When the lights went out - DVD

Movie: 13-year-old Sally (Tasha Connor) is less than thrilled when she moves into a new house with her parents (Kate Ashfield and Steve Waddington) in 1974. Not only does one of the most unpopular girls at her school live right in the neighborhood. The house itself also makes Sally very uncomfortable. As it soon turns out, this feeling was not imaginary. For in addition to the Maynard family, an aggressive poltergeist also lives in the house. And he seems to have it in for Sally in particular. As the attacks become more and more brutal, an exorcism is supposed to provide relief. But these attempts also fail and have disastrous consequences. Still, for Mother Jenny, another move is out of the question...

When the lights went out is based on a true story that took place in the English town of Pontefract in the early 1970s. There, the poltergeist known as the Black Monk of Pontefract is said to have terrorized the Pritchard family, most notably daughter Diane. Though the haunting has never been proven, director Pat Holden (My Aggravated Weekend) firmly believes the story is true - which is no surprise, given that Holden is Diane Pritchard's cousin. Being so close to the subject allowed the director, who also wrote the screenplay, to take a very deep and also personal look at the story, which is definitely a positive thing about the film. Even if he dramaturgically changed the characters and their story, it is definitely noticeable in the film that it was important to Holden to treat the characters and the events with respect and not to dilute them with cheap scary tricks.

Since the production focuses very much on the characters and rather classic scary effects, the dark and threatening atmosphere of the story can then unfold very well. For long stretches this works quite well, even though Holden repeatedly reaches deep into the cliché box and has hardly any real surprises to offer. But this only disturbs the movie a little bit. Up to a point, When the lights went out is a more than solid creepy thriller and effective poltergeist horror. Unfortunately, Holden can't do without computer gimmicks at the end, robbing the film of much of its actual impact. For not only do the effects look rather cheap due to the rather low budget, they also destroy any illusion that has manifested itself in the viewer in the course of the film by the rather decent creepy effects.

Who likes classic ghost horror and does not need a lot of blood to be pleasantly creeped out, When the lights went out can definitely still be recommended to the heart despite its weaknesses. Only about small dramaturgical lengths, some worn out clichés and the disappointing effects at the end should be overlooked. Then nothing stands in the way of an entertaining evening of horror. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: While the color scheme captures the 70s look of the film very well and the image sharpness can convince especially in the brighter moments, some small weaknesses are noticeable in the contrasts. This often results in slight blurring and visible noise in the darker scenes. The sound remains rather restrained for long stretches, but then has a few good sound effects to offer every now and then, which not only provide movement in the surround, but also a comforting goosebumps for the viewer. Good!

Extras: In addition to the trailer for the film and other program tips from the provider, the DVD still has a brief look at the shooting of two scenes (about 10 minutes) to offer.

Conclusion:When the lights went out is a decent ghost movie that can provide pleasant goosebumps, especially in the moments when it invokes classic poltergeist elements. In the finale, however, director Pat Holden doesn't really make much use of convincing computer effects, which clearly detracts from the film's creepiness factor. Nevertheless: who appreciates atmospheric scary movies, in which the horror is conveyed rather subtly and without bloodshed, this DVD can definitely be recommended. Recommended!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp