Lights Out

At first sigh, nothing new. same thrill, chill and game of light as source of fear/tension. and the familiar end. but the film has a virtue who is unfair to ignore - Lotta Losten. after you see the short films of Sandberg, she becomes one of presence real impressive. for the image of ordinary woman, silent in many situations, innocent alwayys, front to different unusual challenges. result - a form of portrait of Sandberg art , present in few short films but giving to his wife the right role who becomes, after a walk across short films, axis of a fresh universe of horror.

Lights Out (2013)

*** (out of 4)

Effective horror short from David F. Sandberg would be the bases for his feature length version from 2016. Basically a woman walks into her apartment and when she turns the lights off she sees a figure. When she turns the lights back on it's gone. Each time she turns the lights off the figure reappears. Obviously the suspense comes from the director building up how much closer the figure gets to the woman and for the most part this worked quite well. It clocks in at less than three minutes so the film obviously doesn't run along too long but it certainly makes an impression and especially the ending. Horror fans should enjoy this.

'Lights Out (2013)' is the film that kicked off David F. Sandberg's Hollywood career, as it gained enough acclaim to warrant studio interest in a feature film adaptation. Sandberg's transition from making short horror films on YouTube to making increasingly high-profile features in the USA is inspiring. From what I've seen in interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and his own YouTube videos (which he still uploads semi-regularly despite his fame), he really seems like a genuine, down-to-earth and downright decent guy who deserves the success that he worked hard to achieve (please don't turn out to be a creep, David, I beg of you). This short horror is efficient and effective, making use of simple visual effects and confident pacing to deliver its scares. It has a strong sense of atmosphere and escalates in a somewhat expected yet satisfying way. It really does have a killer concept, too; it's easy to see why this gained the attention it did. Overall, this is a simple yet solid ultra-low-budget experience that makes the most of its concept and is enjoyable throughout. 8/10.

Just a few short months ago, a fairly tense and exciting low-budget feature was released in theaters. "Lights Out" became a massive hit with its high-concept of a vengeful spirit that exists within shadows and darkness... audiences were hooked by its clever scares, solid visuals and competent atmosphere building. So much so in fact that a sequel is already well on the way, and its up-and-coming director David F. Sandberg has been tapped to helm the anticipated in-the-works sequel "Annabelle 2."

But lets take a look back just a few short years to the humble beginnings of this project. Back to 2013, when Sandberg unleashed a short-film of the same name onto the masses. A short film that of course went on to become the basis of this bonafide new hit.

"Lights Out" (2013) is at its core a very simplistic and elegant style experiment in fear. Lacking any complex narrative or proper character development, it instead uses its short running length and lack of dialog to build a highly effective and chilling sequence of terror through only expert use of lighting, suggestive camera angles and moody visuals. We follow a young woman (Lotta Losten, actress and wife of director Sandberg) preparing to retire to bed for the night, when she notices a mysterious silhouette in the distance whenever she turns off her hallway light... A figure that is seemingly staring right at her, waiting to strike. As tensions build, and the woman's fear grows, we swiftly move towards a startling and wickedly eerie climax...

A prime example of how to appropriately build an increasing and all- encompassing sense of dread, the short is amongst the strongest I've seen in recent memory. It's very deliberate and cleverly uses its time wisely, neither stringing out the short longer than it needs to be or needlessly abbreviating it. It knows just how long to take to allow the fear to grow to a boiling point and when to nail us with the scares and jumps. This is especially admirable in today's modern world of horror, where jumps without establishment and loud noises without atmosphere are taking over at a very alarming rate. It's refreshing to see a new filmmaker who knows to take just enough time before he strikes.

The short is not without a collection of flaws however, mild though they may be in the grand scheme of things. I did find that it lacks rewatchability due to its very short running time that is built around a singular sequence. Once you've seen it, you've wised up to the game, and thus it will never have that same impact on subsequent viewings. I also did find the climactic moments (which I will not spoil) to be a tad underwhelming. It was not quite enough of a payoff, ending with more of a whimper than a scream. Still, these are only minor flaws in an otherwise incredibly strong and stylish short. It's filled to burst with atmospheric tension and heart- stopping suspense, and there's a good chance that after watching it alone in the dark, you'll go digging through the closet or the attic, desperately searching for that old night light from when you were a child that you haven't used in years...

I give "Lights Out" (2013) a very good 8 out of 10. It's available free-to-view online, and it comes highly recommended from this fan of horror and suspense!

A woman is going to bed. She turns off the light in the hallway but then sees a silhouette of...something in the dark. She turns back on the light but there's nothing there. She turns it off again and it appears again. Again on and off...but now it's closer.

No dialogue in this one. Just VERY effective sound effects and some eerie music. The acting by the one person in the film is effective and it's very well-directed. All kidding aside--I slept with my bedside lamp on all night after watching this and I'm a huge horror fan that has seen hundreds of horror films! Quick, effective and very very scary.