Darkness Falls



"Over 150 years ago in the town of Darkness Falls, Matilda Dixon was adored by all the children. Whenever one of the children lost a tooth, they would bring it to her for a gold coin, earning her the name, "The Tooth Fairy". One day, a fire tore through her home on nighthouse point, leaving her face horribly scarred. Matilda's burnt flesh was so sensitive to light, she could only go out at night, always wearing a porcelain mask. One day, two children didn't come home. The townspeople blamed Matilda. They hanged her. Since then, there are some who believe that Matilda still visits the children of Darkness Falls on the night they lose their last tooth, seeking her vengeance upon those who lay their eyes upon her face, fulfilling her curse, "What I took before in kindness, I shall take forever in revenge"."

- Opening Narration

A 2003 horror movie originally inspired by The Tooth Fairy, a short film by comic book artist Joe Harris, but due to Executive Meddling, ended up being completely different from the original concept, with even the design of the monster going through several changes. It follows the story of Matilda Dixon, who was left horribly disfigured in a fire, only allowing her to go into the sunlight wearing only a mask. After being murdered by the townsfolk, her ghost seeks out revenge, killing everyone who lays eyes on her face.

This film provides examples of:

 * Asshole Victim: The aggressive bully from the bar.
 * Attack of the Killer Whatever
 * Bar Brawl: Though technically it happens outside the bar.
 * Berserk Button: Looking at her. And then, destroying her mask.
 * Big Bad: The Tooth Fairy.
 * Cat Scare: Once with a literal cat, no less.
 * Celibate Hero: "None of us had a chance with her!"
 * Darkness Equals Death
 * Death By Pragmatism / Tempting Fate: The instant someone suggests that they can just leave town because they're safe in the car, the Killer Tooth Fairy smashes in through the window and drags him off.
 * Department of Redundancy Department: In a meta sense. The film opens with narration describing the backstory of the Tooth Fairy, but then, almost immediately after that, we get Kyle giving a class presentation on Matilda Dixon that gives us the exact same information.
 * Escort Mission: Kyle, Michael, hospital.
 * Eye Scream:
 * Facial Horror
 * Friend to All Children: Matilda, when she was alive.
 * Gory Discretion Shot: We never actually see Matilda in action. Just the aftermath.
 * Hey, It's That Guy!: Hey, it's Anya!
 * Hollywood Psych: So you have a kid who's so terrified of darkness that he tries to commit suicide. Do you give him medication? Have a therapist talk to him and try to work out where the phobia came from? Let him sleep with the light on? Nope, you stick him in a sensory deprivation chamber to make him "face his fears head-on!" Never mind that actual desensitization therapy involves starting small and slowly building up to a more extreme representation of their phobia.
 * I Don't Like the Sound of That Place: Seriously, who decided to name the town "Darkness Falls?"
 * Infant Immortality: Played straight in the sense that none of the on-screen children die, averted in the sense that many, many children have been killed off-screen during Matilda's 150-year rampage.
 * Lighthouse Point
 * Light Is Good
 * Offscreen Teleportation: Matilda. Justified, as she is a ghost.
 * Ominous Fog
 * Police Are Useless: Among other things, they immediately arrest someone for murder based entirely on the fact that he's on antipsychotic medication.
 * Pre Ass Kicking One Liner: See This Is for Emphasis Bitch example below.
 * Prophecies Rhyme All the Time: "The searing light consumed her whole, setting free her wicked soul."
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge
 * Room Full of Crazy: Though Kyle is quite a talented artist.
 * Rule of Scary
 * Super Persistent Predator: How many decades was Matilda chasing Kyle?
 * Although, justified in that, since she's a ghost, she doesn't need to sleep, eat, drink, etc.
 * This Is for Emphasis Bitch: "I SEE YOU, BITCH!"
 * Town With a Dark Secret
 * Trailers Always Spoil: The DVD box shows Matilda sans mask.
 * Wall of Weapons
 * What the Hell Townspeople
 * Woobie Destroyer of Worlds: Matilda.