When the Lights Went Out (15)

Time Out says

Tue Sep 11 2012

Set in West Yorkshire in 1974, this spooky tale of poltergeist activity makes nowt of its social and political setting: power cuts and the three-day week during the miners’ strike. It’s based on true events from 1968 that involved a teenage boy rather than a 12-year-old girl – but a shift forward allows for nostalgic ’70s set-dressing, while the gender switch prompts unflattering comparisons with ‘The Exorcist’.

Newcomer Tasha Connor makes an impression as lonely Sally, who becomes the focus of a ‘presence’ that flings her about the home she’s just moved into with her parents (Steven Waddington and Kate Ashfield). There are hints of a link to the legend of a disgraced monk, so local priest Father Clifton (Gary Lewis) is called in to exorcise the evil spirit. Writer-director Pat Holden (‘Awaydays’) distorts and embellishes the source material in uninteresting and un-frightening ways. A film that not even the formidable Gary Lewis can save is a scary thing indeed.

Author: Nigel Floyd