When the Lights Went Out 2012

Thriller

Horror

Drama

Rank

#1,174

Box Office

$1.2M

Runtime

86 mins

Language

English

Directed by

Pat Holden

Made by

Kintop Pictures

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When the Lights Went Out Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for When the Lights Went Out (2012). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

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.

When the Lights Went Out Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of When the Lights Went Out (2012) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Move to a new home in Yorkshire

In 1974 Len and Jenny Maynard relocate with their daughter Sally to a new house in Yorkshire. Sally soon begins to be haunted by two malevolent presences: the Pale Girl and the demonic Monk. The house is filled with unsettling noises and glimpses of unseen shadows.

1974 Yorkshire, England

Sally's haunting begins

Sally experiences visions and disturbances tied to the ghosts of Pale Girl and Monk. The hauntings intensify, with cold patches, whispers, and objects moving on their own around the house.

1974 Len's house, Yorkshire, England

Mr Price informs Len

Sally's history teacher, Mr Price, learns that the family is haunted by the spirit of a murdered forest girl and informs Len. He suggests the haunting is real and warns of the danger.

1974 Len's house, Yorkshire

Paranormal attempt to contact the spirit

The family hires a paranormal specialist who attempts to contact the spirit during a session. However, the entity violently disrupts the séance, attacks the group, and the specialist is unable to banish the spirits from the house.

1974 Len's house

Len and Brian seek Father Clifton

Len and his friend Brian convince Father Clifton to perform an exorcism. Clifton initially refuses due to lack of church permission, but the pair force his hand by exposing his affair with Mrs Blithe. The plan is to restore safety to the household.

1974 Len's house

Clifton explains the monk's crimes

Clifton reveals the backstory of the monk who preyed on young girls, cut out their tongues, and murdered a girl in the forest to prevent exposure. The monk was secretly tried, hanged, and buried to preserve the church's honor.

1974 Len's house

The exorcism at Len's house

They proceed with the exorcism at Len's house. The spirit resists the rite, but Clifton ultimately drives the malevolent presence from the home. The house fills with heat and flickering lights as the ritual concludes.

1974 Len's house

Return to normal life

After the exorcism, the family tries to resume normal life, though the memory of the hauntings lingers. They settle back into routine, with the house feeling quieter, at least for a time.

1974 Len's house

The spirit returns and attacks Sally

One night, the spirit returns with renewed force and attempts to hang Sally. Len and Jenny rush to intervene but are knocked unconscious by the spectral assault.

late 1974 Len's house, Sally's bedroom

Sally acts to end the danger

Sally grabs the young girl's locket and casts it into the electric heater, starting a fire that destabilizes the haunting. The act triggers a confrontation with the monk's spirit that is still haunting the house.

late 1974 Len's house

The final confrontation

The young girl's spirit confronts the evil monk's spirit, and the monk's presence is driven from the house. The house stabilizes as the two spirits clash and disintegrate.

late 1974 Len's house

Aftermath and Sally's new boundaries

The family remains in the house, but Sally no longer enters her bedroom, marking the lasting impact of the haunting. The other rooms feel safer, and the family remains protective of Sally's comfort.

late 1974 Len's house

When the Lights Went Out Characters

Explore all characters from When the Lights Went Out (2012). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Len Maynard (Steven Waddington)

Len is the practical, protective father who moves his family into a new home and fights to keep them safe from the hauntings. He pushes to involve experts and clergy, ultimately driving the purge of the house.

🛡️ Protector 🧭 Determined 🗝️ Skeptical

Jenny Maynard (Kate Ashfield)

Jenny is Len’s partner who remains supportive as fear rises. She stands with Sally and participates in seeking help, embodying resilience in the face of the supernatural threat.

👩‍👧‍👧 Family 💪 Supportive 🕯️ Faith

Sally Maynard (Molly Windsor)

Sally, the 13-year-old, is the conduit for the haunting, experiencing visions of the Pale Girl and the Monk. Her courage under pressure drives much of the family’s response.

👧 Vulnerable 🧠 Sensitive 🌟 Resilient

Brian (Craig Parkinson)

Brian is Len’s friend who pushes them to take action and helps persuade Father Clifton to perform the exorcism. He provides practical support and a skeptical voice that escalates the plan.

