The Blackout

Dir: Robert David Sanders

2009

**

The Blackout isn’t an alien invasion movie that particularly stands out – it isn’t terrible – but it isn’t great. I think this is why the makers decided to set the story around Christmas, because suddenly this is an alternative Christmas/Christmas horror and people like me, who probably wouldn’t have watched, are now watching it. While it isn’t a movie we haven’t seen before, the limited budget is actually the only thing holding this film back. The acting is pretty good, it makes some bold decisions and I liked the ending very much. The film takes place during Christmas Eve when a citywide blackout traps the tenants of a block of flats called The Ravenwood. As the building's occupants try to escape, they find themselves stalked and attacked by several dark and lizard-like creatures with sharp teeth and pointy tails. The group run through corridors and down lift-shafts to try and escape but are picked off one by one before a devastating climax. All the while the structure of the building seems to change and there is clearly something bigger going on. I respect any horror film that kills the kid first but I feel that the film treads water for much longer than was necessary. All the needed elements were there but they were fluffed out a little too much in places and I have to say I became confused as to where the group was and who was still alive by the half-way point. The acting is between convincing and rubbish, but the lead players are all very good and immerse themselves in the story. Apart from being a little ‘colour-by-numbers’ the film is far from amateur but it is the terrible CGI that lets it down most noticeably. The creatures aren’t great but they could have been. They feel like something H. R. Giger could have designed while suffering a heavy cold or on a happier day. That’s a kind way of of me suggesting that they are an Aliens rip off. The gore is quite good and never over done and there was an element of fear at work. I think the deaths could have been more creative given that the film was pretty much about picking off a group one by one but there were a few good ones to address the balance. The dialogue let the film down quite a bit, even by low-budget horror film standards and I bet you anything that on retrospect the makers wish they’d kept a much larger section of the film silent for a more dramatic effect. Everything about the film could have been polished, regardless of budget. However, it seems the thing about the film that most people hate is the one thing I thought the film did well. I’ve read loads of people complaining about the mysteriously ambiguous ending but I think that’s where it’s real strength is. All good horror films end with a helpless conclusion – our heroes haven’t tried everything they can and have made many difficult sacrifices but in the end they’re doomed and there is nothing they can do about it. I want to come out of a horror film feeling their dread – if I wanted happy then I’d go see a totally different film from a totally different genre (German existentialism probably because I’m a miserable Crocodile). I feel that the younger generation (*warning – old person rant) need to have everything explained to them these days and there is no celebration of mystery. It isn’t just because we live in a word of information either (because we very much live in a world of lies too) but because of years of pointless sequels and prequels, lots of wonderful cinematic mysteries have been answered – even though most audiences don’t really want or enjoy said answers. Of course the makers of Blackout might want to make a sequel but I think it is unlikely. It really is no masterpiece and is full of flaws but I can sense passion and I respect that. Most cheap horror films these days rely on a great poster alone but The Blackout has a lot of heart in it. They had a limited budget and, if I’m being brutally honest, limited creativity, but they clearly know their horror films and know that shock and doom will always prevail. It was a ridiculously ambitious project but all things considered I think they did admirably.