Director: Chris Crow
Cast: Mark Lewis Jones, Ian Virgo, Michael Jibson
Production Company: Dogs Of Annwn
Runtime: 102 minutes
Confinement and desolation are the deadly breeding grounds for crushing madness. Add a devastating natural event to the mix and the darkness falls all the more quickly. Director Chris Crow unleashes the mind’s inner horrors in his new film The Lighthouse (2016).
The movie is based on actual events which led to the Smalls Island tragedy of 1801. Thomas Griffiths (Mark Lewis Jones) and Thomas Howell (Michael Jibson) are stationed on a remote island on the unforgiving Irish Sea. A freak storm leaves them trapped together for months…
Crow is also known for directing Devil’s Bridge (2010) and Panic Button (2011). His previous film A Viking Saga: The Darkest Day (2013) was also based on a true story. Crow uses his vast cinematic knowledge to put together a truly claustrophobic experience.
The movie features Mark Lewis Jones from Daddy’s Girl (2006), Michael Jibson from Red Mist (2008), and Ian Virgo from ABCs of Death 2 (2014). Jones and Gibson are both excellent in their given roles. I doesn’t matter if they’re portraying associates or adversaries.
The Lighthouse is a beautifully shot period piece filled with striking visuals. The lighthouse itself is a richly staged location that takes on a life of its own. It’s the silent character that protects them from the raging tempest while also damning them to hell.
Isolation leads to insanity and death in this psychological thriller. The film touches on many of the same issues and themes presented in The Shining (1980). Being trapped in a secluded location breaks down human relationships with deadly and unpredictable results.
Supernatural events creep into the plot from time to time, but they’re usually just a reflection of the main character’s distressed state. The Lighthouse illuminates the dark recesses of the human mind. You might be surprised by what’s lurking in those shadows…
– John Migliore
For more information on the film, check out the links below…
Indie Horror Online 