Steve Cann
I took a bit of a gamble on this UK-made 'homegrown' horror, & have to say was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Set in a rural Yorkshire town in 1974, it charts the allegedly true story of the Maynard family's terror when they move into their new home, & soon discover it's inhabited by poltergeists & things that literally go bump in the night - initially centred around their rather grumpy teenage daughter. The events become increasingly frequent & more violent, involving the whole family (& even visitors to the house), until the god-believing family finally call in a Catholic priest to perform an Exorcism. But have the 'ghosts' really gone....What I really loved about this film was its incredible attention to period detail. Very often, it's easy to spot mistakes when a film is set in a certain era & doesn't get things quite right. But I'd give 10 out of 10 to the makers for their wonderful recreation of 1974 - which had me reminiscing all the way through to the era that style forgot! Right from the start, you feel you are in good hands, & that this is a film that will have care & attention lavished upon it. It's also written & directed by a family relative (Pat Holden), & he has done an excellent job here of bringing this story to the screen.The performances are good too, & it was great to see a cameo by veteran actor Peter Egan. As for the story itself, I have no idea as to its validity. Not being a believer in the supernatural myself, I was rather sceptical about the whole set-up, especially that the family's experiences seemed to play out rather conveniently in the wake of the classic horror film 'The Exorcist', released theatrically the previous year. But, if you are prepared to suspend your disbelief, it does make for a tense & genuinely scary film, with its fair share of jumps.If you are expecting a full-on gross-out horror film, or something glossy in the American style, then you may be disappointed. But if you are looking for a well-made, suspenseful, UK-made thriller full of orange & brown 1974 period charm, then sit back & enjoy!
FlashCallahan
The Maynard family move into their dream house, only to find out something is already living there. Len, Jenny and their daughter Sally struggle to keep their already-fragile family together as they are attacked by the poltergeist. It becomes apparent that Sally is the poltergeist's main focus of attention, and the house slowly becomes a living nightmare. Its true story time again, and here we have a 'real life' relative of the family not only writing the film, but also directing the tale. Now, whilst he doesn't pull any punches with the families struggles, it hardly touches on the financial crisis that befell many at the time.But then the film is about a poltergeist haunting a family. Imagine The Entity with several helping of stodgy hot-pot, and you get the gist of this film.But my gosh, its a mundane plodding affair, about as depressing as Sunday evening when you realise that the weekend is over.The cast are OK, Ashfield is okay as the troubled mother, but Waddington is fabulous as the anxious father. He knows his family are on the breadline, and now he has even more spirits to add to the ones he has at his local. But he is the only highlight of this otherwise poor film.Which is a shame, because the story is so interesting, but the result I'm afraid comes across more like a Heartbeat Halloween special, than a feature film.
MattyGibbs
This is a ghost story set in Yorkshire in the UK in the 1970's which is a pleasant change from ghost stories set in big houses in America which seem to have been done to death. Apparently this is based on a true story and that does make it all the more unsettling. It boasts a good solid British cast with well known faces such as Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead), Gary Lewis,Stephen Waddington and Martin Compstondelivering effective performances. There are also believable performances from Tasha Connor as the teenage daughter and Hannah Clifford as her friend.The tension builds up effectively from pretty early on and there are plenty of creepy moments as the poltergeist activity increases. This isn't a gore fest so if you are looking for that you will be disappointed but as a suspenseful ghost story it works really well.When the Lights Went Out is only a small film but it shows what can be done with a limited budget and some decent acting. This is one of the better ghost stories I have seen and punches well above it's weight. Highly recommended.
kosmasp
I have to admit, the German cover art looks more demonic than the movie turns out to be. Still there are quite a few nice performances, even the mother who has the toughest job to pull off. And she barely makes it in my opinion. The movie walks a thin line between going into the dark (no pun intended) and some might like the decision it takes about jumping or not jumping over the edge (it would be spoiling telling you that, so I leave that one open).The other clever decision the movie makes it, that it doesn't try to outdo the Exorcist. It would be a lost battle from the get go, so it doesn't even try to go that direction. It does have a few nice ideas here and there, some of which are not further explored (unfortunately). Overall a decent effort.
AD
