The Lighthouse (2016) Based on the infamous Smalls Island Incident of 1801 'The Lighthouse' follows Thomas Howell and Thomas Griffith's disastrous posting to Smalls Island Lighthouse to 'keep the light' 25 miles from land and surrounded by the deadly Irish sea. The men are stranded in a freak storm that rages for months, nothing short of an act of God. The film tells a tale of death, madness and isolation; a desolate trip into the heart of human darkness.