Lights Out

Sometimes when you read a movie title, you can instantly think of a song with the same name. When you think about it, there are so many movie titles out there, that it is not hard to find songs that are called exactly the same as a film. As an example, the 1976 horror classic film Carrie, most of you have probably heard the rock ballad of the same name by swedish band Europe ? Not that they are related in any way, the film came out many years before this song was released. Another example is the Queen song Play The Game, and we have a film called the same released in 2009. So if you just look around, you can find many similar titles. When i read a title called Lights Out, i instantly thought of the P.O.D. song Lights Out. This song is actually from my favourite P.O.D. album Testify, a nu metal album mixed with reggae influences. Even if the song Lights Out is not one of my favourites on the album, it still works if you want to trash your hotel room, throw a sofa out from a balchony, and feel like a true british EastEnders soap tv fan. Lights Out by the way, is a short film that director Adam Sandberg released in 2013. The short film was praised, both by viewers and critics, that he have found a scary concept that worked very well. I will admit that i enjoyed the short film, because it was simple, but still effective. Around early 2016, i heard news coming out that a feature film was going to be made from the short film Lights Out. The same director as the short film, David Sandberg, was going to direct the full feature film. It is always hard to know how the results will be, when you make a feature film, based on a short film. Somehow, you have to get the feeling from the short film, to be captured on a feature film. I was not sure if this would work, because most of the time we are used to see adaptations from original material become complicated. However, i wanted to have a positive mind, as i went to the cinema to see if the transformation works in a longer format. With a director who seemed to have the ability to make horror material work on camera, and with James Wan as one of the producers, is Lights Out an effective horror feast, or is it the same dull release we have seen so many times before ?

In a mannequin warehouse, co-worker Esther ( Lotta Losten ) is about to leave, but experience something very strange. When she turn of the light, a woman appear from nowhere. When she turns on the light, the woman is gone. For each time she turn of the light, the woman comes closer. Esther warns owner Paul ( Billy Burke ), that he should leave right now. Paul does not take her seriously, until he also notice the woman in the dark. Unfortunately, Paul have no way out, and is brutally killed in the warehouse. Paul´s stepdaughter Rebecca ( Teresa Palmer ) is living life, as a young woman, with no plans of having a serious relationship. She is seeing Bret ( Alexander DiPersia ), who she really enjoy being with, but don´t try to get too emotional with him. When Rebecca is contacted from school, about her little brother Martin ( Gabriel Bateman ), she understand that something is wrong. Their mother Sophie ( Maria Bello ) is suffering from mental illness and depression, and can no longer take care of her young son. Rebecca decide to take her little brother to her home instead, without permission from their mother Sophie. When Rebecca start to experience a visit in her home, from a woman in the dark, she is terrified. The woman who appear in darkness, is known as Diana. She used to be a friend of mother Sophie, but when she died, her spirit continued to follow Sophie and her family. Rebecca know how dangerous Diana is, and that she is after her, and her brother Martin. Somehow, this needs to stop, before it is too late.

To make a short film, into a feature film, is a very difficult thing to do, especially if the short film was good. But the good news is that Lights Out works as a full feature film, simply because of the simple details. This film only cost around 5 million dollars, but looks much better than Gods Of Egypt did that had a budget of 140 million dollars. Insane right ? But this proves that you don´t have to make a film on a massive budget to make it look good. One of the main reasons why Lights Out works is also because of director Adam Sandberg. He clearly knows how to make a horror film feel scary, even if he is not James Wan. The story of Lights Out is very simple, and we have seen similar stories before. So the film relies on being scary, and this is where the puzzle pieces click together. Director David Sandberg tries to match traditional creepy horror influences, with unexpected turns. And i have to say, since this is his feature debut film, he have managed to deliver a horror movie that feels good. The practical effects looks great, and the jump scares actually work. The acting is for the most part great, especially from Maria Bello and Teresa Palmer. So is there anything negative to say ? The only thing i can think of, at the moment, is perhaps that i would have wanted to know more about the character, known as Diana. We find out some details, but i feel that there is more to tell about her, before she died and returned as an evil spirit. Could this be more scary ? Sure, but i can´t complain, since this film is much better than most horror films that comes out recently. Not as good as The Conjuring 2 of course, but still a solid film. Knowing that David Sandberg is from Sweden, makes me feel proud. I always knew we should have hope about swedish directors, especially since so many of us have suffered the awful, horrible films of Colin Nutley for 60 years. That long ? The nightmare never seems to end. So David Sandberg, if you are reading this review, thank you for giving Sweden hope again, please make more films so we can forget that Änglagård really exist. Lights Out may not be a horror classic, or feel unique. But as a traditional horror film, this is better than i expected. I suggest you run down and see it in your local cinema, but remember, always keep the light on, or Colin Nutley will swallow your soul. 

Rating: DDD