![]() Have you ever wondered where the tooth fairy myth originated? We did some digging to find the origins of this fun character who makes tooth loss more fun for children: If your little one is losing their baby teeth, you may be introducing them to the ritual of leaving their teeth under their pillow in exchange for money or goodies. As John said, some people are going to believe whatever they want to believe, no matter what proof you offer them.The Tooth Fairy is a common childhood myth. This research is included for anyone who doesn’t believe we spoke to John Hegeman or that we have faithfully represented his comments. We could find no factual basis for the story and no proof in the historical record that Matilda Dixon ever existed. The Legend of Matilda Dixon can be viewed at the following link:Ĭheck out the blog To Port Fairy, with love from Burkittsville, Maryland, USA to learn about another small town’s experience of being targeted as a location for a Hollywood film production.Ī list follows of the assertions made in the short film The Legend of Matilda Dixon and the research undertaken to investigate those claims. We would like to thank John for kindly providing the truth of the origins of the Matilda Dixon story and helping to set the record straight. “I want people to have a sense of humour about it and gain something from it,” he said. ![]() John said he enjoyed filming in the Western Districts and working with the locals, and apologised for any inconvenience the short film may have caused, suggesting we create a flier to explain the truth of the Matilda Dixon story. “It wasn’t premeditated beyond that.” The Legend of Matilda Dixon was shot with a small crew on their days off from the set of Darkness Falls in locations around Melbourne and Port Fairy. “It was a matter of convenience,” said John. Especially as Darkness Falls was originally titled The Tooth Fairy.” So the rationale was a simple one: why not a Tooth Fairy in a township called Port Fairy? “I found a book about the history of Port Fairy in the production office,” he said. “Every good horror movie needs a mythology,” he explained.Īs the marketing executive who oversaw The Blair Witch Project (1999), a box office and marketing phenomena, John understood how effective it was to create a timeline chronicled with real events. John was already filming Darkness Falls in Melbourne when he decided to construct a backstory for the feature. The answer is not particularly glamorous. So why was Port Fairy chosen as the location for The Legend of Matilda Dixon? I spoke to John Hegeman (writer/director of the short film and producer of Darkness Falls) to find out. However, some people believe the short film’s assertions and it has become necessary to explain why Matilda Dixon won’t be included as one of the stories in the Port Fairy Ghost Stories project. With 17 years of experience in the Australian film industry, it was immediately apparent that the short film was designed as a marketing tool for Darkness Falls. I was told about The Legend of Matilda Dixon when we started researching Port Fairy’s ghost stories, and viewed both the short film and feature film Darkness Falls at the first opportunity. Matilda’s ghost is said to have haunted the town of Port Fairy from that day forward. The town blamed Matilda for their disappearance and an angry mob lynched her – before the children were found unharmed. ![]() One day in 1841, two children said they were going to visit the Tooth Fairy and didn’t return. After her face was horribly disfigured in an oven fire at her house, Matilda became more reclusive and would only go out at night to deliver her treats, leaving them on the doorsteps of the children’s houses. Matilda continued at Port Fairy and would bake treats for the children who had lost their baby teeth (the origins of the Tooth Fairy myth). Tragedy struck when Sonny was lost at sea in a storm in 1836. Sonny worked on the fishing boats and Matilda worked in the bakery. In the short film, Port Fairy is accused of murdering Matilda Dixon in 1841 and her death is promoted to a world-wide audience as the town’s dirty secret.Īccording to the short film, Matilda Dixon and her husband, Sonny, arrived in Port Fairy as newlyweds. The Legend of Matilda Dixon is presented in a documentary-style format and provides the foundation for the ‘Tooth Fairy’ myth that is the main storyline of the feature film. The short film The Legend of Matilda Dixon was included in the DVD release of the US feature film Darkness Falls (2003) and independently released on YouTube (2011).
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