Director David F. Sandberg
Genre Horror
Cast Teresa Palmer, Maria Bello, Billy Burke, Emily Alyn Lind
Rating PG-13
Release Date July 22nd, 2016
“When her little brother, Martin, experiences the same events that once tested her sanity, Rebecca works to unlock the truth behind the terror, which brings her face to face with an entity that has an attachment to their mother, Sophie.”
Lights Out is the directorial debut for David F. Sandberg, the man behind the short film the movie is based on. Sandberg released the short film in 2013 and it has been considered somewhat of a cult classic ever since. Fans have been very vocal in their push for the short film to be made into a feature-film and they finally got their wish. Lights Out has a stellar cast including Maria Bello, Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, and Alexander DiPersia.
Lights Out shines as a modern-day horror film with stellar acting, a smart and effective story, and most importantly relentless jump scares and a chill factor that will not be soon forgotten. The film takes advantage of the most successful horror film elements, including great acting, which is rare for a horror, a story with just enough detail without overdoing it, and a very, very creepy ghost. Many critics have compared Lights Out to a few of the more highly rated horror films in the past year or so, including Goodnight Mommy, It Follows, and The Witch to name a few. Mike Flanagan's work on this film reminded me of an interview with the director of The Witch Robert Eggers, where he stated that the monster is scariest in the shadows, essentially meaning you never really want a clear view of what is providing the fear because it reduces the power it has over the audience. Lights Out clearly has the same mindset and by definition keeps the fear in the shadows making for a very effective film, sure to genuinely scare its viewers.
Lights Out is a rarity when it comes to the cast, primarily due to the two big names Maria Bello and Teresa Palmer. Bello has been around for years while building up an acting resume of over 60 credits. She started off small but has played a pivotal role in some huge dramas in the past decade or so, including A History of Violence and most recently the hit film Prisoners. Teresa Palmer has taken off in a very diverse way, playing in a variety of comedy and romance films including Warm Bodies and The Choice, and also recently had a role in the robbery thriller Triple 9. Bello and Palmer play mother and daughter in Lights Out and they delivery top-notch performances, allowing their characters to develop, making the pain from their past feel as real as possible. Alexander DiPersia and Gabriel Bateman both deliver fine performances in their supporting roles.
Lights Out will shine as one of the better all-around horror films in the past few years, and that statement is well deserved. We are force fed mediocre horror films year in and year out, mainly due to the fact that studios know we will spend the money to see them because we crave horror. When the rare gems like It Follows, Goodnight Mommy, The Witch, and now Lights Out come around, horror fans rejoice and share a collective sigh of relief thinking there is in fact light (or better yet dark) at the end of the tunnel. I expect great things from David F. Sandberg and I hope he delivers with his next feature-film, which is the sequel to the disappointing 2014 film Annabelle, slated for a May 2017 release. Make us proud David!! Do yourself a favor and see Lights Out sooner than later, it’s worth it.
