WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT

When the lights went out (15)

Director: Pat Holden
Screenplay: Pat Holden
Starring: Kate Ashfield, Nicky Bell

Based on a true story

There’s been something of resurgence in British “paranormal” horror recently, as demonstrated with the huge success of “The Woman in Black”, and the strong representation of UK films at the London Frightfest recently. However, we’ve never really had a home-grown version of “The Amityville Horror” or “A Haunting in Connecticut” that’s made an impact on the silver screen, or been linked with real-life events. Cue “When the Lights went out”, which has already been shown at the Rotterdam International film festival, and is due for national release in the UK on 14th September .This is a cinematic retelling of events that took place in Yorkshire, to a family in a council estate. Known locally as “The Black Monk of Pontefract”, it is commonly hailed in various reports as “the most violent haunting in Europe”.



To start with, the film is “loosely based” on the facts. The film is firmly set in 1974 in Yorkshire (although the actual events mostly took place in 1966). As the Maynard family move into their new larger house, Mum Jenny (an unrecognisably brunette Kate Ashfield from “Shaun of the Dead”) is overjoyed and plans to upgrade the house immediately. Dad Len (Steven Waddington from “The Tudors” series) just wants a quiet life, but 13 year old daughter Sally (Tasha Connor) hates the place and feels that something is not quite right … From this point, minor bits of unexplained mischief escalate into full-blown violence and apparently attempts on the family’s life and sanity.



I have to admit that I have somewhat mixed feelings about the film. Whilst it seems natural to suspend disbelief and accept the haunting shenanigans in a US-based film, such as “Paranormal Activity” or the suchlike, and you can seemingly accept the OTT boo-shocks of “The Woman in Black” because it’s a period piece, it does seem strange to have such a lack of ambiguity in what is essentially a 70’s set kitchen-sink drama (literally! One sub-plot has Jenny pursue the decoration of the kitchen into an “avocado” colour set!). That the spook exists in the narrative of the film is pretty much accepted with little argument, apart from some resistance from the parents at the very beginning, until one of them is locked in the coal bunker and terrorised by a shadowy figure. It just seems a bit odd, that the hauntings are so readily accepted in the context of the film. The one person who does question the validity of the haunting (ironically a journalist) is subsequently biffed in the face by a ghostly punch! Even a local landlord makes an off-the-cuff remark to Len whilst collecting glasses, “Hear you’ve got a spook, Len”. I mean, really?



For me, it would have made a greater impact if there had been more emphasis on the family tangling with the media and trying to exploit the situation, especially if there was some area of questionable occurrences. The film touches on this area slightly,  as Len escorts strangers around the house for “guided tour” that costs a quid (“This is the spare room. Nothing much happens in here …”), and embellishes fantasy stories at drunken nights at the pub. These are well-executed, and it’s a shame there wasn’t more made of these angles. In fact the (intentional) humour of some of the situations are captured perfectly (During an exorcism …”Get up them stairs”, “No way, It’s your bloody house!”), and I would have preferred more of this tone and less of the slightly-po-faced yup-we’ve-definitely-got-ghosts vibe.



With the ghost itself (or is it ghosts? Hmmm…) the effects are mostly physical, starting with the light fittings swaying from side to side. In fact, this ominous effect is used so much, “When the Lights swing about” might be an alternative title. From here it goes to large objects being thrown and people being grabbed.



There are some obvious “shock” moments which, although somewhat derivative, are certainly effective. It all culminates in a left-field climax with a stash of effects that seems to have rushed in from another movie. At a Q&A session the producer admitted that they really couldn’t end the film on the same point as the actual incident, and this was dramatic license.
One thing the film absolutely nails is the feel of the 70’s. It positively
wallows in it. At various points in the film, the spook possesses/manipulates a slinky, a buckaroo, and an etch-a-sketch!!
Noel Edmonds appears on Top of the Pops on the TV. Tank tops abound.
The two young female leads even sing along to Sweet at one point,
with wigs!



The Performances (particularly Ashfield and Waddington) are natural and very good. The teenage girls (Hannah Clifford & Tasha Connor) are also convincing, albeit with a touch of the “drama-schools”.



Overall, it’s an enjoyable enough UK film, if you suspend your disbelief and leave your scepticism at the cinema door. It wasn’t wholly successful for me, as I could have done with some more ambiguity and realism around the proceedings, and perhaps more play around the concept of a recent haunting. Something along the lines of the classic  BBC hoax “Ghostwatch” maybe.  But it is good to see a UK supernatural flick at the cinema. Myself, I think there is an amazing amount of untapped “real-life” hauntings and UK urban legends out there. This is a worthwhile attempt, but I don’t think we’re there just yet…