Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Violence, alcoholism in confusing and boring horror movie.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Fallen (2022)
What's the Story?
In FALLEN, Father Abraham Fallen (Andrea Zirio) is an exorcist trying to help his parishioners during a time of crisis called "The Darkness." As The Darkness becomes worse in the cities, Abraham and his wife and daughter escape to a remote farmhouse, where Abraham is haunted by the demons of his past. He's also haunted by literal demons, as white alien demonic figures haunt the farmhouse at night, and Abraham must kill them with his trusty shotgun. Abraham drinks heavily, and begins to grow increasingly irrational and violent. As his violence against the demons lurking around the farmhouse turns into violence against those around him, it's up to Abraham's daughter, Sara, to find a way to stop what's happening to her father before it's too late.
Is It Any Good?
This is a nonsensical horror movie that tries and fails to combine elements of better-known horror movies. Fallen is a mess of mumbled acting, an unfocused script, and an unlikable main character. It's hard to get a sense of what this is supposed to be about. There's a priest who was an exorcist, there's something about a "Darkness" taking hold of all the major cities and causing riots, everyone is dressing like it's the Great Depression upon reaching a remote farmhouse, alien demons are lurking around, and there's a descent into cabin-feverish madness involving, among other things, an ax murder because someone was burning sage in the house. It's as pretentious as it is poorly executed, and should serve as a lesson to aspiring filmmakers on how not to make a movie.
It's a low-budget movie, and while it's possible for low-budget movies to be good, this isn't one of them. It seems to be going for some pastiche of obvious horror movie classics and the styles of certain well-known horror/thriller directors, but nothing works. It's amateurish on every level. Instead of feeling goosebumps or the heart palpitations from jump scares, actual suspense, and scares, this movie instead leaves a headache borne out of utter confusion and stress from trying to follow a story that's barely coherent.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about horror movies like Fallen. How is this movie similar to and different from other horror movies you've seen?
How does the violence compare to that of other horror movies you've seen? Did it seem necessary to the story, or did the scares and violence seem excessive? Why?
Can a low-budget movie be good despite a lack of funds? What are some examples of good movies made on a low budget?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : February 22, 2022
- Cast : Andrea Zirio , Daniel McVicar , Fabio Tarditi
- Director : Nicolo Fumero
- Studio : Lionsgate
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Fantasy
- Run time : 84 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Some violence
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate