lights out movie review essay

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors.

Now streaming on:

“Lights Out” began life as a three-minute short film by David F. Sandberg that was short on such elements as narrative complexity, character development and memorable dialogue (I don’t recall a single word being spoken) and long on coming up with more big jolts than would seem possible in such a short running time. It got no small degree of attention and Sandberg was given a chance to expand the short into a full-length feature, putting it in such esteemed genre company as the original “When a Stranger Calls” and “The Babadook.” In the cases of those works, the filmmakers found ways to expand on the original shorts that were clever, dramatically interesting and very, very scary. The problem with “Lights Out” is that while Sandberg is good at creating “BOO!” moments—those instant shocks where something pops out of nowhere and scares the bejeezus out of everyone—they're deployed in the service of a story that has little to offer otherwise, and begin to lose their effectiveness after a short while.

As was the case with “When a Stranger Calls,” “Lights Out” begins with a sequence designed to replicate the original short. Taking place in a factory after hours, instead of an anonymous apartment, it begins as an employee (Lotta Losten, who starred in the short) sees a mysterious female figure in the dark that disappears whenever the lights come back on, and who suddenly gets a lot closer when they go back out again. This time around, however, she survives, while the factory owner ( Billy Burke ) winds up meeting a gruesome end. Just before his demise, however, he was on the phone with his young son, Martin ( Gabriel Bateman ), talking about how mentally disturbed mom Sophie (Maria Bello) has apparently gone off her meds and seems to be talking to an imaginary friend named Diana. A few months pass and we learn that Sophie has gotten worse, and her conversations with Diana are so unnerving to Martin, not to mention all the attendant weird noises and scratches, that he can no longer sleep through the night and has been conking out in the middle of the school day.

When the school nurse cannot reach Sophie, she contacts his stepsister Rebecca ( Teresa Palmer )—whose own dad disappeared mysteriously years before and who has been estranged from Sophie since abruptly moving out a few years earlier. When Martin mentions Diana, she recognizes the name from her own traumatic childhood years and tries to have Martin stay with her. That doesn’t fly with Sophie, and after she reclaims Martin, Rebecca tries to get to the bottom of who or what Diana might be and what it has to do with her family. Without getting into too much detail, she is now a creature who can only attack in darkness and who cannot be around any sort of light. After a couple of Diana attacks, Rebecca, with the help of amiably dopey boyfriend Bret (Alexander DiPersia) and Martin, decide to hole up in Sophia’s house, lighting up the entire place in the process, in order to get her to start taking her medication again and seek treatment for her instability. Alas, Diana thrives when Sophia is at her most disoriented and begins knocking out the lights in order to get rid of the interlopers once and for all.

Although Sandberg is the director, the big behind-the-scenes name on display here is co-producer James Wan . His genre bonafides include the “Conjuring” and “ Insidious ” franchises, films that have largely eschewed the gory excesses of his breakthrough hit “ Saw ” in order to provide low-fi thrills more reliant on atmosphere, small-scale effects (like door slams) and things suddenly appearing from out of nowhere. When done properly, as was the case with the original “Conjuring” and “Insidious,” the results can be sensationally effective, like the best haunted house ride every created. Done wrong, however, and the results can be more like the sequels to “ The Conjuring ” and “Insidious”—increasingly tiresome efforts that continually try to wring additional screams out of material too familiar for its own good.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out which of those ways “Lights Out” is headed after only a few minutes. Part of what made “The Conjuring” so good, for example, is that even though it was a spooky show at its heart, it still took the time to create characters that we cared about, develop a plot that didn’t completely strain the bonds of credulity and mix up the scares so that we didn’t know what to expect next. By comparison, this film has two strong actresses in Teresa Palmer and Maria Bello but then fails to ever come up with a way to make use of their talents. The story is kind of vague in the way that, despite plenty of exposition, it never quite figures out what Diana is supposed to be or what the extent of her powers are. As for the scares, there are a couple of effective shocks. But by the time it finally comes to a close (even though it only clocks in at 80 minutes, "Lights Out" still feels long), even the most jittery of moviegoers will find themselves feeling surprisingly calm and placid.

“Lights Out” has been made with a certain degree of style—enough to make you want to see what Sandberg might be capable of with a better screenplay—and it does contain one great moment that pays sly homage to the most famous moment from the classic thriller “ Wait Until Dark .” For the most part, though, the film is just a tired tread through the usual elements, and while that might be adequate for those sitting at home on a Saturday night looking for a few cheap thrills on cable, it hardly seems worth the effort of going out to see. And yet, with a current dearth of fright films out there—with the exception of “ The Shallows ,” an example of a genre entry that managed to take a familiar premise and turn it into something fresh and exciting—there may be enough pent-up demand for a film of its type to make it a success and begin yet another franchise. If that is the case, here is hoping that the filmmakers figure out something clever to do the next time around. 

Peter Sobczynski

A moderately insightful critic, full-on Swiftie and all-around  bon vivant , Peter Sobczynski, in addition to his work at this site, is also a contributor to The Spool and can be heard weekly discussing new Blu-Ray releases on the Movie Madness podcast on the Now Playing network.

Now playing

Sheila O'Malley

Food, Inc. 2

Glenn kenny.

State of Consciousness

Simon abrams.

The Synanon Fix

Brian tallerico.

Little Wing

Marya e. gates.

Lousy Carter

Clint worthington, film credits.

Lights Out (2016)

Rated PG-13 for terror throughout, violence including disturbing images, some thematic material and brief drug content.

Lotta Losten as Esther

Billy Burke as Paul

Maria Bello as Sophie

Gabriel Bateman as Martin

Teresa Palmer as Rebecca

Alexander DiPersia as Bret

• David F. Sandberg

Writer (based on the short film by)

• Eric Heisserer

Cinematographer

• Marc Spicer
• Michel Aller
• Kirk M. Morri

Composer (music by)

• Benjamin Wallfisch

Latest blog posts

Ned Benson, Lucy Boynton, and Justin H. Min Want to Play The Greatest Hits for You

Until It’s Too Late: Bertrand Bonello on The Beast

O.J. Simpson Dies: The Rise & Fall of A Superstar

Which Cannes Film Will Win the Palme d’Or? Let’s Rank Their Chances

“Lights Out”, a Horror: Are You Afraid of the Dark? Essay (Movie Review)

There is no doubt that modern movieland is ready to meet your every need. What kind of films do you prefer? Ones that calm you down and make you feel the sorrow, or ones that make you break into a cold sweat and shake with fear? If the latter is about you, you must have heard about Lights Out , a horror movie that came out a few months ago. This movie from James Wan received plenty of enthusiastic reviews due to its cast of characters, its sustained style, and the key idea that sounds familiar to everyone: childhood fears. Is it worth watching? Let’s see!

The movie tells us the story of a family that has to deal with the mysterious creatures generated by the power of horror. Everything seems to be ordinary in the light of day, but as the night falls, an unknown terror comes out. The main female character, named Rebecca, has been experiencing strange hallucinations since her childhood. Leaving her mother’s house, she believes that she has managed to conquer her childhood fears, but it turns out to be just an illusion. Rebecca feels trapped every time it gets dark, and she is a prisoner kept in a world of delusion, a world of soul-chilling terror that leaves her only at the crack of dawn. The fears that used to make her blood turn to ice are still alive; they are waiting patiently for the right moment to appear again and take her back to the cell of terror and despair. They are in the driver’s seat when the lights are off. Rebecca’s mother, Sophie, experiences a collapse after seeing what is happening to her dear daughter. Rebecca’s younger brother then gets carried away as he begins to see the creatures that made a hell out of Rebecca’s life. With the lapse of time, her fears become more and more obsessive, and the only way out for Rebecca is to fight to the bitter end. Trying to solve the puzzle, she realizes that friendly settlement is impossible. She is dead set on saving her family from death, but will she manage to do it before it is too late?

I believe this movie to be quite an interesting one as it touches upon the topic of the irrational childhood fears that were experienced by most people. If you find it to be more appropriate for comedy rather than a horror film, I would recommend that you remember your childhood fears and imagine all of them coming back together in the darkness. What is more, the movie was highly appreciated by audiences as its box sales revenue appeared to be enormous when compared to its modest budget. As for the cast, I enjoyed their acting as it looked very convincing. The film itself was made by certain traditions of horror movies, such as specific sounds, many jump cuts, and subdued colors. It is impossible to film a movie that will not be called a dime a dozen at least once, and I realize that Lights Out may appear to be boring for some of the fans of horror films. In general, I would recommend watching this movie to those who are looking for something mysterious and exciting.

Works Cited

Lights Out. Ex. Prod. James Wan. USA: Warner Bros. Pictures. 2016. DVD.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2022, June 13). "Lights Out", a Horror: Are You Afraid of the Dark? https://ivypanda.com/essays/lights-out-a-horror-movie-are-you-afraid-of-the-dark/

""Lights Out", a Horror: Are You Afraid of the Dark?" IvyPanda , 13 June 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/lights-out-a-horror-movie-are-you-afraid-of-the-dark/.

IvyPanda . (2022) '"Lights Out", a Horror: Are You Afraid of the Dark'. 13 June.

IvyPanda . 2022. ""Lights Out", a Horror: Are You Afraid of the Dark?" June 13, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/lights-out-a-horror-movie-are-you-afraid-of-the-dark/.

