I don’t think it would be too unfair to say that ‘Don’t Turn Out the Lights’ is one of the best bad movies I’ve seen in a while. It’s a film that throws together a bunch of horror ingredients—some that absolutely shouldn’t work, and yet, somehow, a few really do.
The setup is as familiar as they come: a group of friends on a late-night road trip take an ill-advised detour and find themselves caught up in a terrifying game of survival. The characters? Stereotypical. The setting? Straight out of the horror playbook. But here’s the thing—none of it feels outright lazy or cheap. Instead, it treads just the right side of cliché, offering something more comfortably familiar than outright derivative.
Where the film really excels is in its scary set pieces. It never quite crosses into outright terrifying, but the tension? That’s where it shines. The camerawork, lighting, and overall staging of these moments create an eerie, ominous atmosphere that sticks. It’s also when the actors seem to click best—you can genuinely feel their fear, even if their character development leaves something to be desired.
For a film with such a simple premise, it does a surprisingly solid job of keeping things engaging. There’s a steady sense of intrigue, where you’re never quite sure who (or what) the antagonist is. The movie throws in plenty of red herrings—some clever, some frustrating—but it keeps you watching, and that’s what matters.
Now, while it doesn’t ever get particularly violent or gory, although plenty is implied throughout, the movie does have some nice escalations of violence, moments that feel surprisingly effective against the otherwise traditional horror tropes. It keeps things unpredictable enough to hold your attention.
However. It’s not all good. The runtime is a problem. At just over 100 minutes, it’s too long for what it is and whilst I wouldn’t say it completely outstayed its welcome a tighter edit would have improved the pacing, made it feel snappier, and probably helped its rewatch value. And then there’s the characters—tolerable, somewhat relatable, but if your patience for screaming, one-note horror movie victims is thin, this might test you.
Something that I don’t feel anyone is going to be on the fence about however is the movies ending. The buildup was strong, but let’s be real—when a film hinges on mystery, the final reveal is either killer or filler. Sadly, this one lands firmly in the latter category. It’s not entirely surprising, but it’s still a frustrating stumble right at the finish line. Normally it’s some lacklustre exposition that normally turns me off, however, with ‘Don’t Turn Out the Lights’ it’s the opposite… any exposition would have been welcome.
Overall, ‘Don’t Turn Out the Lights’ is a fun, engaging horror film that I enjoyed more than I expected given its generic start. It’s not as scary or as gripping as road trip horror like ‘Dead End’, but thanks to its well-crafted set pieces and tension-building, it manages to be a decent ride—even if it fumbles the landing.
