Welcome one and all to week two of my new blog feature, The 52 In 52. The whole concept of this feature is that I am a hoarder of DVDs and Blu Rays and have a loads that I've never watched. The idea I had was to watch and review a film and release a new blog article every Thursday. Week 1 I reviewed "11-11-11" and this week I am reviewing the 2012 British horror film, When The Lights Went Out.
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As I mentioned I will be reviewing When The Lights Went Out. The story follows Maynard family as they move into a new home. From the very beginning strange things seem to happen. Things go from strange to bizarre as Sally seems to be the focus of a very angry spirit intent on causing havoc on the unsuspecting family.
I was really looking forward to watching When The Lights Went Out as I had heard mostly good things and it didn't disappoint. Loosely based on a true story, When The Lights Went Out is a really great example of resourceful film making. Whilst I loved the second film in The Conjuring series I felt that it relied on special effects and over the top sound design to create scares. When The Lights Went Out is a similar story but, feels stripped back and more reliant on a, slightly embellished, story. That's not to say that there aren't any visual effects used. Whilst they are few and far between, the visual representation of the spirit appears toward the end of the film and is well done.
The use of practical effects is entertaining if not a little silly at times. There are a few instances including one with a Slinky, that are a little daft but, do the job of creating a visual scare. The sound design is a little jarring at times with the now over used loud jump scares telling you to be scared but, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the film.
The acting throughout the film is what drives it. Tasha Connor is great as the lead Sally who is the typical stroppy teenager but, shows a lot of heart and emotion throughout. Kate Ashfield (Shaun Of The Dead) and Steven Waddington (Sleepy Hollow) are brilliant as her parents. Gary Lewis is scene chewingly great as Father Clifton and a little comic relief for a spooky story.
What I enjoyed about When The Lights Went Out is that it is a great example of British film making. I love horror cinema but what I find with American horror is that it can be over the top with regards to pacing and gore. This film felt British, there was no over the top gore or American style dialogue. Whilst there are homages to American films such as The Exorcist they are simply that and not imitations.
Like 11-11-11, When The Lights Went Out is an example of a story stretched out to make it last the length of a feature film, the only difference between the two is that When The Lights Went Out does it much better. Whilst the scares are a little silly the story is effective and entertaining. When the Lights Went Out is a great ghost story that really deserves a lot more attention that it has received. Go out and buy it on DVD or Blu Ray. Failing that you can stream it on Amazon Prime Video.
Thanks for reading and look out for the next part of The 52 In 52 next Thursday.
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