Lights Out (2016) | Film Review

“It was the possibility of darkness that made the day seem so bright.”
– Stephen King, Wolves Of The Calla

Humankind’s greatest fear has always been, and will always be, the darkness, because within the shadows are where our imaginations are let loose, and the horrors that frighten us most often come from within. But, in the realm of horror movies, it’s the beasts and demons that live in the dark that send us screaming, the monsters that lurk in the shadows with black clicking claws and bloody fangs. Horrors lie within us and without, and it’s that theme that lies at the heart of David F. Sandberg’s latest film, Lights Out.

To be honest, I was nervous about seeing this movie. Not because it’s a horror film, but because lately so few horror films have been worth seeing, and I didn’t want to be disappointed yet again. Fortunately, Lights Out was satisfying on just about every level. The story was affective and didn’t need tons of exposition to have it make sense. There was little in the way of cheap tricks and jump scares. The cast did admirable work. All in all, it was a good time in the theater. But what was Lights Out about?

The movie begins with a cold open. Paul (Billy Burke) is in an office inside a warehouse of some sort, and he gets a video call from his son, Martin, played very well by young Gabriel Bateman. Martin is worried about his mother (Maria Bello) and wants his father to come home. Paul says he will, but he has to finish something first. Soon after Paul gathers his things and leaves, but this is a horror film, so I’m sure you know how well that goes. We then meet Rebecca, played by our star Teresa Palmer, a young woman living on her own and determined to keep it that way, despite the gentle insistence of her kinda-not really-sorta boyfriend Bret, whom Alexander DiPersia portrayed with none of the usual male ego overdrive you’d find in this kind of movie. When Martin, who’s her half-brother, reaches out to her for help mother, Rebecca finds that their mother’s mental condition has deteriorated beyond anything she’s ever seen before. What follows is a story with a twist here and there but doesn’t overdo it, some great scares, and tension that builds and builds until an ending hits that I didn’t see coming. I love to be surprised like that.

Lights Out is Sandberg’s first feature film, which is shocking considering how well executed the film was, but he has a lengthy list of short horror films to his credit, so there’s definitely something to be said for honing your craft in the minors before attempting to hit a home run out of Yankee Stadium. Lights Out is a tightly paced hour and twenty-one minutes with very little fat or exposition on the bone. Sandberg’s next film will be Annabelle 2, and I hope he’s able to bring this same level of skill to it, because I thought the first Annabelle was lacking in many ways. Hopefully Sandberg will have a bright career (pardon the pun), and we’ll all be rewarded with plenty of scares.

Folks, if you like horror movies, please go see this. It deserves to be a financial success. Horror is a genre that has always been looked down on by our supposed betters, and that kills me because it’s probably my favorite genre. I watch it, I read it, I play it, and I write it. If we want better horror movies, and if we want the genre taken more seriously, then we have to put our dollars behind our desires. If we don’t, we’ll just get Saw XXI and on and on. Go see Lights Out. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed that you did.