Lights Out 4K 2016

A decent debut in feature-length filmmaking for Swedish director David F. Sandberg, who previously specialized exclusively in short films, one of which, Lights Out, served as the basis for this horror film—not flawless, but quite competent.

From a screenplay perspective, it's worth noting that the film doesn't reach for the stars, and there are very few original and fresh ideas in it. On the other hand, this film boasts good dynamics: the action picks up speed almost from the very beginning and captivates the viewer's attention with a complete immersion in the narrative, and the ending of the film is an absolutely logical and simple conclusion to this story.

What the film is unquestionably lucky with is the actresses in the leading roles. Teresa Palmer and Maria Bello created interesting characters almost solely through their charisma; at the same time, their characters are not cardboard cutouts, they are well developed, and you genuinely care about them.

Lights Out is excellently staged from a technical point of view. Particular attention was paid to the quality of the image, making it mesmerizing and very pleasing to the eye. The beautiful, skillful, and well-executed work with light is based on traditional special effects. This film also boasts a large number of well-placed scary moments.

The musical accompaniment by composer Benjamin Wallfisch plays one of the most important roles in creating a tense and ominous atmosphere and fits perfectly with the action taking place on screen.

Among the shortcomings of this film are its overall predictability, the lack of thoughtfulness in some episodes, and the slight repetition of the authors' own methods of building tension towards the end of the film.

Still, if you like the films of James Wan (who served as producer here) and aren't looking for a fresh and original plot, but just want to watch a simple mainstream horror movie, you'll probably enjoy this film. It's definitely capable of entertaining viewers and “tickling their nerves.”