1. IvyPanda . ""Lights Out", a Horror: Are You Afraid of the Dark?" June 13, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/lights-out-a-horror-movie-are-you-afraid-of-the-dark/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . ""Lights Out", a Horror: Are You Afraid of the Dark?" June 13, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/lights-out-a-horror-movie-are-you-afraid-of-the-dark/.

• Sophie's Choice: Analysis of a Movie and Definitions
• Chilling Effects of Take Down Notices & Cease and Desist Letters
• Analysis of Trauma and Testimony in the 1982 Film “Sophie’s Choice”
• Why Do We Sweat?
• "Rebecca’s Revival" by F. Sensbach
• Franz Waxman’s Film Score for Rebecca
• “Perceived Cultural Importance” by Wan
• Ethical Systems in the “Sophie’s Choice” Movie
• Overused Jump Scares in Horror Movies
• President Cleveland Where Are You?
• “Lone Survivor” (2013) by Peter Berg
• The Game Concept in the Movie "The Chess Players"
• Realism in Girlfriends Directed by Claudia Weill
• Movies in the 1925 Depression
• "Faat Kiné" (2001): Depicting Africa and Its Realities

Review by Brian Eggert July 23, 2016

David F. Sandberg’s short film “Lights Out” from 2013 caught the attention of many in Hollywood, but horror maestro James Wan ( Insidious , The Conjuring ) was the first to swoop in and sign the untried Swedish filmmaker. Wan secured Sandberg a budget of $5 million, and the low-budget release Lights Out survives on a singular gimmick to the original short: Over the course of three wordless minutes as she prepares for bed, a woman (Sandberg’s wife, Lotta Losten) sees a female shape in the dark when she switches off the lights. When she turns the lights on again, the shape is gone. Back and forth, off and on, she sees the shape standing in the dark, until she turns the lights off and sees the shape has moved closer, right next to her in fact—a startling progression to be sure.

Taking that basic hook and making a full-length story (well, 81 minutes) was left not to Sandberg, but screenwriter Eric Heisserer, whose previous efforts on the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street or the 2011 prequel The Thing do not promote confidence. Heisserer doesn’t bother wasting time building characters or creating emotional stakes before getting into the terror, and his director doesn’t seem to mind. Sandberg’s debut effort shows some clear signs of a novice, mostly in the charming way audiences expect from low-budget horror nowadays. But mostly, he and Heisserer imagine new ways of exploring how their central monster works, and how its would-be victims must get creative to stay out of the dark.

The story opens with a teaser of sorts, featuring Losten as a factory worker who gets spooked by something in the dark, and Billy Burke as Paul, the movie’s first victim. We soon learn Paul’s manic widow Sophie (Maria Bello) has a history of mental illness—she talks to someone named Diana, a dark figure who remains in the shadows. When Sophie and Paul’s young son Martin (Gabriel Bateman) begins to see Diana, he’s too afraid to sleep in his bed and instead sleeps in school, prompting the nurse to call Martin’s rebellious sister from another mister, Rebecca (Teresa Palmer). Alongside her dim boyfriend Bret (Alexander DiPersia), Rebecca tries to protect Martin, because she herself remembers seeing Diana as a child, and the memory gives her the heebie-jeebies.

Sandberg’s execution relies on finding new ways to turn the lights off and on again, such as Rebecca living above a tattoo parlor with an alternating red neon sign, or a crank-powered flashlight that can’t seem to hold a charge. Each fading light source teases the steady approach of the char-skinned Diana, a character whose backstory contains elements of two Wes Craven crazies: Freddy Krueger and Shocker. At first, Rebecca is convinced Diana will go away if Sophie just takes her anti-depressants on a regular basis, suggesting Diana is a figment of Sophie’s imagination; later, it’s proposed that Diana is the ghost of a former mental patient. Even by the end, the audience remains unclear as to Diana’s origins.

Most elements from the original short have been carried over, along with several tried and true horror clichés. Characters tape light switches on; Diana creepily scratches at the wooden doors and floors; the electricity inexplicably flickers; flashlights remain unreliable; and people investigate noises in the dark, though they should really know better. Cinematographer Marc Spicer keeps the night moments lit in a balance of light and dark, so even in the pitch-black we can tell what’s going on. And while Sandberg orchestrates a few sequences of heavy tension, Lights Out doesn’t quite click or retain a place in our minds after the end credits. Despite the addition of several characters well-acted by the cast, we’re left only remembering the monster’s gimmick, which seemed more straightforward and less overcomplicated by muddied attempts to explain Sandberg’s short film.

Related Titles

• In Theaters

Recent Reviews

• Challengers 4 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
• Civil War 4 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
• Patreon Exclusive: Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter 4 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
• LaRoy, Texas 3 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆
• Blackout 3 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆
• Monkey Man 3 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆
• Short Take: Baghead 2 Stars ☆ ☆
• Patreon Exclusive: The Public Eye 2.5 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆
• Wicked Little Letters 3.5 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
• The Animal Kingdom 4 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
• Patreon Exclusive: Immaculate 1.5 Stars ☆ ☆
• Late Night with the Devil 2.5 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆
• Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire 2 Stars ☆ ☆
• Road House 3 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆
• You'll Never Find Me 3 Stars ☆ ☆ ☆

Recent Articles

• MSPIFF 2024 – Dispatch 1
• MSPIFF 2024
• The Definitives: Ocean's Eleven
• Reader's Choice: Ocean's Twelve
• Reader's Choice: Ocean's Thirteen
• The Definitives: The Abyss
• The Definitives: The Gleaners and I
• Guest Appearance: KARE 11 - Oscar Picks and Predictions
• The Definitives: Cléo from 5 to 7
• The Definitives: The Terminator

Advertisement

Supported by

Review: In ‘Lights Out’ an Invisible Friend Turns Malicious

• Share full article

By Jeannette Catsoulis

• July 21, 2016

Psychosis begets substance in “Lights Out,” a shameless piggyback — at least in apparition design and deployment — on the popularity of 2014’s terrifyingly effective Australian movie “The Babadook.”

That creep show also featured an imperiled boy and his fretful single mother (a pairing here replicated by a twitchy Maria Bello as Sophie and Gabriel Bateman as her son, Martin). More, it refused to confirm whether its malicious entity was imaginary or otherworldly, a question that bedevils Martin’s estranged stepsister, Rebecca (Teresa Palmer), when she becomes his protector. Recalling her own troubled childhood with the mentally unstable Sophie and her attachment to an invisible friend she called Diana, Rebecca needs no convincing when Martin tells her that Diana has returned.

Using his 2013 micro-movie as a jumping-off point, the Swedish director David F. Sandberg extracts maximum frights from the simplest of conceits: Diana materializes in darkness and vanishes in light. Whipping up an eerie blend of haunted-house thriller and supernatural-stalker story, he proves less adept at managing Eric Heisserer’s overly detailed screenplay than at choreographing visual scares. In these, he is inventively abetted by Marc Spicer’s bird-dogging camera, which noses around closet doors and into cellar corners with shivery curiosity.

Spackling over any copycat cracks with strong acting and fleet editing, “Lights Out” delivers minimalist frights in old-school ways. Chief among these are the chilling exertions of the stunt actress Alicia Vela-Bailey, a former gymnast who portrays Diana with limber ingenuity. Writhing in the shadows like a child’s charcoal nightmare, she imbues the spook with devilish intent. Whatever you do, don’t blink. JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

“Lights Out” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). Pointy fingernails and painful memories.

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

Even before his new film “Civil War” was released, the writer-director Alex Garland faced controversy over his vision of a divided America  with Texas and California as allies.

Theda Hammel’s directorial debut, “Stress Positions,” a comedy about millennials weathering the early days of the pandemic , will ask audiences to return to a time that many people would rather forget.

“Fallout,” TV’s latest big-ticket video game adaptation, takes a satirical, self-aware approach to the End Times .

“Sasquatch Sunset” follows the creatures as they go about their lives. We had so many questions. The film’s cast and crew had answers .

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

• Become a Critical Movie Critic
• Movie Review Archives

Movie Review: Lights Out (2016)

• Movie Reviews
• 4 responses
• --> July 24, 2016

Unable to sleep one night, young Martin (Gabriel Bateman, “ Annabelle ”) ventures from his room to investigate some whispering he hears in the hallway. He discovers his mother, Sophie (Maria Bello, “ The 5th Wave ”), talking in hushed tones to someone in the shadows. She apologizes, asking, “Did we wake you?” and sends him back to bed. Moments later, he sits in terror as someone scratches at the door and tries to get into his room; as a result, he stays awake for the remainder of the night.

The next day, his sister, Rebecca (Teresa Palmer, “ Knight of Cups ”), is called to his school and is informed that Martin has fallen asleep in homeroom three times in a week. Becca, who lives in an apartment on her own and has experienced some of the horror-filled nights Martin describes, tries to take in her little brother as a way to force their mother to attend more carefully to Martin’s safety. A visibly unstable Sophie replies that there’s no threat in her home, and tries to convince Martin that her friend, Diana, means them no harm. Left with no other choice, Becca and her boyfriend Bret (Alexander DiPersia, “Good Girls Revolt” TV series) stay the night with Martin, and try desperately to find a way to keep everyone safe from the extremely frightening being Sophie calls Diana.

