Lights Out

Lights Out

Starring Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, Maria Bello, Alexander DiPersia

Directed by David Sandberg

The Story:
After his father was killed by an unseen entity, young Martin (Gabriel Bateman) fears for his life and the life of his mother Sophie (Maria Bello), who takes medication but still talks to an imaginary woman named Diana.  His stepsister Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) and her boyfriend Bret (Alexander DiPersia) take Martin in while they try to uncover the truth behind Diana and what she really is, and whether or not Martin is safe to be at home.

The Synopsis:
First-time director David Sandberg propelled to the horror scene with the short film "Lights Out" that's very prominent on YouTube.  It's a three minute story about a woman in a home alone when she sees an entity in the dark that disappears when the lights are on.  It's simple, but simply jarring as well, especially in the final scene.  As an homage to the short film, Sandberg even cast its lead as a cameo for the film.

So he got the funds to turn the short film into a full-fledged Hollywood feature, and while I was skeptical as to how he would maintain the dark mood and atmosphere to 80 minutes, he didn't sell out his vision and produced a horror film that's not the best, but far from the worst.  In fact it's closer to the best side than the worst, even though it's painfully formulaic, it still produced some decent scares and even better performances from its leads.

Typically I hate child actors, especially in horror movies.  They drive me nuts and make me wish that they would meet an unfortunate end.  Thankfully Gabriel Bateman wasn't over-the-top annoying and I actually cared for the kid.  Teresa Palmer gives a decent performance as Rebecca, a woman who hates her mother and serves as a rebellious teen with the heart of gold.  Maria Bello plays well as the strung-out Sophie who has a dangerous past that threatens her family.  Alexander DiPersia does well as the typical goofy boyfriend.  None of the performances are standouts in particular, but they play well off one another.

The story is simple: a vengeful spirit takes revenge on people, but can only do it when the lights are out, because in life she suffered from a debilitating disease that caused her skin to burn in light.  It's a semblance to "Darkness Falls," but without the silly premise of her being the Tooth Fairy.  Instead she's actually terrifying, seen only in a dark silhouette with glowing eyes and elongated nails that creep around and jumps out at the most inopportune moments. 

Not much can really be said about this movie, as it doesn't do anything revolutionary, nor does it do anything wrong necessarily.  It's just there, for our viewing pleasure, and offers no real surprises or twists.  Just a simple story set in a terrifying reality.

The Summary:
While not breaking any new ground in horror, "Lights Out" still offers some decent scares and good performances from its leads.

The Score: B+