The nightmares of a tortured past comes to life, haunting a small family when they decide to leave the “Lights Out”. When Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) 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 (Gabriel Bateman), 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 (Maria Bello), has reemerged. But this time, as Rebecca gets closer to unlocking the truth about the family’s shadowy past, there is no denying that all their lives are in danger from a bloodthirsty supernatural entity that lurks in the shadows and preys upon the family. “Lights Out” is produced by famed horror writer/director James Wan, directed by David F. Sandberg, and is rated PG-13 for terror throughout, violence including disturbing images, some thematic material and brief drug content.
Upon initial viewings of the trailer for “Lights Out”, I found myself genuinely disinterested at a movie that seemed destined for false jump scares, as well as a premise that didn’t really have the versatility to compete with the other great horror films in 2016. Both of my fears were false however, as “Lights Out” is one of the easiest sits of the Summer. At a measly 76 minutes, Sandberg crafts an energetic, well paced, and psychological chiller of a film that very much lives up to being a gimmick film. What I mean by that is this movie should definitely only be watched in the dark, and if you follow that rule, you are in for a fun time with a movie that has very little flaws.
Two interesting aspects for the film give the movie an original take for an overdone genre. As I mentioned before, the film’s time is very short, and this allows the movie to bypass all of the meaningless scenes that would otherwise do nothing but weigh down the creative process that the film has going for it. To keep it short, this movie constantly keeps moving, never sacrificing its story or characters in the quick scene-to-scene editing. The second thing is in the creativity to craft a story and world where the ghost is as much a part of this family as the people in it are. In most horror chillers you get a barrage of characters who don’t believe in the existence of its predator, despite seeing it several times, which should tell them otherwise. In “Lights Out”, the spirit of Diana has long since had a poisonous effect not only on the character of Sophie, but on the entire family as well. You see the very weathered reactions on Maria Bello’s face, and it’s in her distance with her family where she really feels vulnerable for the taking for such a sadistic force.
This is however only table dressing for the main course, as the movie’s real scintillating focus is on a subtle disease that eats away at the inside of Sophie. This disease is depression. As someone who suffers greatly from this terrible condition, I can say that the movie gave an accurate portrayal of the very disheartening symptoms of someone suffering with this. The film focuses strongly on the importance of family and being around the people that you love. Being alone only makes the condition worse, and it’s in that metaphor where the monster of this movie really sinks her devilish teeth into. The antagonist seeks total darkness and preys on Sophie when she is at her absolute weakest; when she is alone. This gave the movie a kind of twin-antagonist feel, as we are not only invested in the well-being of this family against a malevolent force, but also in the healing process in their relationships after decades of torture. This underlying aspect of the movie gave “Lights Out” something much greater than a typical haunting film; it like “The Babadook” last year, proves that the well-being of a character goes a long way in how we fight off our biggest adversaries.
Some of the rules and aspects of the movie were broken during a third act where all hell breaks loose. A couple of logics within the establishing backstory of Diana really kind of disappointed me with how things were wrapped up, and I wish that the final showdown would’ve made a little more sense, considering it’s kind of a cheap way out. This is a movie that while it isn’t very terrifying, does create for some solid atmospheric tension within the light versus darkness concept of the movie. The film uses great tension in sparking the intrigue of the audience, even so far as using multiple intelligent lighting weapons against Diana. I didn’t know how far the concept of the lights being out could go into a movie, but the film is clever in disguising several set-ups that feel honest with their introduction into the mayhem. Ultraviolet, wind-em-up flashlights, and even cell phones are introduced into the fray, and all have clever payoffs that really push the creative far beyond the jump scares that the movie has. I’m not the biggest fan of these kind of scares, but the movie does them all justifiably, and nothing ever feels forced with the very sound editing of the movie.
I want to talk a little bit about the acting of the movie, because it’s very hit and miss on all aspects. Maria Bello is the single greatest aspect of this movie, as it’s through her history why all of this is happening to begin with. There’s a very disenchanting essence to her character, and I couldn’t help but feel pity for her, despite the film not introducing us in the best of lights (No pun intended) for her character. Bello is a seasoned veteran when it comes to believable dramatic deliveries to her roles, but this is one of her very best to date. There’s certainly something terrifying about the closest relationship you have with someone tears away the only unconditional love that you have in this world, and it’s in that aspect where we really get behind her triumph. Gabriel Bateman is also pretty solid for a child actor, and his reactions to Diana are some of the finest on delivery that the film has to offer. Nothing feels overdone about his performance, and Bateman has me curious for future auditions. Teresa Palmer has always been that kind of actress who has had trouble finding her voice in a needed genre. Earlier this year, we saw her in the dreadful “The Choice”, and while she has improved vastly here, she still lacks the kind of terrifying delivery that is called upon for a central protagonist. That’s not to say that Palmer is a terrible actress, it’s just that she has kind of a deer in the headlights look at all times that really lacks positive energy.
Overall, “Lights Out” is a simple concept that is done to effective execution. It’s a lean, mean, nightmarish machine that is every bit effective as a psychological piece as it is a drive-in fright-fest. Sandberg embraces the darkness, where there’s always something eerily brewing deep beneath what we cannot see. “Lights Out” is simply any child’s worse nightmare come true; a reason to plug your nightlights in
7/10