Lights Out

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. (15/12/2017)

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. (09/08/2016)

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. (31/12/2016)

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%. (22/07/2016)

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. (26/01/2017)