🤝 Ally 🧭 Loyal 🗨️ Determined

Mr Price (Martin Compston)

Mr Price is the history teacher who informs the family about the murdered girl and the forest’s dark history, triggering their search for help.

📚 Informant 🧭 Investigator 🧠 Knowledgeable

Father Clifton (Gary Lewis)

A local priest who only agrees to exorcise the home after being blackmailed, revealing the church’s selective intervention and moral compromise. He explains the backstory of the monk and leads the rite.

🙏 Priest 🗝️ Authority 🔥 Exorcist

The Pale Girl (Molly Windsor)

The ghostly victim whose presence torments Sally and anchors the backstory of the forest murder, linking past trauma to present danger.

👧 Ghost 🪞 Reflection 🕊️ Trauma

Monk (Ross Mullan)

The demonic spirit of a murdered monk who preyed on young girls, representing the abuse of power and the lingering danger in the house.

👹 Evil 🗡️ Predator ⏳ Past

Mrs Blithe (Martina McClements)

The housekeeper involved in an illicit affair, symbolizing the personal stakes and moral compromises surrounding the exorcism and church influence.

🧹 Household 💔 Complicity 🪟 Secrets

When the Lights Went Out Settings

Learn where and when When the Lights Went Out (2012) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Time period

1974

The events unfold in 1974 rural Yorkshire, a Britain still guided by traditional institutions and limited scientific explanations. The family’s move coincides with a period when paranormal concerns could be pursued but not easily resolved. Exorcism and ghostly encounters mark a clash between faith, power, and skepticism.

Location

Yorkshire, England

A secluded house in rural Yorkshire becomes the family’s home base. The setting emphasizes isolation as a supernatural presence takes hold around Sally. The nearby forest carries a dark history of a murdered girl that ties the ghosts to the land. The town’s quiet façade is challenged by the family’s attempt to confront the haunting.

🏡 Haunted house 🌲 Forest setting 🕰️ 1970s Britain

When the Lights Went Out Themes

Discover the main themes in When the Lights Went Out (2012). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

👻

Hauntings

The film centers on the haunting by the Pale Girl and Monk, anchoring Sally’s fear and driving the plot. The ghosts repeatedly haunt the house, testing the family’s resolve and their willingness to seek help. Supernatural forces confront the limits of human control and the motives of those who would confront them.

👨‍👩‍👧

Family

Len and Jenny rally to protect Sally as the hauntings intensify, illustrating parental devotion under extraordinary danger. The family pursues external help—a paranormal specialist and a priest—revealing how love, duty, and desperation intersect. The home becomes a battlefield where familial bonds are tested and reaffirmed.

🏛️

Religious Secrets

The backstory exposes a monk who preyed on young girls and was kept hidden to protect the church’s reputation. The exorcism underscores conflicts between faith, power, and accountability. The narrative critiques how institutions can conceal abuse while communities struggle to confront painful truths.

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When the Lights Went Out Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of When the Lights Went Out (2012). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In the quiet hills of 1974 Yorkshire, a newly‑built house promises a fresh start for a family eager to leave behind the cramped confines of their past. The property, set amid mist‑softened fields and ancient woods, feels like a rare sanctuary where modern comforts meet the romance of rural England. Yet the very walls that whisper of domestic bliss also seem to retain an older, unsettled memory, hinting that the land itself guards secrets older than the newly‑laid foundations.

At the heart of this story are Len and Jenny, a pragmatic couple whose love is tempered by the pressures of providing security for their teenage daughter, Sally. Their dynamic is a blend of hopeful optimism and quiet apprehension, each trying to nurture a sense of normalcy while the house subtly tests their resolve. Sally navigates teenage turbulence, her curiosity and sensitivity making her especially attuned to the house’s lingering unease. Around them, the nearby community offers glimpses of ordinary life—a schoolteacher, a local priest—each a potential anchor or conduit to the mysteries that linger just beyond the kitchen window.

The film breathes a slow, atmospheric dread, balancing the nostalgic glow of a 1970s family drama with an ever‑present sense of danger lurking in the shadows. Light and darkness play across the rooms, and ordinary sounds—creaking floorboards, distant wind—take on an ominous quality, suggesting that the home’s promise may conceal something far more volatile. This tension between aspiration and the unknown invites viewers to wonder what lies beneath the veneer of a perfect domestic haven, and whether the family’s pursuit of peace will ever truly be secured.