DON’T TURN OUT THE LIGHTS (2023)

Don't Turn Out The Lights (2023)
Directed by: Andy Fickman
Written by: Andy Fickman
Starring: Amber Janea, Ana Zambrana, Bella DeLong, Crystal Lake Evans, Daryl Tofa-Soriano, Jarrett Austin Brown, John Bucy

DON’T TURN OUT THE LIGHTS (2023)
Written and Directed by Andy Fickman
On digital from 101 Films

A group of college friends reunite for the birthday of Olivia, whose managed to grab tickets to Blue Light Festival for her and her friends to enjoy. With boyfriend Michael borrowing his Uncle’s RV to transport them to the music event, the group hit the road but on the journey they get into a bit of trouble. After an incident at the gas station and then finding themselves potentially lost on a shortcut, Olivia is frustrated that her birthday isn’t going as planned but the night has much more in store for them. Will they ever reach the music festival?

Road trip horror takes an unexpected turn in supernatural flick DON’T TURN OUT THE LIGHTS.

After an opening involving a stereotypical creepy little girl in the park and curious college student Carrie, we meet the entire group of friends who have all come together to celebrate drama queen Olivia’s birthday. Very quickly we’re treated to a display of over-the-top acting that suddenly makes you wish these young adults meet their sticky end real soon. Their exaggerated behaviour goes on for quite a while, as we see some personalities clash in the group. Not all of them are friends, mind. Sarah has a rich father and is known for flashing daddy’s credit card at any opportunity that requires a bit of financial motivation. Carrie and Sarah seem to have a history of not seeing eye to eye, so things get a bit awkward when they try to hit on former soldier Jason, Michael’s friend who’s awkwardly been invited onto the trip despite no-one else knowing him. This raises the question of how Olivia would know about the extra group member in which to buy a Blue Light Festival wristband for, but I digress. Rounding off the group is injured track athlete Gaby and her ex-flame Chris who spends too much time getting high.

As the film progresses and we’re treated to several more horror tropes, we end up in a scenario where the friends find themselves lost and broken down, and this is where things begin to get interesting. A faulty RV means Michael has to get out and try to fix the problem with the vehicle but with noises emanating from the woods at the side of the road, the viewer knows this exercise isn’t going to go well. Before long, it’s the students on the RV against whatever the hell is out there in the pitch black. Things aren’t what they seem and the friends begin to question what it is they are actually seeing and hearing as their eyes, ears and even their mind begins to deceive them. Stuck in the middle of nowheresville, with no phone signal (let’s ignore that fact that, at one point, two of the friends decide to do a live-stream amidst the chaos), the friends realise that the only way out of there is to either get the RV working or go find help. Being so far away from civilisation puts the group in a predicament, as their lives are threatened if they step outside the RV but also every moment spent at the location, even inside the RV, is putting themselves at increased risk.

The mystery of what is preying on the teens is what keeps things interesting in DON’T TURN OUT THE LIGHTS. This creates some darn spooky scenarios, particularly involving perception of where things are as one character finds themselves reaching out for help in almost two places at once. Fog in the darkness and limited light from the headlights of the RV tease at what could be hiding out in the shadows, but soon we don’t have to wonder what’s lurking outside when the threat appears to envelop the remaining friends inside the vehicle. Thankfully, the overacting drops down a level to something more reasonable by this time, though the characters are hard to care for in the fact we don’t know much about them besides from Gaby. What we know about the students is purely from their behaviour on the surface. Limited information is occasionally divulged, usually before they meet their maker by which point it’s too late to make any impact on the audience.

Though the film has some genuinely creepy moments, the melodramatic performances and limited character development means it’s hard to care what happens to some of the characters. However, the eeriness of the situation is well-achieved as the location grinds to a halt midway through the film as we face what horrors may be laying in wait for the characters. Ultimately, the ending of the film leaves many questions unanswered with suggestions merely teased (or could they be red herrings?). There’s definitely a flicker of a good idea here which is what you’ll stay to watch. It’s just a shame that there’s not much of an explicit answer, especially when a curious credit scene raises even more theories as to what the friends encountered.