Dubbed by many Horror fanatics as one of the top theatrical released Horror flicks to see in 2016, Lights Out hit theaters on July 22nd. Distributed by Warner Bros., the film marks David F. Sandberg’s feature film debut and is based on the 2013 short film of the same name. Promising a good scare, moviegoers will never look at the name “Diane” the same way ever again.
- Still from Lights Out
The story revolves around a young boy named Martin (Gabriel Bateman: Annabelle 2014, American Gothic series), who begins to experience frightening events in the home he shares with his mother. His mother, Sophie (Maria Bello: ER series, Secret Window 2004), has a personality disorder, or so it seems. Sometimes not everything is what it seems, and Martin begins seeing the same dark entity talking to his mother.
Opening with mannequin warehouse owner Paul (Billy Burke: Daredreamer 1990, The Twilight Saga series), Paul is talking to his son, the aforementioned Martin, through skype as Martin expresses concern for his mother. Explaining his mother does not feeling well, he pleads with Paul to come home. Promising to come home soon, Paul and his co-worker, Esther (Lotta Losten: Lights Outs short, Closet Space short), begin closing up for the evening. Esther, first sees a supernatural fiend lurking in the darkness. Scared and not believing what she is seeing, she turns on the lights and the creature is gone. Trying to warn Paul, his encounter with this creature does not happen as soon.
- Still from Lights Out
Quickly going for the scares early on, the atmosphere is definitely eerie, putting viewers on the edge of their seat, but it only escalates from here. Not providing a restful moment throughout, Martin continues to be very worried about his mother’s mental health and ends up not being able to rest much…especially after he hears and witnesses his mother talking to Diana. Martin’s fear is so strong he develops insomnia and falls asleep at school, prompting the teacher to call his sister, Rebecca (Teresa Palmer: Wolf Creek 2005, Point Break 2015), to get him. Having a heated argument with their mom, she decides to take Martin back to her apartment to keep him safe. Although, that night, Rebecca is awakened to also be visited by the dark entity. The next morning, she notices that the figure has carved the word “Diana” into her floor. Who is “Diana,” and why does she only appear in the dark?
- Still from Lights Out
A supernatural force, Lights Out is non-stop action of scares throughout, keeping a very balanced pace. Bello does a great job on playing Sophie as she is very believable and she executes her character very well. In addition, the young Bateman also does a great job portraying Martin, keeping the character captivating, persevering through the entire film. While not a groundbreaking Horror film, Lights Out delivers some great jump-scares. That being said, a lot of the film does focus on developing the backstory, which could perhaps feel slightly too much to some viewers.
With a few nice plot twists, it does not leave any loose ends, speaking of which, a sequel was given the green light following the film’s release. This may be a rare case where the sequel could outshine the original when it hits theaters. Overall, the atmosphere of Lights Out is dark, dreary, and creepy throughout the entire film. Where most Horror films warn that evil lurks in the dark, Lights Out enforces the idea that the light is one’s safety, so be aware! CrypticRock gives Lights Out 3.5 out of 5 stars.
- Warner Bros.
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