Andy Fickman’s Don’t Turn Out the Lights (2024) offers a gripping and confining horror experience, focusing on a group of friends ensnared within the confines of a spacious SUV while en route to a music festival. As they become progressively isolated and face unexplainable supernatural phenomena, both their interpersonal relationships and their fundamental survival are subjected to intense scrutiny. The scenario escalates because the group’s security is diminishing, and it’s unfolding without any explicit explanation of the forces stalking them. The film takes elements of isolation, paranoia, and the deterioration of trust between friends and puts them in a mysterious and evil entity context.

Plot of the Movie

The story begins with Carrie receiving an invitation from her long-time friend, Olivia, to join her and other friends—Gaby, Chris, and Sarah—to celebrate Olivia’s birthday. In the course of the party, Olivia surprises the guests with passes to the very popular Blue Light Music Festival, an adventure that promises to be full of fun. Michael has managed to organize an RV to make Olivia’s trip more accessible. To this party are added his buddy Jason, a former Marine, and the fun ensues when the group piles into the RV and it’s immediately clear that this road trip will be full of booze, drugs, and boisterous freedom.

The scene at a gas station makes things a bit dark as:. While Sarah and Gaby are harassed by lewd comments from a group of people who are referred to as rednecks, the situation escalates when the men attempt to rape Gaby. A fight erupts between Chris, Jason, and the rednecks; however, the group leaves the station and continues on their way. However, the rednecks follow them in a truck, which leads to a dangerous encounter. One of the country folk fires at the recreational vehicle, which makes Michael drive the RV off the highway, resulting in them losing their way in the woods. During this confusion, Carrie attempts to dial 911; however, Olivia strongly forbids her to call the police, fearing that the drugs inside the RV would land them in jail.

As they move further into the woods, the tension increases even more. Carrie is getting more nervous as she witnesses ominous signs such as an abandoned car parked right in the middle of the road. Despite all her fears, Gaby pushes them aside and the group keeps moving forward. Eventually, the group stops at a mysterious diner as nightfall begins.

The Mysterious Diner

The diner they enter is a place of chill and discomfort. The patrons, middle-aged and seemingly apathetic, stare at the group with an unnerving intensity. Carrie and Michael go to the bar to ask for directions; however, the man is unhelpful and hostile. When Carrie tries to order something in an attempt to lighten the mood, the bartender becomes even more aggressive. Finally, he pulls out a gun, forcing Carrie, Michael, and the others to leave the diner.

As they leave, Carrie spots a truck that looks like the one the rednecks were driving at the gas station, which makes her even more suspicious.

The family leaves quickly; however, their experience worsens as they continue on the road. Not long after, Michael is forced to slam on the brakes of the RV when he hears a strange thud, but he cannot determine what he has hit. Michael and Olivia’s fragile relationship deteriorates as Michael refuses to share information with her, and thus the tensions between them grow. When Jason tries to intervene, Michael leaves to check the damage, and when he steps closer to the RV again, something catches his attention in the darkness outside. The others hear screams in the distance, but only Olivia sees what happens to Michael off-screen. Olivia later falls into a catatonic state. Unraveling Terror

Unfolding horror

As the group tries to comprehend what is happening to Michael, strange and frightening things begin to occur.

Carrie and Jason try to keep their cool; however, they soon are attacked by an evil presence. Jason decides to go into the woods with a gun, but he too is not immune to the mysterious power. An eerie quiet settles over everything, and it is broken only by the sounds of distant gunshots. Jason briefly returns, directing the group to escape, but by the time he can explain more, he is buried in the darkness. Desperation sets in, and Sarah takes the wheel in a desperate attempt to get away. However, the RV does not budge, as if an unseen force is holding them back. The girls, Carrie, Sarah, and Gaby, are left to try to make sense of what is happening, and they begin to think that Michael and Jason have pulled off some kind of elaborate prank. But as the shooting continues and strange things keep happening, the reality of their situation cannot be denied.

Olivia’s condition deteriorates, and she stays unconscious while the group attempts to resuscitate her. However, when the car jerks violently, they find that Olivia has miraculously regained consciousness and is currently on a phone call. The voice on the other end is repeating every word spoken by Sarah, and the girls are left with two versions of Olivia who both beg for help. The girls are left in a state of terror as one Olivia is engulfed by the dark force beyond, not knowing whom to assist.

The Final Terror

Gaby decides in the last bid for survival to get out of the RV armed with an axe and look for assistance.

As she descends, she sees Olivia’s feathered jacket and the gruesome remnants of flesh dispersed around the RV door, along with Olivia’s severed arm still grasping the handle. The situation becomes even more desperate as Gaby is taken by the evil entity. The last two survivors, Carrie and Sarah, try to comfort each other; however, their feeling of security is short-lived. When the light fades, the television turns on by itself and shows Sarah in front of it. Behind her comes a dark figure that turns out to be Chris, who is miraculously still alive. With Sarah, Carrie, and Chris now confined inside the recreational vehicle, they have to face the awful truth that they are trapped in a never-ending nightmare of terror.

A pentagram tattoo on Carrie’s neck could signify her attachment to some occult forces. Sarah implores Carrie to get out of the car, and although Carrie is able to do so, Sarah is covered in mist inside the recreational vehicle. Carrie, after the sun has risen, finds a limb that looks like Gaby’s cut off in the woods. She makes it to the highway, but before she can piece together her surroundings, she is enveloped by an unseen force and sealed into her fate.

The Cycle of horror

The film ends with a different group of friends walking through the area surrounding the abandoned RV, which shares a similar feel to the sensation Carrie had when seeing an abandoned car in the same area. The cycle of terror continues as it appears the Blue Light Music Festival is associated with a never-ending series of supernatural events. The RV Carrie and her friends used becomes yet another cautionary tale for other travelers—a bad omen for those affected by the malevolent power of the entity.

Trailer

A group of friends embark on a road trip to a music festival, oblivious to the supernatural horrors that await them along the way.

Cast: Bella DeLong, Amber Janea, Daryl Tofa, Ana Zambrana, Crystal Lake Evans, John Bucy and Jarrett Brown

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Explanation

Don’t Turn Out the Lights does an excellent job of combining elements of psychological horror, supernatural suspense, and the breaking down of human relationships during stress.

The close quarters of the recreational vehicle, combined with the growing sense of isolation, heightens the terror as the characters begin to lose their trust in one another. The supernatural elements remain unexplained, which contributes to the pervasive sense of unease, while the cyclical nature of the horror implies that the terror is inexorable. The film poses thought-provoking questions regarding the relationship between the Blue Light Music Festival and the malevolent force that pursues those who approach it, thereby leaving viewers with an enduring sense of dread and ambiguity. In the end, the movie ends with a chilling commentary on how fragile human relationships are and how terrifying the unknown is, thereby ensuring that the cycle of horror is far from over.

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