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Full Review
A witchlike ghost wreaks vengeance on a New England town in the pathetically awful horror flick "Darkness Falls" (Columbia).The title is actually the name of the town, but also refers to how the witch can kill with impunity ... once darkness falls.
The opening is the only interestingly filmed part of the film, showing how in the mid-19th century a woman wrongly suspected of murdering two missing children was immediately hanged. The children were found unharmed and town legend said the woman's ghost returns when a child leaves a last baby tooth under the pillow for the tooth fairy to visit. Instead, the black-garbed witch turns murderous under cover of night.
Kyle (Cheney Kley) saw the witch as a child and she killed his mom, for which he was blamed and sent to a mental hospital until adulthood. Now he is inseparable from his flashlight and only a desperate call from his grammar-school girlfriend, Caitlin (Emma Caulfield), can lure him back to Darkness Falls. Her hospitalized little brother, Michael (Lee Cormie), is afraid to sleep or be in the dark, certain that the witch will kill him.
From that point on, there is just a repetitive series of nighttime attacks by the witch, who inexplicably broadens her prey to include Kyle's grown classmates, the hospital staff and the town cops. These scenes are badly filmed with dizzying, fast cuts and dim visuals, not that you would want to see this nonsense clearly and in slow motion -- be grateful for small favors. Each attack is preceded by snarling sound effects that telegraph another person is about to be slashed or dismembered. Every character is one-dimensional and disposable -- except, of course, the very few who survive but can't be certain the witch is dead. Spare us the sequel, please.
Because of recurring stylized violence and frequent mayhem, occasional profanity and an instance of rough language, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
These movies have been evaluated for artistic merit and moral suitability by the media reviewing division of Catholic News Service. The reviews include the CNS rating, the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief synopsis of the movie.
The classifications are as follows:
A-I -- general patronage;
A-II -- adults and adolescents;
A-III -- adults;
L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
O -- morally offensive.
Note: Some movies previously were designated A-IV. Older films with this classification should be regarded as classified L.