Based on director David F. Sandberg’s short film of the same name, Lights Out is an incredibly simple, yet effective horror movie that’s thin on story development, but, admittedly, this isn’t a film people want to see because of a detailed plot. Audiences are immediately sucked into a world that’s perpetually darkened by drawn curtains and lamps with missing lightbulbs. Diana lurks in darkness of all types — she hides in closets, in blackened rooms, and even in slight shadows cast by a lit candle. She is greedy about her connection to Sophie, and ensures her own preservation by snatching her enemies into the dark. The tension is just as relentless as Diana herself, and the film wastes no opportunity to show how terrifying this spectre can truly be when threatened.

The practical effects used to create Diana are as unsettling as they come. Diana crouches in dark hallways, and, as depicted in the film’s trailers, disappears when light is shined on her. She moves swiftly and invisibly, so that when the light goes out, it’s revealed that she’s covered quite a distance. People who admit to being afraid of the dark will tell you that it’s not the dark they fear; it’s what could be lurking IN the dark that makes their skin crawl. Sandberg wields this notion as masterfully as Jason Voorhees wields a machete, and he couples it with masterful sound manipulation — you want those noises to stop, but when they do, you desperately want them back to serve as clues to Diana’s whereabouts.

Lights Out tightly curls its audience members into their seats and forces them to peer apprehensively into the shadows of the dimly lit theater. One of the best sequences involves light uncontrolled by the characters — picture a room lit by a blinking neon sign outside the window, and imagine the terror derived from knowing you can’t keep that sign lit. Your eyes constantly scan the screen for any scrap of light characters can safely surround themselves with, and groan with pained anticipation when that light is snatched away. The film is loaded with the kind of tension that stays with you long into the night — those late-night trips to the kitchen or bathroom won’t be made in the dark without your mind conjuring the image of Diana creeping in your hallway.

Now, while I, personally, prefer a film that’s got a developed storyline with a valid (or at least attempted) explanation for “what’s happening” in a haunting, I have to admit that Lights Out is a enjoyable scarer that’s definitely worth seeing, especially in a crowded theater. We love the summer movie season because we’re given fun popcorn films we don’t have to take seriously and that we can laugh about with friends. Well, what’s more fun than a horror movie that succeeds in getting the most seasoned viewers to jump in spite of themselves? We lament that it doesn’t happen often, so it’s quite the treat when we’re gifted with one. And since we’ve already enjoyed “ The Conjuring 2 ” this summer, we’re pretty lucky to get a second in Lights Out .

Just be sure to keep your flashlights handy.

Tagged: family , ghost , mother , secret

School teacher by day. Horror aficionado by night.

Movie Review: Little Fish (2020) Movie Review: The Unholy (2021) Movie Review: The Mark of the Bell Witch (2020) Movie Review: Chop Chop (2020) Movie Review: Coven of Evil (2020) Movie Review: Mara (2018) Movie Review: The First Purge (2018)

'Movie Review: Lights Out (2016)' have 4 comments

July 24, 2016 @ 12:38 pm Impaction

I always knew as a child there was something lurking in the darkness..

Log in to Reply

July 24, 2016 @ 1:13 pm nightlady

I enjoyed the lack of story–lean and mean jump scares and thrills are all I am looking for to give me my horror fixation.

July 24, 2016 @ 2:53 pm j.siqueira

July 24, 2016 @ 4:01 pm CamOGravey

I thought it more inventive than anything Wan is doing with his Insidious and Conjuring episodes.

Privacy Policy | About Us

 |  Log in

• Newsletters

Site search

• Israel-Hamas war
• 2024 election
• Solar eclipse
• Supreme Court
• All explainers
• Future Perfect

Filed under:

• Lights Out is the brilliantly scary, surprisingly divisive movie you need to see

The ending is hated by many. But it’s what elevates the film to a near masterpiece.

Share this story

• Share this on Facebook
• Share this on Twitter
• Share this on Reddit
• Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: Lights Out is the brilliantly scary, surprisingly divisive movie you need to see

Lights Out , the new horror movie about a monster that can only strike when, well, the lights are out, is a near masterpiece of scary movie craft.

There are sequences in this film that left the audience at my screening joyfully applauding their creativity and audacity. And the movie’s central metaphor — the monster is depression! — is surprisingly durable, allowing for some great character moments.

Yes, it has problems — one big one in particular. But it’s the kind of movie where I realized about 10 minutes in how wrapped up I was in the lives of the characters, and realized with about 10 minutes left that I was holding my breath that the director and screenwriter wouldn’t screw everything up.

And while I loved the ending, it’s proven incredibly divisive for what it might seem to say about depression. So to talk about why I enjoyed Lights Out so much, I’m going to have to spoil some things. I’ll warn you before I do so, however.

But before that, let’s talk about the good, the bad, and the divisive of Lights Out .

Good: The monster is terrific on a bunch of levels

Let’s just start with the fact that a monster that can’t attack when someone is standing in a pool of light is a great idea for a movie monster. Considering that films themselves are just contrasts of light and darkness, the concept gives director David F. Sandberg lots to play with.

There have been other creatures like this in movie history (perhaps most famously in Pitch Black , the film that spawned Vin Diesel’s Riddick character), but what makes Lights Out so much fun is that it takes place in our world, where light sources can pop up just about anywhere.

In particular, the film uses everything from candles to cellphone screens to increase the tension in moments when the monster has, say, cut power to a city block and the characters need to cross vast swaths of darkness with only their wits to protect them.

Lights Out is obviously filmed on a smaller budget — it seems to take place in about two different locations, with just five or six characters — but the fact that it can turn literally any place into a house of horrors simply by flipping a light switch gives it a great boost when it comes to staging terrifying sequences.

And make no mistake: This is one scary monster. Named Diana, she cuts a creepy figure in silhouette, and she’s got long, long fingernails she can use to attack. She’ll freak you out.

Good: The use of the monster as a metaphor is better thought-out than in many films

Not since The Babadook have I seen a movie that used its monster as a metaphor for mental illness as effectively as this one does.

In particular, Diana has haunted the same family for two generations, and this serves as a sneaky way for the film’s screenwriter, Eric Heisserer , to explore the ways parents fear their own mental illnesses might be passed along to their children.

There’s so much in this film that feels informed by a life haunted by depression, from the way family matriarch Sophie ( Maria Bello ) sometimes just locks herself in her bedroom because she’s not sure she can spend time around her kids to the way that her daughter, Becca ( Teresa Palmer ), runs her fingers along scars on her arms that are from Diana’s long nails but might as well be from self-harm.

In the tradition of the best horror, Lights Out leaves all of this on the edges of the story, the better for you to fill in some of the blanks on your own. But it’s there, and the more you start to think about it, the more Diana’s function as a metaphor for depression works beautifully.

But Heisserer and Sandberg also dig into depression itself. Diana waxes and wanes the more Sophie takes her anti-depressants, and we learn that she first met Diana when she was committed as a teenager because her parents evidently didn’t know how else to handle her mental condition. There’s room here, obliquely, to find discussion of how people with mental illness have often been treated via being shut away

Mostly good: The acting is largely solid

Bello and Palmer are actresses I don’t always spark to, and there are early scenes where Palmer feels a bit like she’s not the right center for this film, her performance a little listless and disaffected. But that turns out to be intentional on her part. Becca is listless and disaffected.

By the time Sophie and Becca are hashing out their complicated relationship around the family dinner table, lighting fixtures the only thing keeping them safe, I was invested in the two of them.

Gabriel Bateman gives a solid "little kid in a horror movie" performance as Martin, Becca’s younger brother, who has attracted Diana’s attentions in recent months. (In general, I love how the characters already know about Diana and expect the audience to catch up, mostly.)

The movie hinges on his relationships with Sophie and Becca, and that those largely work is a tribute to him.

As Becca’s boyfriend, Bret, Alexander DiPersia rounds out the main cast. And he’s ... fine. He’s playing an impossible character — the good guy Becca keeps pushing away because of her own problems — and he’s at the center of the film’s best scene. But it’s not hard to wish he were played by a slightly more dynamic actor all the same.

Bad: The exposition is airlifted in from some other movie

Lights Out is very, very short — a little over 80 minutes, and that’s with the closing credits. (Without, it’s closer to 75.)

Yet it’s also lean. The actual story of Becca and her family figuring out how to survive Diana takes up only around an hour of screen time, without rushing or padding.

Thus, Sandberg and Heisserer make the choice to drop in a backstory for Diana that takes up an inordinate amount of time and tries way too hard to explain a monster that works better as metaphor anyway.

Once Diana becomes the ghost of an old friend of Sophie’s (this isn’t really a spoiler), she seems much less elemental than she does when she’s just attacking for no real reason. Plus, the exposition sequences seem to arrive at random and grind the story to a halt. They’re handled very poorly.

All right. Last chance to get out before I spoil the ending of this thing. Major, major spoilers follow.

Divisive: The ending of the film is either brilliant — or wrongheaded

In the end, Lights Out argues that Diana’s sole connection to this plane is Sophie, who realizes that if she’s not alive, the monster can’t hurt her children. After firing a gun at Diana during the film’s climax (and the way Diana disappears from dark spaces when the gun’s barrel flares is really neat), Sophie uses the gun to kill herself. Diana is gone, and the family can start healing.

