"It does what it sets out to do" -- which is to make its audience jump, frequently -- "and does it well. Will you also be entertained ...? If you enjoy nervous anticipation followed by the cinematic equivalent of a big bad BOO!, yes, you most certainly will." Daniel Baig REAL GOOD MOVIES "These are good times for horror movies, because they're not just teenage body counts anymore. Filmmakers are bending over backwards to scare us again. Imagine that! They're making horror movies that are low on gore and goo and high on tension, dread, and shocks - movies like They and Darkness Falls." Ray Garton REALY SCAREY MOVIES

"Is nothing sacred? Now the Tooth Fairy is a monster. It's enough to make you cling to your baby teeth." Jack Garner GANNETT NEWS SERVICE "Honestly, though... when facing a ghost that will kill you if you look at her, what's the first thing a person is going to do when you scream out, "DON'T LOOK!!!"" Donner DONNERS MOVIE REVIEWS

At A Glance The story of Darkness Falls brings together two universal concepts, fear of the dark and the childhood memory, of "the Tooth Fairy," according to the film’s director Jonathan Liebesman. "Only we’ve turned the idea of the ‘Tooth Fairy’ on its head. Instead of an angelic presence, this ‘Tooth Fairy’ is a murderous old hag who is terrorizing the whole town." "If you see her face, she’ll kill you," says Liebesman. "And if you somehow manage to get away, she won’t stop until she gets you." Contrary to the recent trend in horror movies spoofing other films in the genre Liebesman’s desire was "to play it straight," he says. "When you camp it up, people don’t get involved. I wanted to use mood and atmosphere to plumb beneath the surface and tap into people’s real fears." And that's the secret of a good horror show. Ones that throw a cat at the audience at just the right time always get a result and thankfully "Darkness Falls" has plenty of those 'jump out of your skin' moments. By sticking to that formula "Darkness Falls" ensures you know somethings coming but you can't quite second guess it. And thankfully, "Darkness Falls" uses genuine suspense and terror well. And it's definately not a slasher movie. "We weren’t out to make a teen-slasher film where the audience is so far ahead of the characters that they can sit back and feel safe," says producer William Sherak. "This is definitely meant to be edge-of-your-seat time." Another big plus for "Darkness Falls" is that the characters have a genuine , just your every day folks feel about them. "I didn’t want an actor who brought too much baggage or past association to the role. He had to look like a real person and, at the same time, be a good enough actor to suggest the character might possibly be unstable so the audience could be invested in him," Liebesman explained. That job fell to Chicago's Chaney Kley a very competent stage actor who makes his screen debut in "Darkness Falls". "Because he’s such a strong presence and so down to earth, Chaney was able to convey that Kyle might have a split-personality, which immediately gives the story an element of suspense," Liebesman said. "My approach was to show the conflict inside the character," says Kley, "between something he thinks may be real or might just be in his imagination. "Kyle is a tortured soul who hasn’t had much sleep in the past twelve years and spent most of that time battling his demons. Everyone else thinks he’s mentally unbalanced. And he’s not so sure they’re wrong. Ironically, he turns out to be the sanest person in the movie." Another standout is young Lee Cormie who plays Michael Greene. Evidently this was the biggest challenge when casting for "Darkness Falls". According to Liebesman this role required, "a 45-year-old man in a nine-year-old kid’s body, someone with a real sense of torment." "Lee is amazing," says producer Jason Shuman. "The key is his eyes. They light up on fire when he’s scared." Having already experienced the wrath of Matilda Kyle has a genuine fear for Michaels safety. He knows that darkness is their real enemy. "The doctors think he’s just afraid of the dark," says Cormie. "But he sees ‘the Tooth Fairy.’ He knows all about it and that it doesn’t like the light. That’s why he wants to keep the lights on." It's the use of darkness and keeping Matilda under raps that adds to the thrill of "Darkness Falls". "I didn’t want her to be seen too much because the audience loses its fear when it begins to understand what it’s supposed to be afraid of," Liebesman elaborates. "It’s when you keep it away from the audience for as long as possible that their imagination starts to go crazy. So I deliberately held her back, so that when the payoff comes, the excitement and satisfaction are that much greater." It's a formula that spells success in the 'spook' factor for "Darkness Falls". The Story The town of Darkness Falls hides a deep dark secret, one that has haunted it for nearly two centuries. Kind Matilda, known as the "Tooth Fairy" had been wrongly acussed when two children disappeared. Not long after she has been strung up for her crime, the children arrive home safe and sound. Matildas kindly spirit has become decidedly evil extracting swift justice on some of the citizens of "Darkness Falls". One of her intended victims, Kyle, is about to return home. He was institutionalized at the age of 12 after his mother was brutally murdered. Kyle knows it was Matilda, but no-one believes him. Not until his childhood sweetheart Caitlin informs him that her nine year old brother is suffering from nightmares and refuses to sleep in the dark. Kyle realizes it's the work of Matildas evil spirit and returns to save young Michael from the fate that befell him. But Matilda is a deadly foe, one with awesome powers as the town of 'Darkness Falls" is about to find out. The Verdict The Cast

Chaney Kley Emma Caulfield Lee Cormie Grant Piro Sullivan Stapleton Steve Mouzakis Peter Curtin Kestie Morassi Jenny Lovell John Stanton Angus Sampson Charlotte Rees Joshua Anderson Emily Browning Rebecca McCauley Daniel Daperis Andrew Bayly Aaron Gazzola Cecelia Specht Matt Robertson Mark Blackmore Joshua Parnell Rayne Guest Andrew T Dauchy Bruce Hughes

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Kyle Walsh Caitlin 'Cat' Greene Michael Greene Larry Fleishman Officer Matt Henry Dr Peter Murphy Dr Travis Nurse Lauren Nurse Alexandra Captain Thomas Henry Raymond 'Ray' Winchester Marie Winchester Young Kyle Walsh Young Caitlin Greene Margaret Walsh (Kyle's Mom) Young Larry Fleishman Officer Andy Batten Billy Little Boy's Mother Little Boy's Father Bartender Store Clerk Spilled Beer Girl Drinking Buddy Medical Examiner

The Crew Directed by Jonathan Liebesman From a story by Joe Harris Screenplay by John Fasano/James Vanderbilt/Joe Harris Original Music by Brian Tyler Cinematography by Dan Laustsen Film Editing by Timothy Alverson & Steve Mirkovich Casting by Maura Fay & Lynne Ruthven Production Design by George Liddle Art Direction by Tom Nursey Set Decoration by Rebecca Cohen Run Time 85 minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Copyright © 2003 - Columbia Pictures - All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2003 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved