When the Lights Went Out (2012) 5.3
Poltergeists attack a family in Yorkshire during the 1974 nationwide blackouts. Director:Pat HoldenWriter:Pat Holden |
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When the Lights Went Out (2012) 5.3
Poltergeists attack a family in Yorkshire during the 1974 nationwide blackouts. Director:Pat HoldenWriter:Pat Holden |
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Credited cast: | |||
Kate Ashfield | ... |
Jenny
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Nicky Bell | ... |
Milkman
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Alan Brent | ... |
Man in Queue
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Claire Catterson | ... |
Clerk
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Jacob Clarke | ... |
Jenkins
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Hannah Clifford | ... |
Lucy
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Martin Compston | ... |
Mr. Price
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Morgan Connell | ... |
Carol
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Matt Connor | ... |
Lute Player
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Tasha Connor | ... |
Sally
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Sean Corey | ... |
Woodwork Teacher
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Peter Egan | ... |
Peter
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Hester Evans | ... |
Edna
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Wayne Ewart | ... |
Smartly Dressed Man
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Tracy Goodwin | ... |
Singer
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Yorkshire, 1974. Britain is in recession, the oil crisis and black outs loom large. The Maynard family move into their dream house, only to find a "presence" already living there. Len, Jenny and their daughter Sally must struggle to keep their already-fragile family together as they are attacked by poltergeists. Soon it becomes apparent that Sally is their main focus of attention. The house becomes a living nightmare. They must exorcise the evil spirits for them to survive. Written by Anonymous
Okay, take Poltergeist and The Exorcist then move them to seventies Yorkshire and you basically have When the Lights Went Out. It's supposedly based on a true story (but aren't they always?) about a family who encounter a particularly nasty spook in their house.
This is a film where I can find many positives and only one negative. The good things are the setting (if you ignore the occasional Sky Digital dish in the background). They do a good job of portraying seventies England. The actors are also all believable. The film centres quite a bit on two young girls. Kids in films (and especially horror films) tend to be either highly annoying, or just totally unlikeable. However, I found these two girls quite endearing and hopefully they will have a long acting career ahead of them. Also, it's quite creepy. The scares are sometimes predictable, but they're there nonetheless.
About the only thing that's negative is that - as far as story-telling goes - is that there's nothing new here. Hollywood has been churning out these sorts of films for years and all you have here is a British (period) version of one of those types.
If you're in the mood for an easy-going British horror flick, definitely give this one a go. Just don't expect anything revolutionary.