The Lamplighters

December 5, 2011
English director/screenwriter Lee’s horror/mystery hybrid reimagines the Irish myth of Tír na nÓg, the land of eternal youth. Marla Neuborn, a disgraced London au pair, lands a dream job on a remote island in the Mediterranean Sea. Working as a “maintenance operative”—aka Lamplighter—on Meditrine Island is far from strenuous; all Marla has to do is tend the empty mansions and lawns, and turn the lights on regularly to make it appear as if the billionaire owners are home. But an undeniable sense of malevolence haunts Marla and her fellow Lamplighters, and she soon realizes that what she perceived as paradise may be a nightmare. While the final revelation is certainly powerful, a banal narrative featuring largely two-dimensional and forgettable characters significantly lessens its impact. Readers will want to uncover the island’s dark secrets but not necessarily care about the survival of its visitors.