Review of Lights Out (2016) by Kevin K — 22 Jul 2017

What makes horror films like "The Conjuring" and "Sinister" work so well are the thought-out story lines and well coordinated scares without the need for excess gore. "Lights Out" is one of those horror movies. The film follows Rebecca and Martin, step-siblings who have grown up with a mother, Sophie, who suffers from depression. She also has a friend named Diana, a former psychiatric patient who has taken the form of a supernatural being who lurks in the shadows. Something a little different from most ghost stories is that the being is known from the very beginning. In fact, Sophie insists on including Diana into the family equation. While Sophie turns a blind eye, the being is aggressive towards anyone who tries to get in the middle of their "relationship." While there is a little backstory into the ghost itself, the fact that Diana is known from the beginning actually helps the movie progress. It is an interesting twist in a ghost story formula that has become redundant over the years.

The fact that the ghost is known from the beginning may have to do with the film's run time. Clocking in a 81 minutes, "Lights Out" is one of the shortest horror films (coming from a genre that is not known for long run times). While the film does not over stay its welcome, you can definitely know how short the film actually is. By the time the credits started rolling, I wanted more from the film. This is due to the well coordinated jump scares throughout the film. Rarely is there any time in the film where the viewer can relax without Diana jumping out to scare you. The first five minutes (which is loosely based off the short film of the same name) introduces you to a ghost that is as random as you may expect. For a being that lurks in the shadows (which has been done before in many movies), Diana is a scary ghost. She is not afraid to walk, crawl, and jump all over the characters at any chance she can. This is the reason why I wish the movie was a little longer so I can see what else director David Sandberg has up his sleeves.

The cast is full of terrific performances (again, something that is uncommon in horror films). While the cast is mainly full of no names, there are some potential stars within the film. Teresa Palmer is great as Rebecca who looks over Martin while trying to decide whether or not to fix her relationship with her mother. Gabriel Bateman is solid as Martin and Maria Bello is great as Sophie.

The problem with "Lights Out" comes from its subject matter. The film (whether intentional or not) has a interesting way at looking into depression. Since Sophie has suffered from depression most of her life, and a ghost is linked to her, she is an important character to the film. This makes me question the ending to the film. While I will not spoil it for you, the ending almost gives off the wrong impression to the viewers. That being said, it still did not negatively impact my viewing of the film.

"Lights Out" may be a short film but it is still a great thrill ride. From a well thought story to its fantastic jump scares, "Lights Out" is another example of a horror film that does not need excess blood to scare its viewers. It is just a shame that Diana could not have stuck around longer to scare me some more.

Grade: B.