David F. Sandberg found great success in 2013 with his viral short film, Lights Out. The creepy apparition that could only be seen by flicking the lights off racked up over 10 million views and continues to grow to this day. So it wasn’t terribly surprising to hear that modern horror king James Wan was backing a full-length adaptation. That said, there were doubts about how well a two and a half minute short film could make the transition onto the big screen. Now that the film has made its theatrical U.S. debut, I can say that Lights Out surpasses my expectations, even if it falls just short of my hopes.

As you might expect, the plot is relatively simple (and almost entirely divulged in the film’s absurdly long trailers). We follow a family that has been torn apart by tragedy and deceit; mostly at the hands of the mother’s not-so-imaginary friend. The ghoulish figure terrorizes all that may try and interfere with the friendship that she covers so dearly. It’s not an overly complex setup, but the fact that you can conjure up any sort of back story around the 2013 short is impressive if you ask me.

Character development and plot thickening take a backseat to jump scares and spooky audio crescendos.

Perhaps most surprising is the relative lack of dialog in the film. Character development and plot thickening take a backseat to jump scares and spooky audio crescendos. And while that may sound like a jab, it isn’t. Lights Out is a theatrical summertime horror designed from the ground up to creep out the most “mainstream” of audiences, and it succeeds in that regard. It’s not a film for us diehards; no matter how bad we may want it to be. The frights are well timed and abundant. Even when you see them coming from a mile away, they still seem to land for the most part. That’s a credit to Sanberg’s ability to let the moment sit.

While the film’s blistering pace can certainly seem a bit jarring, if not illogical at times,  you can’t accuse Lights Out of being boring.

Sandberg told us on a recent episode of The Modern Horrors Podcast that this was his first experience on a legitimate film set (isn’t that insane?), but you’d never know it from looking. Lights Out is an extremely polished product. The same can be said for the majority of the performances turned in as well. Teresa Palmer particularly shines in the final stretch of the film, and Alexander DiPersia is just awesome–plain and simple. And while the film’s blistering pace can certainly seem a bit jarring, if not illogical at times,  you can’t accuse Lights Out of being boring.

I’ve believed for quite some time that David F. Sandberg was the next big thing in horror. I’ve even made a mental checklist of all of the shorts that he has produced that I’d love to see a feature-length adaptation of. But now that I’ve seen one, I can’t help but wonder what he could do with a completely fresh and original idea. Lights Out proves that the man is the real deal behind the lens, but the rushed and shoehorned narrative feels like the team was trying to extrapolate far too much from such a simple concept. Make no mistake, the future is bright for Mr. Sandberg, even if it starts with the lights out.

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