The mark of a truly great scary movie is how it 
leaves you feeling once it ends. Were you ever afraid to go swimming in the ocean? How about thinking twice when going to summer camp or thinking your dolls would come alive? Did you ever think maybe you shouldn’t stay in that creepy looking hotel or take the scenic route while traveling? If the answer is yes to any (or all) then you know what I am talking about. Lights Out is one of those films that stay with you long after the curtain closes.
Maybe that is a good thing, becoming hypervigilant because it keeps us alert, aware of our surroundings and makes us think. And Lights Out will definitely make you think. Sadly it may just feed your paranoia. You may think about the scratching noise you hear while lying in bed at night, or think about that faint whisper you hear in that haze between complete slumber and being awake. One thing is for sure is that film will make you think twice about what goes on in the dark. Lights Out may be just like one of those scary movies of old, the ones that get under your skin and make you think.
Lights Out tells the tale of Rebecca and Martin, siblings, who are portrayed by Teresa Palmer (Warm Bodies) and Gabriel Bateman (Annabelle). When Rebecca was young, strange, inexplicable things began happening in the house that she shared with her parents (Maria Bello and Billy Burke). Rebecca had tried telling someone about these occurrences, but as is always the case, no one believed her. Traumatized by these events once she was old enough to leave, Rebecca moved out and never looked back. That is until the day she received a phone call, (ah, the infamous phone call, the plot device that draws the hero back in). Martin had been having issues in school following the death of his father as well as experiencing some of the same issues his sister dealt with when she was young.
If you are anything like me, you love to be scared…within reason. That is why we watch scary, suspenseful movies. Nothing gets the adrenaline jumping quicker than being scared, and it is a good feeling! That’s why the term “adrenaline junkie” was helmed. Lights Out will definitely get your adrenaline going. The viewer does not even get five minutes into the movie before they realize something is up. It also does not even take that long before something happens to make you jump in your seat, as well as shout a few choice not so safe words. This movie is one that will absolutely engage you. You will be sitting there, shouting at the screen, you know the usual, “don’t go in there!” or “you better turn around girl, it’s behind you!” And sure enough, just when you think it is over and you let your guard down; something jumps out at the screen and makes you jump in your seat…yet again.
Lights Out has an interesting storyline that will draw you in and enough of the typical scary movie tactics we’ve come to know and love to keep your heart jumping the whole 81 minutes it is on screen. It has the star power to make you WANT to see it and just the right amount of scary to make you glad you had. If you are a fan of scary movies this is one that needs to be in your collection.
Lights Out is based on a short film that David F. Sandberg had previously directed. This is Sandberg’s first full length feature from a script he co-wrote with Eric Heisserer. Heisserer whose prior credits include screenplays for the remakes of A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Thing is obviously familiar with horror. Lights Out is on shelves now from Warner Home Video and is available on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download. The home video release also includes deleted scenes.
-Tonielle Neal
