Okay, if you are a horror fan like me, odds are that more than one person has shown you Lights Out, a short film from 2013 that is about as close to perfect as horror gets. With no dialogue, just two performers, and only three chords of music spaced out over two minutes and forty seconds, I’ve seen that short scare the pants off of everyone who watches it. In fact, check out the reaction videos on YouTube, they’re priceless. Speaking of YouTube, there are two channels which have had the original short film on them for two years. One has just under 2.5 million views. The other has just under 12.5 million. No wonder this little film is now a feature-length summer blockbuster with A-list stars and a 5 million dollar budget. So, did the feature-length film live up to its mini predecessor?
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No, not quite. Not really a surprise, this movie had some big shoes to fill. And while it’s not as good as the short, it’s certainly worth taking a look at. While lately the best horror films have been either independently made, like Resolution (2012) or not made in Hollywood, like The Babadook (2014), Lights Out is as solid as some of the better mainstream horror we have seen lately, on par with the likes of The Conjuring (2013). Maybe not the most unique or creative of stories, but with enough solid acting and scares to see it through.
Lights Out tells the story of Rebecca (Theresa Palmer), a young woman who clearly has some issues with commitment since she left home, an unhappy place where she was forced to deal with her mentally ill mother Sophie (Maria Bello) all alone since her father walked out. Now her younger half-brother Martin (Gabriel Bateman) is struggling with the same fate, and Rebecca has to make the choice whether to run again or stay and help her family. The problem is that Sophie’s delusion might not be a delusion, it could be something that is a real danger to them all. But only when the lights are out.
The first act of the movie is the scariest and most well made. Since the short film ends with the mother of all jump scares, the full-length version does not even try to shy away from them. Instead, it teases them so well that you spend the first twenty to thirty minutes in a constant state of tension, knowing they’re coming but having no idea when. This means when they do happen, they are a fun surprise that unleashes a burst of adrenaline. Some will scream and others will laugh, but the movie managed to surprise you by letting you know that a surprise is coming any second now, which works far better than it probably should, or would in most filmmaker’s hands.
The second act drags a bit and falls victim to the trap most mainstream horror falls into and the best independent films avoids. It explains far too much of what is happening. Since the first explanations come early for a movie like this, it almost feels like pulling off a Band-Aid quickly, to get the pain over with. Which might have worked, except more explanations keep coming and coming, slowing the film down and making the scares less scary. Filmmakers and writers, please take note. Nothing you explain to us will ever be scarier than what is in our heads. The lack of understanding about why or how is exactly what makes the aforementioned Resolution and The Babadook work so well. Less is more.
The third act of the movie picks up the pace a bit, though it can’t quite recapture the edge that beginning had. It also was fairly predictable, both in how it ended, and in regards to what was supposed to be a huge revelation. Also, the makeup was not nearly as good as in the short film. Again, less is more. It did have some fun and exciting moments, especially involving Brett (Alexander DiPersia), Rebecca’s… shall we say friend?
The acting all around was pretty solid. Both Palmer and Bateman balance the fear of being in such a horrific situation and the distress over their family problems well. Their relationship is also pretty great, there’s no question how much these siblings care for each other. DiPersia does as well as he can with an underwritten role. In a fun bit of gender-swapping, he is there primarily as a love interest for Rebecca with practically no personality of his own. He does whatever he is told and never questions the crazy things happening, because she needs him. The perfect guy, just insert personality like he is a resident of Stepford. While it is refreshing to see a man in that type of role, since they are nearly always reserved for women, I look forward to the days when every character in every movie is a full person and not just an extension of their significant other.
Maria Bello gives by far the strongest performance of the film. She maybe be severely mentally ill, she may be haunted and manipulated by something, she may simply be grief-stricken and suffering. In any case, her anguish as she tries to make sense of everything happening and still be a mother to her children is harrowing. She truly gives this movie her all.
While Lights Out is not perfect, it is well made with a number of beautiful shots, often lit only by flashlights, candles, or blacklight. Director David F. Sandberg, who also wrote and directed the short, proves himself well on his first big movie. It’s no surprise he’s already directing his second, Annabelle 2. (Note, star of the short film Lotta Losten also makes her big screen debut here, with a fun cameo.) Lights Out gets a solid B for good scares and good shots. It may not set the world on fire, but it is about as entertaining as a mainstream popcorn horror movie gets in this day and age. Definitely worth a look, especially in a crowded theater full of people who want to be scared. And if you have not seen it yet, don’t forget to watch the original short. Because that is the film that will make you consider buying a nightlight or two.
