When the Lights Went Out review

Supposedly true tale of a haunting in 1970s Yorkshire

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Poltergeist comes to David Peace territory in this ‘true’ tale of a haunting in 1970s Yorkshire.

When pre-teen Tasha Connor and her parents move into their new council house, they encounter all the standard spooky signs (cold spots, flying furniture, ghostly apparitions) plus some peculiar to the decade, such as a possessed Etch A Sketch and a Slinky with a mind of its own.

Writer/director Pat Holden ( Awaydays ) based the story on events that supposedly happened on his estate, but besides a couple of decent low-key jolts, hearsay and heroic art direction alone don’t add up to t’ Exorcist .

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Freelance Writer

Matt Glasby is a freelance film and TV journalist. You can find his work on Total Film - in print and online - as well as at publications like the Radio Times, Channel 4, DVD REview, Flicks, GQ, Hotdog, Little White Lies, and SFX, among others. He is also the author of several novels, including The Book of Horror: The Anatomy of Fear in Film and Britpop Cinema: From Trainspotting To This Is England.