When the Lights Went Out
Year: 2012
Runtime: 86 mins
Language: English
Director: Pat Holden
In 1974 Yorkshire, the Maynard family moves into their ideal home, only to have the dream turn into a terrifying nightmare. They soon uncover a horrifying truth that will enter the history books: the house is already haunted by the most violent poltergeist recorded, a spirit that can wrench occupants from their beds and drag them into darkness.
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When the Lights Went Out (2012) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained
Read the complete plot breakdown of When the Lights Went Out (2012), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
In 1974, Len and Jenny Maynard move into a new home in Yorkshire, where their 13-year-old daughter Sally is haunted by the ghost of The Pale Girl and the demonic ghost of Monk.
Sally’s history teacher, Mr Price, learns that the family is haunted by the spirit of a girl who was murdered in a forest, and informs Len. The family seeks out the help of a paranormal specialist and a local priest. The specialist is able to make contact with the spirit but during the session, the group is attacked by it, and the specialist is unable to remove the spirits from their house.
Len and his friend, Brian, convince Father Clifton to perform an exorcism on their house. He initially refuses, citing lack of permission from the church, but they blackmail him by showing photos of Clifton engaging in an illicit affair with his housekeeper, Mrs Blithe. Clifton agrees and explains that the monk, while alive, preyed on young, uneducated girls in the neighbourhood and cut off their tongues so that they could not expose him. He killed the young girl in the forest, as she was educated, and could have exposed his deeds by writing about it. After the incident, the monk was secretly tried, hanged, and buried in secrecy, in order to preserve the church’s honour. They proceed with the exorcism at Len’s house; the spirit violently resists but Clifton manages to drive it out.
The family returns to normal life, but one night, the spirit returns and attacks Sally, attempting to hang her. Len and Jenny try to save her but the spirit knocks them out. Sally then throws the young girl’s locket into the electric heater, causing a fire. The young girl’s spirit appears and confronts the evil monk’s spirit, which is driven from the house. Following the incident, the family remain in the house, though Sally never enters her bedroom again.
Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:47
Explore Movie Threads
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Grim historical hauntings like in When the Lights Went Out
True-story hauntings with violent, documented poltergeist activity and grim outcomes.If you liked the true-story terror of When the Lights Went Out, you'll find more movies here based on documented hauntings. These films explore violent poltergeist activity with a grim, historical foundation, delivering similar feelings of oppressive dread and family trauma in the face of a seemingly unstoppable evil.
The Haunting
1963
Poltergeist
1982
Paranormal Activity
2009
Poltergeist
2015
The Dead Room
2016
When the Lights Went Out
2012
P.O.V. A Cursed Film
2012
Horror Story
2013
Death of a Ghost Hunter
2007
Beyond Evil
1980
Witchtrap
1989
The Woman in Black
1989
Curse of the Black Widow
1977
Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor
2023
Paranormal Activity
2024
Narrative Summary
These stories typically follow a family or group moving into a new space, only to uncover its violent paranormal history. The narrative progresses from initial skepticism to terrifying confirmation, often involving outside experts or religious figures. The climax is a desperate confrontation with the entity, frequently leaving lingering trauma even if the immediate threat is subdued.
Why These Movies?
They are grouped by their grounding in real-world paranormal claims, a focus on violent physical hauntings (poltergeists), and a consistently grim, high-intensity tone. The shared experience is the claustrophobic terror of a home turned hostile by a malicious presence with a documented backstory.
Claustrophobic domestic terror movies like When the Lights Went Out
The home becomes a prison as a family is tormented from within its walls.For viewers seeking similar films to When the Lights Went Out, this thread features horror stories where the home itself becomes the enemy. Discover movies about families trapped and psychologically tormented by supernatural forces, all sharing a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere and a heavy emotional weight focused on survival.
The Deep House
2021
In Fear
2014
Them
2007
Our House
2018
The Blair Witch Project
1999
When a Stranger Calls
2006
The Dead Room
2016
When the Lights Went Out
2012
The Barrens
2012
Interior
2014
Satan’s Playground
2006
Mountaintop Motel Massacre
1983
When a Stranger Calls Back
1993
Don’t Open the Door
2024
The Spiral Staircase
1946
Narrative Summary
The narrative revolves around a family's struggle for survival within their own compromised sanctuary. The threat is internal and pervasive, escalating from subtle disturbances to direct physical attacks. The story explores themes of familial bonds under extreme stress, psychological torment, and the desperation to reclaim a sense of safety that has been violently shattered.
Why These Movies?
These films share a core premise of domestic invasion by a supernatural entity, resulting in a uniquely claustrophobic and anxious viewing experience. They are united by a high-intensity, tense tone, a steady pacing that builds oppressive dread, and a focus on the emotional devastation of having one's safest space violated.
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When the Lights Went Out Timeline
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Characters, Settings & Themes in When the Lights Went Out
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