Blackout Information

Blackout is a 2008 horror film based on the novel Blackout by Italian novelist Gianluca Morozzi, directed by Rigoberto Castañeda, starring Amber Tamblyn, Aidan Gillen, Armie Hammer, and Katie Stuart. The film was released in theaters in Russia on May 29, 2008. Blackout revolves around three people trapped in an elevator after a massive power blackout occurs with one of them being a serial killer.

Plot

Three strangers are riding in an elevator, when a massive power outage, or blackout, occurs, leaving them stranded in the elevator until the power comes back on, which takes several hours. As time ticks, the situation becomes unbearably uncomfortable when they find out one of the three is a deranged killer. With hours to go before the power comes back on, the two must find a way out or they will not make it through the blackout.

It's slowly revealed one male is suffering the loss of his wife, another male just experienced a domestic disturbance with his girlfriend's father and the female, covered in blood, just left a hospital where her grandmother was badly hurt. The three come to grips with their situation as they figure out a way to get out. The movie recaps their histories through flashbacks.

Amber Tamblyn plays Claudia who lives with her apparent grandmother who always says she works too hard. She appears to be a student but early flashbacks do not reveal which subject. The movie opens with Claudia covered in blood, leaving a hospital for home. She enters the elevator which she noticed was making weird noises.

Aidan Gillen plays Karl. The movie opens with him visiting the grave of his dead wife. His young daughter shows up with Karl's friend and they begin playing Marco Polo. He drives home to get ready for their play date the next day, at which time he gets stuck in the elevator. During his flashbacks we see him at a bar taking photos of a woman with long back hair whom he later buys a drink and takes to his car.

Armie Hammer plays Tommy who appears tough and rigid. When Karl takes his photo claiming to have captured the perfect picture of angst, Tommy freaks out and demands he remove it. During his flashback we learn he is a former drug addict and involved in a fight with his girlfriend's father. He eventually climbs out the top of the elevator looking for help, this is where all three storyline come together.

As Tommy is climbing up the elevator shaft Claudia flashes back to earlier that day. As she and her grandmother are leaving the building, a homeless man asks her for money. Her grandma is unaware she has stopped and keeps walking. It's heard off screen that she was hit by car and it's her grandma's blood on her. Karl begins to speak about his night before with a woman and he needs to clean up the apartment before his daughter arrives. Tommy meanwhile struggles up the shaft but falls hard unto the elevator causing the entire elevator to fall. After the fall, Claudia begins to have a slight asthma attack but controls it. Karl, being a doctor, helps tend to Tommy's broken leg.

Soon they hear over the PA system that building control is aware of their situation; however, they learn it's just a recording.

By 4am, they are still stranded. Claudia begins to flashback to her ailing grandmother in the hospital. It's revealed Claudia's parents died when she was very young. Bringing her back is the sounds of the broken elevator. They all agree to yell for help, the time being closer to morning. Tommy begins to flashback to his crying girlfriend. Tommy tells her they need to run away. They grab any cash they can find and agree to leave that night. When Tommy doesn't show up, his girlfriend comes to his building looking for him. She pushes the elevator button but nothing happens. She looks around and decides to use the stairs. Karl becomes more hostile to the group and begins smoking despite Claudia's pleas not too. Meanwhile, Tommy's girlfriend bangs on his door but he doesn't answer. She hears the group fighting but doesn't know where it's coming from so she looks around. In the midst of their fight, the elevator slips more. Tommy's girlfriend begins calling for him but doesn't hear anything. The group inside can't hear her either so she leaves.

Claudia then flashes back to her dying grandmother saying from her hospital bed "everyone dies". She tells her to bend in her life or she will break. She asks for a photo of her husband so they can die together. Claudia rushes off and we discover that's when she gets stuck in the elevator. Karl flips out when Claudia reveals she had candy. He steals her inhaler and crushes Tommy's leg more, claiming he is now the leader. He flashes back to the woman in his room where he almost strangles his date. His date awakens to him saying there is no fate - only what you take from the world. He runs a scalpel across her body and cuts her, then rapes her while covered in salt.

It's revealed to Tommy by Karl that he is the killer while Claudia is sleeping. It becomes clear Karl enjoys seeing others in pain. As 2:30 approaches Karl worries his daughter will discover the body and that he is not a good father. Karl tells Tommy he must get out soon or he is going to slit Tommy's throat and rape Claudia. It's now revealed to be 2:23pm.

By now Tommy's girlfriend returns to her home and still nobody has discovered the group.

Claudia awakes to a smoking Karl and demands her inhaler. Karl throws Claudia's inhaler on top of the elevator so she has to get up there and get it, but also pull the fire alarm Karl had discovered while they were sleeping. She climbs up and struggles to reach the alarm. She finally reaches the alarm but drops her inhaler and it breaks into pieces. She grabs Karl's lighter from her pocket and tries to set off the alarm. She falls on to the elevator same as Tommy and the elevator slips. It's now 2:33pm.

She falls back into the elevator where Karl has flipped out because he thinks his daughter knows his secret. Through flash backs it's revealed his wife committed suicide. Claudia tells him they are almost at floor level but Karl says it's no use. He reveals to both that he is a killer. Karl flashes his camera causing the other two to squint. Then Karl produces a knife and stabs it into Tommy's neck killing him. While Tommy is dying, he flashes back to his time with his girlfriend. Claudia quickly moves away.

Karl then looks to Claudia intending to rape and kill her. She pleads which only makes Karl mad. She tells him to think of his daughter but this enrages him and he stabs her arm and they fight. This causes the elevator to slip closer to a floor. They continue to struggle with each other when Claudia kicks him in the balls. She tries to open the doors to get out. As she makes her way out the elevator which is midway to a floor, Karl begins grabbing her and stabbing her legs. She kicks him in the face and he falls back. The elevator slips more but he manages to grab her shoe, which she kicks off just as the elevator falls completely, severing Karl's arm in the process. The elevator is then seen crashing all the way to the floor.

Claudia lay bloody on the floor weak from her asthma when the cops arrive. The cops discover Karl's bloody apartment and reveal to his friend what they found, which she withholds from his daughter. Claudia is seen leaving on a stretcher. Tommy's girlfriend sits on her bed looking at the money he gave her to leave town.

Back in the hospital Claudia's doctor tells her that her grandma has died. She cries because was she unable to get her the photo in time. She asks him why do bad things happen, but he says things happen without pattern and leaves her to rest.

Movie fades out.

Cast

• Amber Tamblyn as Claudia
• Aidan Gillen as Karl
• Armie Hammer as Tommy
• Katie Stuart as Francesca
• Emma Prescott as Nikki
• Mark Boone Junior as Francesca's Father (uncredited)

Box office

The film was released in Russia on May 29, 2008 and debuted at #7, averaging $2,118 on 68 screens, for a gross of $144,015. The second weekend, the film's ticket sales only decreased by 40%, and the film grossed $86,569. In its third week, the film's ticket sales decreased 97%, due to losing 56 screens for 3 major pictures opening. The film finished with a gross of $296,411.