In his review of the film , the A.V. Club’s A.A. Dowd says this is risible when it comes to the film’s otherwise solid portrayal of depression. It’s not hard to read it as, say, an argument that the only way to cure depression is via suicide. And, yes, as a literal reading of the film’s text, that’s more or less accurate — especially if this movie does well and spawns the inevitable sequel.

But I was impressed by the audacity of that bleakness. In particular, Lights Out joins a recent movement of works about mental illness that attempt to argue that sometimes, those who suffer from it get to a place where suicide can seem like a relief or release — though that choice leaves emotional wreckage for those left behind.

Most recent examples are from the literary world, particularly Hanya Yanagihara’s massive novel A Little Life , but "The Gift," the fifth season finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer , also plays with similar ideas. These stories are, in other words, not defenses of suicide but occasionally metaphorical explanations of it, an attempt to put the audience in the mental state of someone who makes that choice and force us to try to understand it.

That’s a complicated thing to explore, but I think it’s worth doing, if only because it destigmatizes the discussion of suicide itself — and thus mental illness. Both have been topics considered unworthy of polite conversation for ages in America.

If these works are interested in exploring the why of suicide (sometimes someone suffering from a mental illness feels it has become too unbearable to live with), we can perhaps better understand how to help those we know who struggle with those suicidal thoughts. We need to face down these dark fears — which is where horror, which has always helped us confront that which terrifies us, comes in.

Don’t get me wrong: Lights Out is not as thorough an examination of this idea as A Little Life or even Buffy . But if there’s a genre that can take this incredibly complex and dark idea and bring it out into the light, so to speak, it’s horror.

Lights Out could have done a slightly better job of preparing the audience for this final moment, but when it arrives, it has a dark grandeur to it that elevates the film from very fun to something surprisingly powerful.

Lights Out is playing in theaters throughout the country. See it even though I just told you the ending.

Will you support Vox today?

We believe that everyone deserves to understand the world that they live in. That kind of knowledge helps create better citizens, neighbors, friends, parents, and stewards of this planet. Producing deeply researched, explanatory journalism takes resources. You can support this mission by making a financial gift to Vox today. Will you join us?

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via

In This Stream

More from emily todd vanderwerff.

• The past 11 presidencies, explained by the TV shows that defined them
• Why do they keep making Ice Age movies? And other questions, answered.

Next Up In Culture

Sign up for the newsletter today, explained.

Understand the world with a daily explainer plus the most compelling stories of the day.

Thanks for signing up!

Check your inbox for a welcome email.

Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.

Every year, tuberculosis kills over a million people. Can a new vaccine turn the tide?

The history of Arizona’s Civil War-era abortion ban

Iran’s retaliatory attack against Israel, briefly explained

Life is hard. Can philosophy help?

Don’t sneer at white rural voters — or delude yourself about their politics

You probably shouldn’t panic about measles — yet

‘Lights Out’ Review: I Love You but I’ve Chosen Darkness

By Peter Travers

Peter Travers

Why do we still get scared at thing that go bump in the night? At the movies, I mean. Lights Out, the feature-length (well, 80 minutes) film version of a horror short that went viral online, allows Swedish filmmaker David F. Sandberg to earn his stripes as a director in the big leagues. It was horror master James Wan ( Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring ) who gave Sandberg the go-ahead for a $5 million feature.

He does a solid job of raising hell. With screenwriter Eric Heisserer fleshing out a 146-second short, Lights Out provides the reliably smashing Maria Bello a chance to dig into the juicy role of Sophie, a mother who keeps driving away the men in her life — not to mention her children. Insomniac daughter Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) has long ago moved out of the spookily-shaded family dump to an apartment in downtown Los Angeles. Now Rebecca’s 10-year-old stepbrother Martin (Gabriel Bateman) wants to head for the hills, or in this case, her apartment. His father (Billy Burke) has died at work for reasons unknown and Mom sees dead people. Make that one dead person: Diana (Alicia Vela-Bailey), a social outcast who did time with Sophie years ago in a mental institution. She’s is a real chatterbox, and harmless enough … until the lights go out. Then Diana starts death-dancing around the house like a spider hunting for a fly, namely anyone who gets in the way of her and Sophie. Turn on the lights, Diana’s gone. Turn them back on, it’s Halloween!

Predictable stuff, energized by some spiffy scare effects from cinematographer Marc Spicer who works wonders with underlighting. But the on/off tricks would grow tiring without actors who perform well beyond the call of fright-house duty. Bello makes a sympathetic figure out of a loving mother who thinks Diana is something she’s conjured out of her own subconscious. Her scenes with the skilled Palmer have a touching quality that suggest a real mother-daughter relationship grown toxic. It’s these two actors who make something hypnotic and haunting out of a movie built out of spare parts.

Drake’s Response Track to Kendrick Lamar Appears to Have Leaked

Drake responds to rick ross' nose job claim, warns rapper after diss, 'don't worry we'll handle it', 'secrets of the hells angels' tells real-life tales of the country's most notorious motorcycle gang, o.j. simpson executor says ron goldman's family will get 'zero, nothing' from estate, 'secrets of the hells angels' tells real-life tales of the country's most notorious motorcycle gang.

• Binge Watch
• By Chris Vognar

'SNL': Ryan Gosling Is Still Haunted by 'Avatar' Font in 'Papyrus 2' Sketch

• 'just put it in bold'
• By Daniel Kreps

'SNL' Cold Open: Ryan Gosling, Kate McKinnon Recall Wild Alien Abduction

• Close Encounter
• By William Vaillancourt

'SNL' Weekend Update Addresses O.J.'s Death, Trashes Trump's Abortion Comments

'snl': ryan gosling, emily blunt channel taylor swift for farewell to ken.

• 'You're Kenning!'

Most Popular

Jodie foster pulled robert downey jr. aside on their 1995 film set and told him: 'i’m scared of what happens to you next' because of addiction, where to stream 'quiet on set: the dark side of kids tv' online, king charles just revealed the two royals who will be stepping up for him amid health struggles, dave chappelle says dinner with kanye west and "naked" bianca censori was "uncomfortable", you might also like, kesha changes ‘tik tok’ lyrics to ‘f— p. diddy’ during surprise appearance at reneé rapp’s coachella 2024 set, lana del rey shines at coachella in swarovski crystal-embellished dolce & gabbana dresses, the best running water bottles according to marathoners, ‘the holdovers,’ ‘succession,’ and ‘the bear’ win top prizes at wga awards (complete winners list), timberwolves can clinch west title, but ownership remains in flux.

Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.

Verify it's you

Please log in.

‘Lights Out’ Review: Not Memorable, But You’ll Want To Bring a Flashlight

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter

Full disclosure: I’m afraid of the dark. As soon as I walk into a darkened room I rush to the nearest light switch. I’ll use my phone’s flashlight to guide the way if the switch is far, and sometimes I’ll leave all the lights on if I’m home alone. Your eyes play tricks on you in the dark – What was that? Oh, just the cat. Wait, I don’t have a cat!  There’s security and comfort in being able to see your surroundings, which makes the premise of David Sandberg ’s  Lights Out even more terrifying.

In the James Wan -produced film, a gangly, creaking creature lurks in the darkness, but you can only see her when the lights go out. She first appears in dark factory filled with mannequins (which easily ups the creep factor), when a woman, played by Lotta Losten, locks up to go home for the night. Losten’s Esther turns a switch off and sees the outline of a tall slender woman with long pointy fingernails and stringy hair. Esther flicks the light on, she’s gone; off again, she’s back, and the switch flicks back and forth until Esther is too freaked out to keep testing her eye sight. It’s a nice little homage to Sandberg’s short film of the same name that went viral in 2013, in which Losten plays a woman who sees a similar figure lurking in the darkness.

The biggest strength of the short is how well it elicits dread and terror in its less-than-three minute running time. There’s no explanation or backstory, just pure spooks; and that’s what often makes an effective horror short. But translating that to a feature length film of 81 minutes requires Sandberg to fill in those gaps, and the narrative is ultimately what hurts the feature version of Lights Out the most. Written by Eric Heisserer ( Final Destination 5 ,  The Thing  remake),  Lights Out follows Martin (Gabriel Bateman), a young boy whose mother Sophie ( Maria Bello ) talks to herself when she’s off her anti-depressants. When he sees the mysterious creature lurking in his house, he begs his older half sister Rebecca ( Teresa Palmer) to let him stay at her place. Rebecca, now estranged from her mother, also used to see a figure in the dark and hear her mother talking into the void.

But Sophie isn’t talking to herself, she’s talking to her friend Diana, who we learn is the name of the creature lurking in the shadows. Is it just schizophrenia? Is there really an evil thing named Diana (the fact that her name is “Diana” and not some freaky demonic moniker is kind of hilarious) hiding in the closet?  Lights Out eventually explains the backstory of the woman-who-hates-the-light, combining narratives of mental illness and supernatural horror, but it’s ultimately the most undercooked element of the film.

