Lights Out Review

Lights Out is a full length movie based off of the short film of the same title by David F. Sandberg. The full movie is directed by David F. Sandberg as well getting the chance to adapt it for the big screen. The film revolves around a family being haunted by a mysterious figure Diana (Alicia Vela-Bailey), but Diana only comes out when its dark. The movie stars Teresa Palmer who plays Rebecca, and Gabriel Bateman who plays Martin. Rebecca and Martin are siblings who have a deep personal connection with Diana.

The movie opens with a scene in a mannequin warehouse where Diana is first introduced. It shows her standing in a hallway but only when the lights are switched off. The scene then shifts over to introduce the siblings Rebecca and Martin. Diana had always been a minor presence in the life of the siblings. Rebecca eventually feels as though she has to find the truth about what happened to Diana to help save Martin from the similar events that happened to her when she was younger. In searching for the truth about Diana, Rebecca finds some disturbing truth about their mother Sophie (Maria Bello) and a dark connection.

The film didn’t really have any heavy CGI or special effects but the ones that were in the movie were okay. It was an interesting take with the camera work, I really enjoyed how they played with the lighting aspects of the movie. They took one of the biggest fears for most people and preyed on it. Lights Out had a good balance between day and night, light and dark.

It was able to progress the story during the days and was able to draw you tensely in during the nights. The general story of the movie felt a little lackluster, as though it has been used previously before. If you’re going to see this for pure horror factor of it you’re going to be mostly disappointed; Lights Out is eerie and chilling, but not particularly scary.

The Conclusion

Palmer and Bateman’s chemistry on screen worked really, matching the role of siblings well. For Bateman being a young actor, he did an excellent job playing Martin in the film. I have been a fan of Palmer since first seeing her perform in 2009, and this is another example of her skill as an actress. Lights Out was a well constructed movie.

It was really enjoyable from start to finish, with only minor flaws in the story and not fitting entirely into the horror genre. Lights Out was able to keep the viewers interested from start to finish, and keep them on the edge of their seats. With chemistry between the cast, and solid use of the camera work to toy with the viewer, Lights Out was a good movie.

Lights Out Review at Theater with standard Viewing
Screening was Provided by Warner Brothers

Rating Overall: 7.2