How about turning on the lights and calling 911?

Rating: 5/10 (1 August 2013)

I thought this was a good film. It had good character development. Good story development.
It had suspense. It had little shockers but had a happy, conclusive ending. However, it didn't have enough visualization of the "bad guy." This is unfortunate, and didn't enable me to suspend my disbelief.
The film could have differentiated itself from the usual by having the characters turn on the lights and calling the authorities.
This would have added a level of credibility to the story.
So here is my question to the powers that be. Why do so many horror flicks have to play out in the dark? Example, the person hears something. They then choose to walk into room after room without turning on the lights, and if they do, it's the dimmest one available, never the overhead light.
Also, when they go into the "evil cellar" the light never works. But they go in anyway, because for some reason they "have to know." A setup like that makes me feel detached and not care about the character. It makes them look dumb.
In a way, wouldn't it be logical in a drama horror for that person to be offed? Lastly, why not call the EMTs? Yes, there was a cop on site, but things were getting out of hand.
A little reinforcements could help.