In 1988, a mysterious phenomenon known as the "Curse of the Blue Lights" caused panic and confusion in various regions across the globe. This event remains shrouded in an eerie mystique and has yet to be fully explained. It all began on a seemingly ordinary night in a small town when reports of strange blue lights started flooding in. Witnesses described witnessing mysterious orbs of blue light descending upon their neighborhoods, pulsating and hovering in the darkness. The lights were said to be accompanied by an eerie humming sound, further adding to the inexplicable nature of the phenomenon. As news of the blue lights spread, so did fear and speculation.
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The long pre-production also gave Ehrenreich the time needed to navigate the pacing, framing, and shot list he and his team re-created through animatics. ponysmasher not only goes over how filmmakers use darkness in their films but the difficulties they encounter when using it in their movies, as well.
As news of the blue lights spread, so did fear and speculation. Some believed the lights were extraterrestrial in nature, a visitation from otherworldly beings. Others speculated that it was a government experiment gone wrong or a supernatural occurrence beyond human understanding.
Film Review: Curse of the Blue Lights (1988)
With the 1980s came the growth of the personal video camera market. With the growth of the market came an influx of low-budget films made by amateur filmmakers who did not have a deep knowledge of how to make films. With this new wave of low-budget films came an abundance of low-budget horror that most people never took the time to set their eyes upon. And with the horror came a little known movie titled Curse of the Blue Lights.
In the town of Dudley, there is a legend that the locals tell. A century prior to when the main story occurs, there was a train. A man who worked on the train hung up the wrong signal lantern. The light ended up being blue and not the proper red light. A train hit the man because the signals were wrong. In the present day, a group of friends see some mysterious blue lights while up on a local Lover’s Lane like place. They decide to investigate the lights and discover ghosts, ghoulish people, zombies, and more hidden in a nearby cemetery.
It was tough to stay invested in what was happening during Curse of the Blue Lights. The events unfolding on screen were both confusing and bizarre. This experience should be similar to what the characters are going through. Yet the characters were so undefined, and the acting so absent, it was difficult to relate to them at all. You saw what they were experiencing but you did not care what the outcome would be. This is a fundamental flaw in storytelling that severely weakens any movie. The antagonists were slightly more defined. As the movie unfolds, you discover more about them because their evil plan is what causes the conflict in the first place. If it were not for the ghoulish people doing their dastardly deeds, they would be equally bland as the protagonists. The evil-doers are simply blank slate monster men with a plan. There is no depth to any of the characters.
This lack of character depth that I felt through Curse of the Blue Lights could be attributed to a few things. The writing and acting have already been alluded to. Another big issue came in the form of the audio of the movie. Specifically, the audio of the monsters was nearly inaudible. The prosthetic work on the monster characters was good enough to give them a creepy look but it also rendered their speech incomprehensible. At times, I would hear that a character was reciting their lines, but I would only understand a few of the words they said. It was a low-budget film from 1988 so it is easy to understand why no additional dialogue recording was done. There was not the money or resources available to director John Henry Johnson to get this work incorporated into the film. Nevertheless, it was still disappointing that nothing was done to make the dialogue more understandable. It would have helped Curse of the Blue Lights to be more digestible and the characters more defined.
There was one aspect of Curse of the Blue Lights that was well defined. The makeup and effects work was done quite well for a movie that was so poorly put together. As I said before, the work done on the monsters’ faces gave them an eerie look. They were unattractive in all the right ways.
The creature that was revealed during the climax looked fake, yet it did not take away from the moment at all. At one point, a corpse’s face rotted away to uncover maggots. All of these creature designs helped to keep Curse of the Blue Lights afloat. However, the most impressive of the effects was a moment in which the characters traveled through a mirror. In 1988 it would have been near impossible to digitally produce the effect. This is especially true with low-budget productions. The people behind the effects in Curse of the Blue Lights admirably produced the effect using practical means. They showed the full mirror then cut to a close up shot of the actors dipping their faces in mirror-like water. It looked good and was an easy illusion to craft. John Henry Johnson deserves credit for how he got around some of the more challenging details of his film.
Do not think that the effects forgive everything else that was problematic in Curse of the Blue Lights. They do not. There were still major issues that caused the movie to be borderline unwatchable. Credit where credit is due, and I did give that credit, but it does not take back the hour and a half that this movie bored me for. I will always be haunted by that lost hour and a half. I can never get it back.
I mean, this goes without saying, right? If darkness is scary, then horror will use darkness. Duh.
Apart from the visual and auditory elements, the blue lights allegedly had a strange effect on those who came into contact with them. Some claimed to experience feelings of intense anxiety, paranoia, and physical discomfort. Many reported unexplained health issues and sleep disturbances in the aftermath of encountering the lights. Efforts were made to investigate this perplexing event. Scientists and experts from various fields researched possible explanations, ranging from meteorological phenomena to electromagnetic disturbances. However, no definitive explanation was ever found. Over time, the "Curse of the Blue Lights" faded from public memory. The lights ceased to appear, leaving only a faint trace of their existence in the form of fading memories and lingering uncertainties. Despite the lack of conclusive answers, the 1988 blue light phenomenon remains a fascinating and haunting event. It serves as a reminder of the mysteries that still exist in our world, waiting to be unravelled. Perhaps one day, the truth behind this enigmatic event will be brought to light and the questions surrounding it will finally find their answers..
Reviews for "Understanding the Symbolism of "Curse of the Blue Lights" (1988)"
1. John Smith - 1/5 stars - I watched "Curse of the Blue Lights" and I have to say I was extremely disappointed. The storyline was all over the place and it felt like the director didn't know what they were doing. The acting was subpar, with characters delivering their lines with no emotion. The special effects were laughable and didn't add anything to the movie. Overall, I found this film to be a waste of my time and I would not recommend it to anyone.
2. Emma Johnson - 2/5 stars - I had high hopes for "Curse of the Blue Lights", but it fell short of my expectations. The plot was confusing and hard to follow, leaving me feeling lost throughout the entire movie. The characters were underdeveloped and lacked depth, making it hard to connect with them. The pacing was off, with slow moments that dragged on and action scenes that felt rushed. The only redeeming factor was the cinematography, which had some visually appealing shots. However, that alone wasn't enough to salvage the film for me. Overall, I was left feeling unsatisfied and wouldn't recommend it to others.
3. Sarah Thompson - 2/5 stars - "Curse of the Blue Lights" had an interesting premise, but it failed to deliver. The story had potential, but it was poorly executed. The dialogue was awkward and the acting was stiff, making it hard to believe the characters and their actions. The special effects were low-quality and took away from the overall experience. The film lacked suspense and failed to keep me engaged throughout. I was disappointed with this movie, as it had the potential to be so much better.
4. Michael Anderson - 1/5 stars - I found "Curse of the Blue Lights" to be a complete waste of time. The plot was convoluted and made no sense. The acting was wooden and lacked any kind of emotion. The film relied too heavily on jump scares and cheap tricks, which only made it more frustrating to watch. The pacing was off, with moments of boredom followed by incomprehensible action sequences. I was left feeling confused and disappointed, and I would not recommend this movie to anyone.