Nightlight was a very mixed experience. When it worked, it worked well, but it all felt quite hollow in the end.
Synopsis
Undeterred by news of a classmate’s recent suicide, five teens gather in a dark and legendary woodland for an evening of scary fun and awaken a demonic presence that seizes upon their deepest fears.
My Thoughts
Good Points
The Setup
Robin losing her best friend in the woods and then deciding to go back with a group of kids made me shake my head, but you know, teenagers do dumb stuff when they’re grieving or trying to impress each other. But it was an interesting premise and setup regardless.
Flashlight POV
I really liked that everything is filmed through a flashlight, and it actually works better than you’d expect, and while it’s not perfect, it’s different enough.
Small Moments That Work
There are a few times the camera catches small things in the dark, which helped with the tension. You don’t see much, but your brain fills in the blanks. There’s a bit more ambition here than your typical “lost in the woods, jump at shadows” movie.
A Few Jump Scares Landed
There was a few genuinely good moments that made me jump, which is always nice.
Mitch Hewer
Mitch Hewer was decent enough. He had a few moments where he carried a scene on his own, which just made the rest of the group look even worse by comparison.
Bad Points
Acting/Character Issues
Most of the cast didn’t do much for me. Shelby Young, who plays Robin, kept making bad decisions, and I quickly stopped caring if she lived or died, which is never good for a horror lead. Most of them just feel flat as characters.
Confused Story
The story didn’t seem to know what it wanted to be. At first, it’s demons, then maybe it’s Robin’s dead friend haunting them. By the end, it doesn’t fully commit to either idea.
Pacing Issues
The first act has some energy, but halfway through, the pacing starts to drag, and the scares shift into a series of loud crashes and sudden screams that start to just feel a bit exhausting.
Overreliance on Jump Scares
Once the movie gets deep into the woods, it leans heavily on cheap jump scares. The flashlight POV works best when it’s subtle.
The Creature Reveal
The big reveal ruined the tension. After all the slow-building suspense, that was almost laughable, and that moment should have felt much bigger than it was, and how it came across.
Repetitive Moments
Some scenes just felt like filler, which just slowed the pace down when it needed to ramp it up.
Small Positives Don’t Fully Save It
Even with the occasional jolt, the film doesn’t fully pull together. The scares are hit or miss, and the acting and story issues keep it from being more than just “okay.”
Is Nightlight Worth Watching?
Well, it isn’t a disaster.
I liked the creepy setup, the flashlight perspective, and a few early set pieces, and the film tries harder than most generic found-footage woods horror.
The flashlight gimmick will make you remember it, but while it had a good set up and a few decent moments, it all felt rather hollow in the end.
But it’s worth a free stream if you like found footage films.
For everyone else, probably avoid.
Watch the trailer for Nightlight
Check out Nightlight on IMDB
Where To Watch Nightlight
Director and Cast
Directors: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Main Cast: Shelby Young, Chloe Bridges, Mitch Hewer, Taylor Murphy, and Carter Jenkins
Found Footage Horror Movies 
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