Darkness Falls is the type of scream-fest that was made for
late nights in the cinema after a few beers - when the woeful
lack of logic and dubious chills won’t appear so obvious.
Aside from a genuinely creepy opening sequence, which plays
up a child’s fear of the dark and peering out of the window,
there is nothing of any note for hardened horror fans to sink
their teeth into, rendering it a fairly toothless affair.
Rather like watching one of the Halloween or Friday the 13th
sequels, there is a certain amount of fun to be had in trying
to guess who will die next (and how), but the longer proceedings
drag on, the more ludicrous things become, culminating in the
inevitable race against time scenario as the light fades and,
well, total darkness falls.
Things wouldn’t seem quite so inept had the writers strived
a little harder to fill in the gaping plot holes (for a town
living in fear of darkness, there does appear to be a chronic
lack of lighting), while the performers fail to generate anything
in the way of emotion, seeming content merely to run around
screaming in a bid to generate so-called tension.
What chills there are come from the clever use of sound effects
which, rather like scratching your fingernails along a blackboard,
are genuinely unnerving, but poor old Matilda, herself, simply
isn’t terrifying enough once she emerges from the shadows.
At 85 minutes, the film is, thankfully, quite short, but, overall,
it is more likely to have people dozing off while watching it,
rather than providing any sleepless nights afterwards.
