A reclusive, single woman in the 19th Century is nicknamed The Toothfairy by the local kids of the small town of Darkness Falls as she gives a gold coin to the kids whenever they lose a tooth. When two kids go missing she is suspected of having something to do with it and burnt alive by the townspeople for being a witch. The lost children turn up safely a few days later so the townsfolk bury their dirty little secret.
The toothfairy vowed in her dying breath to avenge herself. ‘What I took in kindness, I will now take in anger’ – and this is the premise for the film. Her ghost kills the children of Darkness Falls on the day they lose their last baby tooth. She only comes out in the dark and wears a porcelain white mask to hide her burnt, deformed features and anyone who lays eyes on her must also die.
This is a standard horror film that does what it does pretty well. The image of the white mask coming out of the darkness is truly frightening, but then again I scare very easily (is that Freddie Kreuger’s hand on my shoulder, oh its just the air…).
The cast of young, good-looking unknowns do a pretty decent job and there is the obligatory creepy little kid. The film has managed to instil a fear of the dark in me, but not of women who give you money for teeth. My sideline of selling second hand molars has led to some interesting dates.
OVERALL SUMMARY
This is predictable hokum, but it is good fun. I’m not much of a horror film fan, as I say I scare easily so everyday, everything I do is like a scary movie, there’s just no challenge in it. Go in expecting mediocrity and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Go in expecting genre-defining genius and you’ll be ‘Phantom Menace’ style disappointed.