My go-to mantra for a good horror film is always less is more. Tease me, prickle the hairs on my arms, and leave me fraught with uncertainty; don’t give me an explanation if it’s not a convincing or developed one. Some of the best horror films of the last couple years are the ones that emphasize the terrors of the effect over the cause, leaving the big questions unanswered and the evils mysterious – just think of  The Babadook, The Witch, It Follows , or  Goodnight Mommy.  A successful horror movie is a rare feat lately, with studios churning out redundant stories full of recycled plots, tropes, and jump scares. But while  Lights Out  isn’t a memorable horror movie, it does benefit from Sandberg’s directing.

In its best moments, the film maintains the same eerie paranoia of the director’s short. The movie is heavily reliant on jump scares and loud noises, but those types of spooks make sense within this premise; when you turn the lights off, you expect something to pop out at you. Sandberg’s shots make sure to linger long enough to build tension, framing the characters so you can always see the shadowy, dark spots of the room behind them.

One of the things Sandberg’s film carries over from his original short is the piercing sound design. The short is mainly scary thanks to the sharp sound effects of a light switch clicking on and off, the slam of a door, the creaking of floorboards, and buzzing of a dimming lightbulb – the first time I watched it, something went wrong with the YouTube video and the screen was entirely black, so the sound made a strong impression. Sandberg heightens the sound even more in his feature, manipulating the audience with loud, sharp sound effects to make even the most expected jump scares feel unnerving.

In one of the film’s scariest scenes, jagged sounds of tearing played only on the speakers on the left side of the movie theater (at least in the theater I was in). For a few seconds I thought someone in the audience was tensely ripping up their box of popcorn until I realized it was coming from   the movie as Diana scratched into Rebecca’s floor. The moments when the movie puts the audience into the freakish environment of its characters are its most fun, and best experienced in a theater with loud speakers.

The scares are fleeting, the plot is underwhelming, and the acting is decent at best, but  Lights Out  is one of the more enjoyable scary movies of the year. It has an original premise that relies on nothing more than our most basic fears. And to be honest one more time, after seeing it I did come home and turn all the lights on.

More From ScreenCrush

Staff Writer

Horror movies and beer - the only two viable options for entertainment in the wastelands of Nebraska as far as he's concerned. When he's not in the theater he's probably drinking away the sorrows of being a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan.

• Luke's Profile

Check It Out

Primal scream: exploring horror from a mental health lens.

Natalie, a licensed clinical psychologist, looks at what your favorite horror films get right (and wrong) about mental health.

In-Extremis: Legal Analysis of Horror

Are you interested in the legal implications of your favorite horror films for strictly educational purposes? Have you met our friend Adam?

Play Along With Our Horror Movie Drinking Games!

One Thursday a month, Sophie lays out the rules for a horror film drinking game! Browse our past entires and be on the look out for new ones.

Movies Like Lights Out

The haunting of sharon tate, sator (fantasia festival 2019), the abandoned.

• The Podcast

‘Lights Out’ Tries To Make Viewers Even More Afraid Of The Dark

In less than three nearly wordless minutes, David F. Sandberg’s original short film, “ Lights Out ,” toys cleverly with one of the fundamental precepts of horror (and of being scared, period): That something out there, in the dark, is waiting to harm us. The hook of Sandberg’s short is that the threat moves in the shadows, attacking only when there’s no light source around it. In this scenario, pockets of illumination act like small islands in shark-infested waters — dip a toe in the current and it’s liable to get bitten off. Beyond the premise, what’s impressive about the short is Sandberg’s efficiency and wit as a shock artist, the way he’s able to establish the rules without exposition and deliver a couple of strong jolts before cutting to black.

Now, courtesy of producer James Wan ( Saw ,  The Conjuring ), Sandberg and his screenwriter, Eric Heisserer, have the difficult task of extending three minutes into 81 without exhausting a smart concept or losing the snap of a compact “Boo!” The brevity of the feature-length Lights Out  helps enormously, because it carries the minimalist spirit of the short, refusing to overwork what’s essentially the horror equivalent of a one-joke comedy. On the other hand, the requisite expansion introduces a tortured, confusing story of mental illness and Hitchcockian doubles that Sandberg and Heisserer never straighten out satisfactorily. They’ve made a film that’s just sophisticated enough to wither under the scrutiny its psychodrama inspires.

The terrific opening sequence, set in a mannequin factory after dark, is a sustained mini-masterpiece of suspense, bringing back the actress (Lotta Losten, the director’s wife) from the short for what amounts to another standalone gem. It ends with the factory’s owner (Billy Burke) getting killed and news of his death reaching a family that isn’t as surprised to hear about it as you’d think. The victim’s stepdaughter, Rebecca (Teresa Palmer), has long since fled her dysfunctional family home, becoming so resistant to commitment that she refuses to allow her boyfriend Bret (Alexander DiPersia) to leave so much as a sock in her apartment. But Rebecca gets dragged back into the picture when reports of domestic disturbances at her mother’s house force her to take action.

Still reeling from the loss of her husband, Rebecca’s estranged mother Sophie (Maria Bello) has abandoned her anti-psychosis medication and left her grade-school-age son, Martin (Gabriel Bateman), to deal with the consequences. Rebecca intervenes after Martin complains of his mother’s imaginary (or not) friend “Diana,” whose predatory behavior has him sleeping with the lights on, if he’s able to sleep at all. Recalling her own childhood dealings with “Diana,” Rebecca first rescues her little brother from Sophie’s custody and then later moves into the family home to protect him and unmask the light-sensitive boogeywoman who’s been tormenting all of them. So what is this threat? Is it real or imagined? Alive or dead? Separate from Sophie’s mental illness or a nasty manifestation of it? Lights Out doesn’t answer those questions as clearly as it might, which is both hugely disappointing and something of a relief, given the sinister implications about the clinically depressed. It also reduces Bello, by far the most accomplished and compelling actor in the cast, to a supporting role, yielding the floor to the stock types fleeing “Diana” rather then going deeper with the one character who knows the monster intimately. A scene where a half-crazed, bleary-eyed Sophie hosts a “movie night” to appease her rattled son glimpses the better road not taken.

As a scare machine, however, Lights Out works like gangbusters, especially once all the main characters are gathered under one roof. Sandberg works wonders with dodgy sources of light — flickering bulbs, candles, a hand-cranked flashlight, a “black light” — that alternately spare them and leave them exposed to the monstrous shadow-figure that’s in relentless pursuit. Horror films makes us wonder what’s lurking in the dark, but Lights Out goes a step further by making the dark itself a predatory beast, weakened by illumination. There’s an almost Biblical metaphor here about the fight between good and evil — the light of decency and truth dispelling the dark forces of wickedness and sin — but the film abandons it along with the other themes that go underexposed. Fittingly, the fear doesn’t linger once the house lights go up.

The scariest thing about Lights Out is what it says about depression

Related content.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, but is a monster ever just a monster? In Lights Out , a family is terrorized by a fearsome metaphor—the willowy, whispering hag of clinical depression, coming and going with the flip of a light switch. It’s not such foul play, making your fiend a symbol of manic episodes. The Babadook went somewhere similar two years ago, lending undigested grief the shape of a storybook bogeyman and sacrificing few scares by being really obvious about it. But Lights Out is even more obvious and much less careful about its own subtext, which is so close to the surface that it’s basically text with a few handfuls of graveyard dirt thrown on top. The film is blatantly, unmistakably about mental illness, and that makes it hard to ignore or forgive what it ends up saying (hopefully by accident) on the subject.

It’s a pity, because Lights Out would function perfectly well if it were just about that most primal, even universal of phobias: a fear of the dark. Starkly, efficiently conveyed by the one-sheet , the premise gets its first workout during the suspenseful opening scene, wherein some poor schmuck, working late at his creepy mannequin factory, succumbs to a malevolent force darting across the shadows. Surviving daughter Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) leaves home soon after, moving in above a tattoo parlor, plastering her walls in Avenged Sevenfold posters, and never letting nice-guy beau Bret (Alexander DiPersia) sleep over. What she’s really running from is her mother, Sophie (Maria Bello), who exhibits the usual symptoms of untreated depression, plus an unusual one: long conversations with a croaking silhouette in their underlit suburban home. This unnerving entity was a staple of Rebecca’s childhood, and now it’s returned to scare the shit out of her little brother, Martin (Gabriel Bateman).

Disappearing when the lights are flipped on and lurching forward with a herky-jerky J-horror stagger when they’re off, “Diana” is a reasonably spooky creation, even if her metaphoric function is baldly clear from the onset. The film goes overboard explaining her origins, unpacking boxes of pertinent backstory and at one point literally scrawling some expository information on the wall. But making Mom the one with the “imaginary” friend is a clever reversal of a very hoary horror trope, and director David F. Sandberg otherwise finds inventive ways to exploit his gimmick. The cold open, for example, makes cruelly nerve-wracking use of an overhead light on a motion-detection timer, while a later scene creates strategic blackouts from the rhythmic, blood-red pulse of the tattoo parlor’s neon sign. Burning through every source of illumination imaginable, the movie almost plays like the horror-flick version of Kanye’s “All Of The Lights”: Streetlights! Headlights! Black lights! Wind-up flashlights!

