Bullies Beware: Jeffrey Bruck’s ‘GOODNIGHT, LIGHT’ (2023) – Movie Review

Slashers are my mainline in this genre. Though I loved zombie movies, they got way too big. Goodnight, Light reminds me of the 70s nd 80s underground films that raised the question of “who dunnit?” Normally, these films deter me because, in all honesty, a lot of them were pretty terrible and redundant. Goodnight, Light gave us a fresh view on all those films that were love or hate for many years.

Synopsis

A getaway for friends is shattered when they all start disapearing. Manipulating fear, the killer pits them against each other and unearths dark secrets. Tensions rise as they confront past sins while trying to survive.

There are a lot of reasons I enjoyed this film, but the part that sticks out the most is seeing the person I was rooting for take what is theirs. The movie is non-stop with a little less dialogue than you would imagine, and everyone knows one of my main gripes includes too much dialogue in horror films. Instead, what I got was a very elaborate story that wasn’t like anything I expected. I was rooting for the killer, even if I didn’t know who it was, because the backstory had already made me mad.  I know the dark side of humans who can’t get along.

The movie presented a pretty wicked twist, because you never know who is going to make it out alive. If you are anything like me, you will find yourself having an understanding with the killer. Although you can kind of pinpoint who the killer is after a while, the scene with the big twist is beyond incredible. The film is a reminder of all those movies where the villain meets their demise, leaving only one survivor. The problem with this was that the ending was way too easy after a thrill ride. It seemed to be lacking some ideas, as if it were a spur-of-the-moment choice. However, all of that aside, the film makes up for it throughout without having one really big buildup. Even still, it seemed to be lacking, and that’s my only complaint.

In The End

In the end, the movie is completely worth a watch, so you can judge for yourself. A lot of horror fans may not like the direction it took to be a little more modern. Personally, I love all of those bad movies from long ago, with a pretty rad final girl. Even if sometimes I like to see the killer win. There are only a handful of films that took the “no one left alive” approach to their film. I love watching these people get what they deserve.

I was kind of disappointed that the killer did not keep the high ground, and the ending was simple. This is a very rare case where I like almost everything from a modern movie. So I am walking away with only one small gripe. Goodnight, Light tops the charts when it comes to thrillers, and a shout-out to the movies that made us fans.

Goodnight, Light is currently streaming on Tubi and other streaming apps. Don’t sleep on this film, give it at least one watch.