit with a darker edge. His profession can be sadly reduce quick although as he tragically handed away simply 4 years later in 2007. The position of his lengthy misplaced pal and counterpart within the movie, Anya, was stuffed by veteran TV actress and fellow Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Emma Caulfield Ford. Horror aficionados may also get pleasure from a Leonardo DiCaprio level on the TV display screen second once they discover that Angus Sampson, or “Tucker” from the Insidious franchise, performs an area fool drunk who makes an attempt to combat Kyle for a short time earlier than he’s taken to the dentist. Which, on this movie, principally means the Tooth Fairy soar scaring herself onto display screen earlier than grabbing somebody, disappearing for a second, and throwing their corpse again into body. Wolf Creek closing lady Kestie Morassi additionally performs a nurse within the film, which is greater than becoming for a movie with such robust Australian ties.
Darkness Falls can be filmed in November of 2001 throughout Sydney and Melbourne, Australia with a funds of $11 million. A lot of which, little doubt went to Particular FX, together with the various designs of the Tooth Fairy herself. A few of which have been attributable to late script modifications. Even publish filming. In response to particular FX creator Steve Wang, who beforehand labored on the unique Predator, their authentic design for the Tooth Fairy integrated a “winged and toothy” creature to be carried out by the legendary Doug Jones whereas carrying prosthetics. After unearthing a few of the early check footage of Jones in Wang’s angelic, but gothic, make-up it’s slightly arduous to grasp what the problem was. Fortunately, this model was immortalized by McFarlane Toys in 2002 earlier than the corporate was conscious the design had been modified fully.
Early variations of the script featured a narrative through which the viewers was led to ask the query of whether or not it was really the Tooth Fairy committing these murders, or Kyle himself within the midst of a psychotic episode. Dealing with the movie this fashion, nevertheless, led to the Tooth Fairy solely being revealed to the viewers within the closing act. As Emma Cauldfield would later admit, throughout most of her scenes within the movie, she was appearing and reacting to nothing in any respect. Solely seeing the creature alongside the viewers after the movie had been accomplished.
The studio then enlisted the assistance of the nice Stan Winston to create a tooth fairy monster they might insert into the already completed movie. When it got here for her full blown face reveal, she was dropped at life with a formidable sensible puppet designed by Winston and Aaron Sims. The consequence was one so spectacular that to this present day it’s arduous to imagine will not be an precise human being carrying prosthetics. In response to Puppeteer Jason Matthews, the character was created in publish and inserted into the movie. Which meant that they had the luxurious of watching the film and getting a really feel for it beforehand. The result’s an superior film monster that left my daughter pointing on the display screen exclaiming “that look like Freddy Krueger’s wife!” Which is a reasonably strong pull, that this author is kinda pleased with. And so ought to the particular FX crew be.
For these searching for an artifact of the as soon as far lengthier and detailed plot, a novelization by author Keith R.A. DeCandido was revealed after the movie that fills in lots of the small print. The novelization serves as a extra devoted adaptation of the unique script, spending far more time fleshing out not solely the primary characters however the backstory of Matilda and higher underscores the tragedy of her transformation.
Directed by Jonathan Liebesman
All instructed, the large edits and lightening fast tempo of the movie left it with a working time of solely an hour and twenty six minutes. And that’s with over ten minutes of credit! The rating was composed by Brian Tyler, who additionally labored on the newest Scream sequels, and the soundtrack matched the movies mid-2000s vibe as a complete. The track ‘Gunboat’ by Vixtrola is a 90s fashion banger in hiding that ends the movie, and the band Closure, with their single ‘Look Out Below’ might have simply been a Three Days Grace opener again within the day. The soundtrack had a persona that matched the movie in that it’s darkish and moody however not very deep and solely right here for a celebration.
Darkness Falls Producer John Hegeman had been part of The Blair Witch Challenge’s genius advertising and marketing ploy a few years earlier. The advertising and marketing that in the event you don’t keep in mind, included scaring the residing sh*t out of us gullible youngsters on the time. Within the early years of the web, when getting your data from TV was nonetheless king, the advertising and marketing crew unleashed a documentary on Syfy which portrayed the tapes discovered as actual discovered footage. I’ve by no means been as or frightened within the lead as much as a film earlier than. He would strive the identical tactic right here with a pretend documentary titled The Legend of Matilda Dixon. For sure it didn’t have the identical impact. Because the saying goes… idiot me as soon as… disgrace on me. Idiot me twice. Can’t get fooled once more. (Footage of the doc right here ). A prequel comedian by the unique quick creator Joe Harris, titled Darkness Falls: The Tragic Lifetime of Matilda Dixon, was additionally revealed by Darkish Horse Comics in 2002, enriching the lore of Matilda’s story.
Upon the discharge of Darkness Falls in January of 2003, the advertising and marketing efforts nonetheless paid off by way of revenue, pulling in a return of almost $50 million in opposition to its $11 million greenback funds. Critically, it was handled nearly as badly as Matilda when these children went lacking. The film was judged harshly. One evaluation quipped “Darkness has fallen and it can’t get up” which, true or not, will get factors for creativity. Nevertheless, the film might have the final snort in any case.
Darkness Falls is regarded again on far more kindly lately. There’s even one thing of a cult following for the movie. Maybe as a result of all of us look again at these enjoyable, rock and roll 2000s horror flicks with much less judgement than we did upon their launch. Or presumably as a result of with its PG-13 score and fast pacing it makes for a reasonably respectable gateway horror flick for a youthful viewers. Regardless, I believe each generations can admit it on the very least begins and ends with a bang. To not point out an awesome sound design in terms of the audio dynamics of the Matilda’s shriek and the movie’s many, many soar scares. And that my pals, is what occurred to Darkness Falls.
A few the earlier episodes of What Occurred to This Horror Film? may be seen under. To see extra, head over to our JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe whilst you’re there!