The simplest but possibly most effective of the film’s tricks—Diana blinking in and out with the nervous working of a light switch, before suddenly teleporting across the room—is straight from the source material, a miniature master class in terror from 2013. Two and a half minutes may have been the ideal length, frankly. Because in expanding Sandberg’s short into a first feature, produced by Conjuring mastermind James Wan, Lights Out gains the whole ghost-as-mental-disorder angle—and that’s where this stylish but lunkheaded fright flick goes very, very wrong. Sandberg conceives of Sophie only as a sullen mess of tics—a despondent mother whose one and only character trait is her despondency. (Bello, wasted in the role, lets the heavy bags under her eyes do the heavy lifting.) This is a movie about depression that treats the afflicted like little more than gigantic burdens on their families, right through to an ending that carries the toxic implication of that attitude to its logical conclusion. If you’re going to lend your B horror film a stealth social-issues dimension, you have to be aware of what stance on that issue you’re intentionally or unintentionally taking. Lights Out is one case where they should have let the monster just be a monster.

For thoughts on, and a place to discuss, plot details we can’t reveal in this review, visit Lights Out ’s Spoiler Space .

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Get the app
• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

Explaining the News to Our Kids

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Celebrating Black History Month

Movies and TV Shows with Arab Leads

Celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

Common sense media reviewers.

Exceptionally simple, smart, scary monster movie.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Amid all the scary/horror content, the movie does

Although Rebecca is flawed and rebellious and is s

Lots of scary, shocking moments. Characters are ki

A man and a woman have a suggested sexual relation

A use of "f--k," and uses of "s--t.

Apple FaceTime is used.

A bong is shown. Bottles of prescription pills are

Parents need to know that Lights Out is a horror movie about a ghost/monster that only appears in darkness. It's a surprisingly simple, effective idea that works well. Expect strong horror violence; in addition to scary stuff and shocking jump-scare moments, there's murder and death, bloody wounds,…

Positive Messages

Amid all the scary/horror content, the movie does reward those who stick by their loved ones and face grave danger in order to protect them.

Positive Role Models

Although Rebecca is flawed and rebellious and is shown to be a somewhat unfit guardian for her younger brother, she's also very brave and loving and protective of him.

Violence & Scariness

Lots of scary, shocking moments. Characters are killed, and blood is spilled. Guns are fired; suicide by gunshot. A bloody leg. A mangled corpse. Character thrown across a room and hits her head on furniture. Character thrown from height. Characters argue.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A man and a woman have a suggested sexual relationship; they're seen being comfortable together, lying in bed (no nudity), joking about showering together, etc. Kissing shown. Some slightly suggestive posters.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

A use of "f--k," and uses of "s--t." Plus "oh God" as an exclamation.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

A bong is shown. Bottles of prescription pills are shown.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Lights Out is a horror movie about a ghost/monster that only appears in darkness. It's a surprisingly simple, effective idea that works well. Expect strong horror violence; in addition to scary stuff and shocking jump-scare moments, there's murder and death, bloody wounds, suicide, guns fired, brutally attacks, arguments, and unsettling themes. A young couple has a suggested sexual relationship, with some spoken references, but only kissing is shown. Language is infrequent but includes a use of "f--k" and some uses of "s--t." A bong is shown in one shot, suggesting that a character smokes pot. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (11)
• Kids say (86)

Based on 11 parent reviews

A mediocre horror story develops just enough to be watchable and is just scary enough to entertain.

Creepy and amazing movie, what's the story.

A man ( Billy Burke ), concerned about the well-being of his sick wife, Sophie ( Maria Bello ), and scared son, Martin (Gabriel Bateman), is attacked and killed by a terrifying creature that only seems to exist in the dark with the LIGHTS OUT. At home, young Martin is also terrorized by the creature and calls his rebellious older half-sister, Rebecca ( Teresa Palmer ), for help. Accompanied by her kind, patient boyfriend Bret ( Alexander DiPersia ), Rebecca learns that the creature was once a woman called Diana, who had a brutal childhood and a chronic sensitivity to light. She also learns that Diana was once Sophie's friend and that Sophie may have something to do with Diana's reign of terror. Can Sophie's kids stay in the light long enough to defeat the monster?

Is It Any Good?

This simple but effective horror movie seems to do everything exactly right. It's smart, clever, and very scary, and it doesn't bother with any of the lazy, cynical stuff associated with the horror genre today. Written and directed by David F. Sandberg -- making his feature debut after some spooky short films -- and co-written by veteran horror screenwriter Eric Heisserer, Lights Out starts by creating a great new movie monster. They establish clear rules for their Diana and then run with every conceivable variation on their idea; the movie is full of unexpected surprises.

Helped by strong performances, especially from standouts Palmer and Bello, the characters are sharply drawn and sympathetic. They also behave logically -- and even when they do go into the dark, scary basement, it's only to look for the fuse box. The movie even avoids the usual, annoying, fake "look out for the sequel" ending. It's the rare horror movie that shows its audience respect and delivers a quality tricky treat.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Lights Out 's violence . How does it make you feel? How does it accomplish that? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

Is the movie scary ? What's scary about it? Why is it sometimes fun to be scared?

Is Rebecca a role model ? What are her flaws? What are her strengths? Does she come through for those who need her?

What does it mean to be a monster? Why do you think Diana does the things she does? Do you feel sorry for her?

What's the friendship like between Diana and Sophie? Have you ever had an unusual friendship?

Movie Details

• In theaters : July 22, 2016
• On DVD or streaming : October 25, 2016
• Cast : Teresa Palmer , Maria Bello , Billy Burke
• Director : David F. Sandberg
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Warner Bros.
• Genre : Horror
• Topics : Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
• Run time : 81 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : terror throughout, violence including disturbing images, some thematic material and brief drug content
• Last updated : March 31, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

Poltergeist

The Babadook

Best horror movies, scary movies for kids, related topics.

• Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

[Review] ‘Lights Out’ is a Frightening Study of Mental Illness

Adapting a short film into a full-length feature can prove to be a troubling task. All too frequently, there just isn’t enough material to mine out of the short film to stretch out into a 90-minute film. Or the creator/director can be too close to his/her original product and be unwilling to make necessary changes to the original concept. Luckily for us, screenwriter Eric Heisserer ( A Nightmare on Elm Street, Final Destination 5 ) and director David S. Sandberg proved up to the task when adapting Sandberg’s 2013 short film   Lights Out . The final product is a taut, competently made and wonderfully acted horror film that wisely pairs supernatural horror with the very real horror of mental illness, adding a certain amount depth not seen in many mainstream horror films.

After his father (Billy Burke) is murdered, Martin (Gabriel Bateman,  Annabelle ) repeatedly sees the same ghostly apparition around his house. This apparition, named Diana, is only visible in the dark and has a direct link to his clinically depressed mother Sophie (Maria Bello, A History of Violence, Assault on Precinct 13 ). When Martin begins falling asleep in school, Child Protective Services gets involved, as does his sister Rebecca (Teresa Palmer,  Warm Bodies ) who left home years ago to escape Sophie. With the help of her boyfriend Bret (Alexander DiPersia), Rebecca seeks a way to uncover the mystery behind Diana and rid the world of her before she is able to hurt Martin.

Performances are strong across the board, especially those from Palmer and Bello who really do look like mother and daughter. Bello’s anguish over her mental illness is palpable in every scene she is in, and Palmer proves to be up to the challenge of matching her beat for beat. The real MVP here is Bateman, who is one of the best child actors I’ve seen in recent memory. He is tasked with spending the majority of the film wide-eyed with terror, and he sells it incredibly well. He also doesn’t fall into many of the tropes you usually see with child characters in horror films.

Lights Out  runs an all-too-brief 81 minutes (including credits), which is both a positive and a negative. On the plus side, the film moves at a brisk pace that never dwells on any plot point too long. You won’t find time spent on a miscommunication between Rebecca and her boyfriend or unnecessary scenes where no one believes Gabriel and Teresa about Diana’s threat. This is a film with a mission and it accomplishes that mission successfully. That being said, the third act of the film does feel a little rushed and the big battle is over before its even begun.  While it is suspenseful, it would have behooved the film to hold certain moments just a bit longer or take more time during certain scenes, specifically those involving the relationship between Rebecca and Diana. You get a clear sense of their relationship, but you want to see more of it. In that respect, the film can be viewed as a success. It’s always better to leave you wanting more.

Linking Diana to Sophie’s depression is a wise decision and is the most fascinating aspect of the film, but the short length of the feature prevents the film from delving into it beyond a surface level analysis. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but one wonders what it would have been like had it been written more as a psychological drama that happened to have a ghost in it as opposed to a supernatural horror film that happens to have dramatic elements. The former wouldn’t have been as marketable though, so it’s easy to see why they went this route.

Lights Out  is the most commercial film that could have come out of this premise. It is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. The scares are the main focus here, and they mostly work. By the end of the film you will become numb to Diana’s presence as the majority of the scares consist of her suddenly appearing when the lights go out. That being said, the jump scares don’t feel as cheap as they normally would in the hands of a lesser director. Sandberg finds many creative ways to utilize the gimmick (a sequence involving the flash of a gunshot comes to mind) that are sure to keep you intrigued all the way until the credits. On the writing side of things, Heisserer is commendable for avoiding many of your standard horror clichés, though  Lights Out  does feature another appearance of an inept police force that induces more eye-rolls than fear.

