Directed by:
David F. SandbergScreenplay:
Eric HeissererCinematography:
Marc SpicerComposer:
Benjamin WallfischCast:
Teresa Palmer, Maria Bello, Billy Burke, Alexander DiPersia, Emily Alyn Lind, Alicia Vela-Bailey, Gabriel Bateman, Lotta Losten, Andi Osho, Rolando Boyce (more)Plots(1)
When Rebecca left home, she thought she left her childhood fears behind. Growing up, she was never really sure of what was and wasn't real when the lights went out...and now her little brother, Martin, is experiencing the same unexplained and terrifying events that had once tested her sanity and threatened her safety. A frightening entity with a mysterious attachment to their mother, Sophie, has reemerged. But this time, as Rebecca gets closer to unlocking the truth, there is no denying that all their lives are in danger...once the lights go out. (Warner Bros. US)
(more)Reviews (9)
I wouldn't hold out much hope that Lights Out will defend the top spot in horror this year. The trailer struck me as a bit underwhelming, but the film itself is one of the best we've seen in cinemas in the last few years (not counting The Conjuring). David F. Sandberg sets a relentless pace from the opening minutes and rolls out one scare after another, you only have a maximum of 5 minutes to breathe, which is great; the last film to sech such a pace was Drag me to Hell. The idea is very functional, whenever it's dark danger is near, you are worried about all the characters, because their lives are really on the line, and the ghost, even though it's mostly in the dark, is scary, makes disturbing noises, and most importantly is on the scene very often. On the plus side, the half-hour finale with an unexpected twist makes Lights Out an intense 80-minute spectacle that should appeal to anyone who is at least a little bit at home with horror. The Conjuring gives a better impression in terms of story, visuals and setting, whereas Lights Out relies only on scares and it worked. Story 6/10, Atmosphere 9/10, Gore 4/10, Visuals 7/10, Action 8/10, Suspense 9/10, Humour 3/10. Entertainment 8/10, Scares 9/10. 85%.
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It’s a shame that this movie follows the genre template too closely, working with overused clichés, and has the runtime
of a Leslie Nielsen comedy. And it’s too bad that the characters are underdeveloped. The monster Diane has much
greater potential, as she is scarier than anything from James Wan’s masterpieces. The scenes with her escalate from
continuous goose bumps to a very intense climax.
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I can’t ask more from mainstream horror. A very simple plot that doesn’t waste much time and goes straight to what matters, scaring. The idea originally used in Sandberg’s short is varied again and again, and it still works. The ghost or monster is hidden in the dark for most of the time, but even when you can see more of it by the end, it doesn’t lose much of its horror. The “friend’s” ghost backstory that I dreaded in the trailer is delivered elegantly and it actually sounds a little disturbing. But what sets this film above its mainstream competition are the characters and their relationships. Everyone is nice or at least you can understand their behaviour. But, most importantly, they aren’t one-dimensional figures devoid of personality and, already from the beginning, the film works with relationships that are not totally banal. I won’t say that it delivers some nuanced psychological picture, but it still goes a lot further than the overrated Conjuring. Although Lights Out is basically an intimate horror movie, for me it’s better than Wan’s bigger works. The characters are under a real threat. Technically it is comparable to the premier league. It’s unlikely to be the best of the year (that one already appears regularly in indie waters), but it’s certainly the best mainstream horror flick in recent years. I will gladly watch it again. 9/10
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As a small-scale film, this movie is quite fine. What’s also fine however is how the director took the original idea, which had been made into a short film, and managed to turn it into a feature film. It’s nothing complicated, but it works. It’s not silly at all. People behave the way real people do rather than behaving like rubber figurines on paper. So, all in all? A pleasant horror movie surprise – it won’t offend you and while it won’t make you excited either, it gets the mission fulfilled with a full number of survivors.
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A horror that doesn't waste time exposing and building tension, which works quite well in the straightforward first third. The idea works, Sandberg tested it in a short, but here he exploits it beyond his means. In the second half you can feel it. Lights Out is unable to tighten, surprise or unfortunately really scare anyone. Formally solid work, but overall dim.
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You can't shine a light. We’ve probably never had a similarly intense and original scare in cinemas, and in today's horror competition, it's hard to imagine a more effective way to make the audience's return home through darkened streets as unpleasant as possible. It goes full speed ahead from the start and, without any unnecessary talk, we are served an intelligent horror plot spiced up with such a thick atmosphere and such a scary monster that I would grunt with joy if I didn't have my vocal cords clenched with nervousness. Plus the flawless escalation, thanks to which the evil doesn't stop scaring even towards the end, the reasonable runtime and of course the absolutely disarming beauty of Terasa Palmer, thanks to whom I didn't breathe even in the less tense scenes. Pointless to complain and whine, that's all we can ask for.
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Already running out of funny ideas for how to describe these boogeyman in da house horror movies for a first date. At the very least, the darkness-addicted villain theme could have made for an interesting filmmaking challenge, where you could have played an action game with the protagonists with cones of light in the style of PC games like Alan Wake, which the lazy filmmakers probably didn't feel like doing, so they repeat the one trick of approaching evil in a flickering environment. It would have been cool to see how Buster Keaton would have handled a similar plot.
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A mediocre horror film that doesn't come up with anything new. All the scenes felt vaguely familiar. The one that irritated me the most was the scene where Diana first appeared. If the woman who saw her had flicked the switch a few more times, I would have gladly disposed of her myself. Diana seemed like a fusion of the creature from The Ring, Freddie Krueger, and Edward Scissorhands. The plot was predictable. Instead of building up an atmosphere, the filmmakers concentrated on a constant supply of scares, but at least I got to wrap my Christmas presents in advance. I’m afraid I’ve seen far worse horror movies. What I consider a plus is that it managed to go without brutally murdering 6 to 8 high school/college students.
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It seems that simplicity holds power, and that's why the creators of the film chose to take the straightforward path. The story about something lurking in the darkness, whether seen or unseen in the first scene, is harsh, eerie, and unsettling. Yes, it truly seems deceptively simple at first glance, but the creators managed to frighten the audience, and I commend them for that.
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