Lights Out  is a fun little film with a nice amount of depth that you don’t usually find in many mainstream horror films nowadays. Though the scares become repetitive after a certain point, the film never ceases to keep you engaged. It boasts strong performances and a novel concept that lends itself to clever, if sometimes obvious, scares. It’s certainly better than other films that have used the same gimmick (see: Darkness Falls ,  Darkness ). At the very least, it is impressive that a film of its kind is even seeing a wide release, and for that we should all be thankful.

A journalist for Bloody Disgusting since 2015, Trace writes film reviews and editorials, as well as co-hosts Bloody Disgusting's Horror Queers podcast, which looks at horror films through a queer lens. He has since become dedicated to amplifying queer voices in the horror community, while also injecting his own personal flair into film discourse. Trace lives in Austin, TX with his husband and their two dogs. Find him on Twitter @TracedThurman

You may like

Spring 2024 Horror Preview: 12 Horror Movies You Don’t Want to Miss

Blumhouse and Lionsgate Join Forces for Brand New ‘The Blair Witch Project’ Movie!

‘The Omen’ Franchise Ranking: All Six Movies from Worst to Best

‘The Woman in the Yard’ – Russell Hornsby Joins ‘The Shallows’ Director’s New Thriller

Up next from director Jaume Collet-Serra  ( House of Wax ,  Orphan ,  The Shallows ) is the Universal & Blumhouse thriller The Woman in the Yard , and the cast is growing this week.

Deadline reports that Russell Hornsby ( Fences ) has signed on to star in the upcoming thriller, joining the previously announced Danielle Deadwyler  ( The Harder They Fall ).

Okwui Okpokwasili ( The Exorcist: Believer ) will also star.

The Woman in the Yard , written by Sam Stefanak , is scheduled to be released in theaters on January 10, 2025 . At this time, any and all plot details are under wraps. Stay tuned.

Jason Blum and Stephanie Allain are producers on the film. Jaume Collet-Serra, Danielle Deadwyler, Gabrielle Ebron, Scott Greenberg and James Moran are EPs. Haley Pigman and Jungyoon Kim are the executives covering the film for Blumhouse.

Blum recently said that the film is “ambitious in scope but modest in budget.”

Stay Home, Watch Horror: Five Underseen Slasher Gems to Stream This Week

A24’s ‘MaXXXine’ Trailer Will Become Your New Obsession; Watch Now!

‘Under Paris’ – A Monster Stalks Paris in What Might Be the Next Great Shark Attack Movie [Trailer]

You must be logged in to post a comment.

• Advertising

• Prime Video
• Best & Worst

Select Page

Lights Out – Movie Review (4/5)

Posted by Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard | Jul 22, 2016 | 4 minutes

Lights Out  has the perfect premise for a horror movie, and definitely delivers on it!

I loved the short film Lights Out that this new feature film is based on. That’s probably also why I was very happy when it was confirmed that the short film director, David F. Sandberg, would get his feature film debut with this movie. Also, we know from the trailer that the star of the short film, Lotta Losten, is also part of the  Lights Out movie as a great tribute to the original story.

However, the people behind this movie are anything but newcomers. One of the greatest current horror masters, James Wan, is producing, which in itself means this is no small horror movie. And not only is Lights Out blessed with having a perfect horror premise that centers on a fear of the dark – or rather, what lurks around in the darkness – it also delivers on it in a pretty damn perfect way.

There’s the most intense horror coming through both the visual side, and the sound does everything right to take everything up an extra notch. Or ten! And oh yeah, there’s a whole slew of amazing jump scares, but don’t worry, it’s never just for effect since they all tie in so smoothly with the story development.

Of course, the script for Lights Out was also written by a man very familiar with iconic horror movies. His name is Eric Heisserer and he’s practically made a career out of writing scripts for reboots of cult horror movies such as The Thing and  A Nightmare on Elm Street  (even if those reboots weren’t without their own issues). Also, he wrote the script for Final Destination 5 so he’s not all about reboots, but he is good at doing adapted screenplays based on other movies – or short films as it’s the case with Lights Out . I for one certainly think  this is the one his name should be associated with in the future!

When it comes to this feature film version of Lights Out, the cast and setting are pretty sparse – just as it was the case with the short film, though not quite to that extent. However, the actors in this movie are so damn on point that it would’ve been a shame to introduce more characters. Teresa Palmer ( Warm Bodies ) is the primary lead and she works perfectly as the driving force for the plot. Still, I definitely want to also mention Gabriel Bateman ( Annabelle ), who breaks your heart in his portrayal of her little brother.

This little kid wants to be safe but is also so concerned with looking out for their mom, that he’s ready to compromise on that. And their mom is portrayed by the amazing Maria Bello ( Prisoners ), who is the emotional center of the plot. Also, I have to mention that casting Bello and Palmer as mother and daughter is pretty damn genius because they really do seem to have a genetic connection visually.

Oh yeah, and just like in any good horror movie that has most of the horrors take place in one particular spot, the house itself is almost its own character in Lights Out . Somehow it seems to function as both an emotional prison and a safe zone for the various characters.

After having watched the short film  Lights Out – many times, in fact – and finding the trailers for this feature film to be very effective, I was nervous that maybe my expectations for Sandberg’s feature film debut had gotten too great. Fortunately, it turns out there was no reason to doubt this, and now I’m  really looking forward to  Annabelle 2 , which Sandberg will also be directing. It seems he also impressed James Wan more than enough with his work on this movie.

Lights Out is damn near the perfect horror movie. Completely its own and filled to the brim with intense darkness and fear. Fortunately, it premiered during the summer when there’s a lot more daylight. In fact, they’re only a few hours of actual darkness in the span of a day here in Scandinavia, where I’m living. Still, I have no problem admitting that I’ll be keeping a flashlight on my nightstand for a while. Oh yeah, Lights Out definitely tapped into my fear of the dark. And yeah, I freakin’ loved it!

Lights Out  is out in movie theaters on July 22, 2016. 

Director:  David F. Sandberg Writer:  Eric Heisserer (based on the short film by David F. Sandberg) Cast: Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, Maria Bello, Alexander DiPersia, Billy Burke, Lotta Losten

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.

• Recent Posts

• The Sympathizer – HBO/Max Series Review - April 14, 2024
• Arcadian – Movie Review (4/5) - April 12, 2024
• Sting – Movie Review (4/5) - April 12, 2024

About The Author

Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard

I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!

Related Posts

Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children – HBO review

April 1, 2020

Hosts – Movie Review (3/5)

September 28, 2020

Mother’s Day [2023] – Netflix Review (3/5)

May 24, 2023

Tigers Are Not Afraid (3/5)

July 31, 2018

Pin It on Pinterest

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Lights Out review – half-baked horror gropes around for a point

The central conceit – a ghoul you can only see in the dark – is smart, but the only bumps in the night will be the sounds of viewers nodding off

F ew genres lend themselves to nostalgia like horror. From the Universal Monsters to cheeseball Vampira -hosted B pictures, from Italian giallo to gory 80s exploitation flicks in enormous VHS cases, one can reflect fondly on it all. Even the distasteful torture porn of the early 21st century wins a few points just for pissing so many people off. But who will ever be nostalgic for the mainstream horror films that are flooding our marketplace today? Lights Out is yet another half-baked, PG-13 scare-em snoozer centered on an underdeveloped supernatural concept that won’t even give kids a good nightmare. I know it’s summertime, and some of the programming can be ephemeral, but Lights Out’s greatest feat is how you can feel yourself forgetting this 81-minute piffle as you are actually watching it. That really takes something.

It would, however, be unfair not to at least praise its central gimmick, the same one found in director David F Sanberg’s viral two-and-a-half-minute video that grabbed the attention of the horror mogul James Wan . Basically, there’s a ghoul that you can only see when it’s dark. Did I see a weird silhouette? Let me switch on the light. Nope, nothing. Turn the light off again and the creepy, semi-visible creature with catlike tapetum lucidum is even closer! Genuinely horrifying no matter how many times you see it.

Is this something you can stretch out into an entire movie? Sure! Herman Melville stretched out “there once was a fish this big – but it got away!” into the greatest novel in American letters . But Lights Out doesn’t come up with anything creative. Instead it bogs down with typical bumps in the night as a screwy mom (Maria Bello) deals with her netherworld demons, threatening the safety of her young son Martin (Gabriel Bateman). Coming to Martin’s aid is his older half-sister, Rebecca (Teresa Palmer), who must give up her lifestyle of fast living to accept being an adult. Her irresponsible ways manifest themselves in the heavy metal posters that hang in the bachelorette pad. You’ll notice them as she kicks her boyfriend (Alexander DiPersia) out after their intimate visits. She’s a bad girl! Teresa Palmer may look like the picture of health, but we know she’s got problems because she lives above a tattoo parlor that blinks a red neon light all through the night.

That anachronistic set design serves a plot purpose, though, when Mom sends over her undead darkness monster. The rhythm of the flashing sign gives the sequence an entertaining cadence, one of about three moments in which Lights Out delivers on the promise of that viral video. (Another great moment involves inserting a carport into a chase.)

These very limited grace notes tell us that director Sanberg indeed has some visual chops, and could very well have a solid horror feature inside of him that will come out one day. Unfortunately, the script to Lights Out, which can basically be summed up as The Babadook but dumb, is not the project that will bring his talents into view. This is a movie that just floats along until it becomes socially irresponsible not to divulge some sort of explanation. Then our hero stumbles upon a file cabinet with annotated photographs and a 30-year-old micro-cassette player that: a) still works and b) is set to the precise point where hitting play gives you all your answers. Are the AA batteries possessed with supernatural powers, too? Maybe that’s for the sequel.

• Horror films

Comments (…)

Most viewed.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Civil War Link to Civil War
• Monkey Man Link to Monkey Man
• The First Omen Link to The First Omen

New TV Tonight

• The Sympathizer: Season 1
• Our Living World: Season 1
• Under the Bridge: Season 1
• The Spiderwick Chronicles: Season 1
• Conan O'Brien Must Go: Season 1
• Orlando Bloom: To the Edge: Season 1
• The Circle: Season 6
• Dinner with the Parents: Season 1
• Jane: Season 2

Most Popular TV on RT

• Fallout: Season 1
• Ripley: Season 1
• 3 Body Problem: Season 1
• Parasyte: The Grey: Season 1
• Shōgun: Season 1
• Sugar: Season 1
• We Were the Lucky Ones: Season 1
• Baby Reindeer: Season 1
• X-Men '97: Season 1
• A Gentleman in Moscow: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• Fallout Link to Fallout
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Best Movies of 2024: Best New Movies to Watch Now

25 Most Popular TV Shows Right Now: What to Watch on Streaming

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

Fallout : What It Gets Right, and What It Gets Wrong

CinemaCon 2024: Day 3 – Disney Previews Deadpool & Wolverine , Moana 2 , Alien: Romulus , and More

• Trending on RT
• Best TV 2024
• Play Movie Trivia
• CinemaCon 2024
• Popular Movies

Lights Out Reviews

Excellent jump scares forgettable characters but Palmer is great!

Full Review | Aug 7, 2023

It does employ a few all-too-familiar tricks, but they certainly don’t undercut the many things the film deserves credit for.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 23, 2022

While Sandberg orchestrates a few sequences of heavy tension, Lights Out doesnt quite click or retain a place in our minds after the end credits.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Apr 11, 2022

What Lights Out desperately needs is someone with a vision for the film, not just a career.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/4 | Mar 3, 2022

It is a simple story but it's told in the super original way.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Apr 30, 2021

Rachel Sennott's face possesses an incredible volumetric capacity for discomfort. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 30, 2021

A nicely performed ray of genre with a few story problems that will leave some audience members in the dark.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 4, 2021

There have been movies in the past that played with Nyctophobia, a severe fear of the dark, but I haven't seen one that truly terrified me as much as Lights Out.

Full Review | Jan 2, 2021

As generally inconsequential as Lights Out is, it ultimately leaves a bad taste with its dismissive portrayal of mental illness.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Jul 3, 2020

Simple functionality is a smart move. To try and dig too deeply or add any class to the proceedings would miss the point of it all. Lights Out holds no illusions as to what it wants or needs to be, keeping things to a tight 81 minutes.

Full Review | Mar 31, 2020

Transcends the genre thanks to ingenuity, technical polish and hair-raising terror.

Full Review | Nov 3, 2019

It uses some good old fashioned jump scares and a tense atmosphere to make a really effective scary movie.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Aug 7, 2019

My overall reaction to the film teetered on the fence between "I kinda liked it" and outright dislike. I actually expected a more out-there story instead of a slightly mushy one about a family in turmoil.

Full Review | May 17, 2019

Lights Out manages to provide story and scares in roughly equal measure; it's the ideal ratio for creating quality horror and one that rarely gets struck.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 16, 2019

It seems to rely way too much on the horror genre cliche handbook, which ultimately leaves the tension at a minimum when it should have been much more.

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Jan 15, 2019

The movie is believable and the characters are very convincing. I have to admit that I definitely screamed and jumped with the rest of them.

Full Review | Nov 13, 2018

...challenging and imaginative. Spicer's experimental lighting gives 'Lights Out' its gripping sheen. Overall, Sandberg's menacing mechanism of a movie certainly forces the shaky hand of its skeptical audience to snuggle up to the nearest light switch.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 9, 2018

Lights Out is a simply scary story that will have you sleeping with the light on. It isn't the most intricate plot, but you have to take it for what it is.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Nov 2, 2018

Lights Out is a fun little film with a nice amount of depth that you don't usually find in many mainstream horror films nowadays.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 31, 2018

It would be a mistake to overstate the merits of Lights Out. However, it is everything we hope a summer horror movie will be: fright-filled, fun and inventive.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Oct 23, 2018

‘Lights Out’ Movie Review

The most common fear people have is the fear of the dark. Some people grow out of it and some don’t; but the newest horror flick Lights Out preys upon it. Based on the short film by David F. Sandberg, Lights Out centers on a family that is haunted by a mysterious being that inhabits the shadows. Sandberg returns to the director’s chair for its silver-screen adaptation and delivers a terrifying spectacle with a unique and intriguing backstory.

Becca, our heroine, is played by Teresa Palmer, who offers little more than a punk-rock attitude and an insanely pretty face. Her boyfriend Brad—who is also insanely pretty—is, on the other hand, ridiculously likable and continuously outdoing himself. Brad looks like a douchey supermodel but acts like the feminist Ryan Gosling meme. He’s honest and open and communicative and knows all the right things to say and do and I really wanted to hate him.

And then we have Maria Bello who does a fantastic job as Becca’s manic depressive mother, Sophie. She suffers from depression and visibly struggles with her disease, but she doesn’t let it turn her into a villain or a victim. Mental illness is rarely attributed to the good guys of horror films, let alone is it a central theme in the story. Bello is believable and sympathetic during Sophie’s high’s and low’s, and she portrays a woman who struggles to show that she can be so much more than her illness.

The Monster

The concept is simple and effective: a creepy, ghost-like lady is only visible and powerful in the darkness. And it doesn’t take long to find out her name: Diana. She disturbs some and brutally murders others. When she moves, her thin body makes an eery creaking sound like a tree splitting in two. All you can make out is her outline and her tiny, white eyes, but it’s clear that her hair is greasy and stringy. She hunches over and picks at the floor with her long, tapered fingers, carving her name into the boards, and she spends most nights in long conversations with Sophie, her only connection to this world.

Diana and Sophie—suffering from a lifelong history of mental illness—met at an institution when they were young. Diana was diagnosed with a rare skin disorder that made her sensitive to light (photosensitivity, it’s a real thing) after being found in a basement at the age of thirteen, her father’s body in the living room with the words “She’s in my head” written on the wall in blood. It’s safe to say things didn’t end well for Diana, but her connection to Sophie remained. And so she spends her free time in the afterlife preying on Sophie’s illness, manipulating her into believing that their friendship keeps Sophie strong.

False. Diana is the supernatural version of an abuser convincing Sophie not to take her meds. She’s as terrifying as she is evil.

Roberto Orci Discusses Abdicating Director’s Chair for Star Trek 3

And speaking of terror, one of the film’s greatest strengths is its scare tactics. Lights Out manages to rely more on suspense than tacky jump scares without being heavy-handed. The film, although only 81 minutes long, is well-paced with a beautiful production design. The small cast prevents the story from escalating to a global scale that other horror films attempt (the whole world, Heaven and Hell, “she’ll never stop,” etc.). The universe Sandberg creates is contained but still logical with its own set of rules.

Lights Out is different from the flashiness of The Conjuring 2 or the brutality of Sinister , but it offers a new brand of storytelling in horror that is entertaining and downright good. I look forward to seeing more works from this director, especially if they continue having James Wan’s seal of approval.      [signoff2]

JOIN OUR EPIC TRIBE!

Privacy Overview

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Film Analysis — Review of the Movie City Lights

Review of The Movie City Lights

• Categories: Film Analysis Movie Review

About this sample

Words: 969 |

Published: Aug 16, 2019

Words: 969 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Theme: Love and Beauty

• Dixon, W. W., & Foster, G. A. (2018). A short history of film. Rutgers University PressChaplin, C. (1931). City lights..

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Verified writer

• Expert in: Entertainment

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

2 pages / 1242 words

1 pages / 558 words

2 pages / 775 words

4 pages / 1710 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Film Analysis

The 2004 film, Crash, directed by Paul Haggis is a drama which fundamentally concerns the underlying racial tensions present in society and its effects on various people in Los Angeles post the September 11th terrorist attacks. [...]

Spotlight is directed by Tom McCarthy and stars Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, and Liev Schreiber. It’s the true story of the Boston news reporters who work for the Boston Globe who uncovered a very disturbing [...]

The Titanic tells the dramatic, prosperous yet love story of Jack Dawson played by Leonardo Dicaprio and Rose DeWitt Bukater played by Kate Winslet through a journey taken place in 1912 on their voyage from Southampton to New [...]

The documentary "The True Cost," directed by Andrew Morgan, delves deeply into the realm of fast fashion. This thought-provoking film scrutinizes various facets of the apparel industry, ranging from production conditions and the [...]

Federico Fellini may have titled the film “Nights of Cabiria” — a title that syntactically emphasizes the nights and events in relation to, and as “acted upon,” Cabiria. Yet, perhaps more interesting than the escapades is the [...]

The film, “The Martian” is a science fiction movie that premiered in 2015 under the directorship of Ridley Scott. The film is based on Andy Wier’s novel, The Martian that was published in 2011. Both critics and proponents of the [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free