Lights Out

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: David F. Sandberg/Starring: Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, Alexander DiPersia, Maria Bello and Billy Burke

Based on a short film by David F. Sandberg, Lights Out is the director's first full-length feature. Judging by his ability to chill and scare an audience, it's safe to say Sandberg will enjoy a substantial career as a horror film director. Though the film sometimes suffers from logic-deprivation (to be fair, so do most other horror films), one can't be hard-nosed about plausibility and logic when a filmmaker can create something eminently watchable. Unlike many horror films that slowly build suspense, Lights Out gets to the point quickly; as it has little time to waste at 82 minutes. It's supernatural antagonist is downright frightening, as is the film.

In the opening scene, we meet a businessman named Paul (Billy Burke); whose office resides in what looks like a mannequin warehouse. The mannequins' inherent creepiness creates an atmosphere of dread as Paul's assistant sees what looks like the outline of someone lurking in the shadows. She notices the shadow vanishes whenever she turns on the light but reappears when the light is off. Frightened, she alerts Paul to what she's seen, only to be brushed off. After she leaves, Paul hears sounds in the warehouse and enters it shortly thereafter to investigate. He too sees the shadowy apparition; noticing its peculiar preference for the dark. In trying to flee its malevolent aggression, the thing swipes at him, leaving a bloody gash in his leg. He manages to lock himself in his well-lit office, but seconds later, the lights flicker then go out, leaving Paul gripped with fear. The apparition appears shortly thereafter and quickly lays hold of him before leaving him gruesomely sprawled on the warehouse floor, dead. It isn't often we see a horror film introduce its villain so early but being so prompt means the audience is left with questions. Who or what is the thing that seems so pissed and what did it have against Paul? All questions are addressed in time.

The mystery of Paul's death becomes clearer in the following scenes when Rebecca (Teresa Palmer), Paul's step-daughter; visits her mother Sophie (Maria Bello). Sophie grieves over her husband's death but faces more immediate problems. Sophie resists her daughter's passionate pleas to take her medication, which prevent her precipitous fall into an emotional, depressive abyss. Meanwhile, Rebecca's half-brother Martin (Gabriel Bateman), finds himself contending with the phantasm that dispatched his father. As it threatens him nightly, keeping him awake, his school nurse notices he falls asleep in class. Rebecca becomes apprised of the problem, which leads her to proactively remove her brother from school; due to her lack of confidence in her mentally-frail mother. Realizing he needs rest but reluctant to have him stay at apartment, she and her boyfriend Bret (Alexander DiPersia) take him in after she has her own encounter with the entity at her mother's house. To her dismay, she finds the entity has invaded her own apartment.

After the entity mounts an attack in Rebecca's apartment, she discovers--after combing through files she filched from her mother--that Sophie was friends with a young girl named Diana during her stay in a mental hospital in her youth. We learn Diana was committed to the hospital after having been abused by her father. A significant indignity she suffered involved being locked in the basement, in the dark. Rebecca also learns Diana had a hideous skin condition when she arrived at the hospital. Fearing abandonment, Diana attached herself to Rebecca's mother, thereby becoming dependent on Sophie. In trying to keep Sophie from leaving the hospital, Diana tried to sabotage Sophie's therapy; her abandonment issues being quite acute.

As we find in the film, the theme of abandonment is quite strong. Most, if not all the characters, experience or feel some form of abandonment. After Diana's death, Rebecca discovers her attachment to her mother continued beyond the grave; hence her presence in the family's life. Paul's death was the result of Diana's jealousy and fear of Sophie's affections being directed elsewhere.

Child Care Services eventually shows up at Rebecca's apartment to return Martin to his mother. Having no legal alternative, Rebecca relents. Having already encountered Diana in his mother's home, the viewer may wonder why Martin accepts the case worker's demand without protest. More puzzling is his veritable calm when he's at home with his mother, who never seems to notice anything is amiss with her son (I guess her shaky mental state is a good narrative alibi). And knowing Diana is a threat to her brother, why doesn't Rebecca spend the night at her mother's place?

Diana's war against everyone not-Sophie continues and her antagonistic campaign of terror leads to a showdown with Rebecca, Martin and Bret. While staying at Sophie's house, the three are attacked individually. Bret takes flight after narrowly escaping Diana's clutches (his escape is rather cleverly executed with his car keys). Though his act seems wildly craven, Rebecca reassures Martin of his return--though she (and we) can't be sure. Diana manages to trap Rebecca and Martin in the basement. While Rebecca feeds a basement stove fire to provide crucial light, Martin finds a black light tube, which they immediately activate. The black light allows Sandberg a terrific visual opportunity, which he exploits beautifully. The light casts an eerie glow, which adds atmospheric drama to the visuals. Unfortunately for Martin and Rebecca, the black light doesn't keep Diana at bay; allowing her to grasp and lunge at the two from behind shelves. Question: if the black-light doesn't have any effect on Diana, why doesn't she just attack them directly rather than reach for them from behind a shelf?

We see Bret return with police (hooray, the cavalry!) but they are ill-prepared to deal with Diana and are dealt with themselves, forthwith. It is almost comical how long it takes for Sophie to respond to Diana's murderous mayhem but she does eventually; begging her "friend" not to harm her kids.
I won't give away the end but a tragic sacrifice is made as we learn Diana only exists because of her disturbing attachment to Sophie (geez, talk about a co-dependent!).

One could spend an hour or so pointing out the film's flaws and inconsistencies or the bewildering behavior of the characters but its strengths allow us to happily overlook its shortcomings. Sandberg shows he has a veteran horror director's touch with mood and atmosphere. For a film that is so short, exposition isn't hurried along or overlooked. He is quite comfortable with is material (as well he should be).

I was pleased the film didn't set up an obvious sequel but given Hollywood's franchise mania, I wouldn't rule it out. The film is doing well enough to keep that option open but I hope it doesn't happen. I wouldn't mind seeing Sandberg tackle something different. We'll see what they allow him to make.

Lights Out won't astonish but it will definitely entertain. It's chilling and the performances are sound, so it has nothing to be ashamed of. I found it more enjoyable than both Ghostbusters and Star Trek: Beyond, which isn't saying much but it doesn't surprise me that the film's $5 million budget pales next to two films that cost $140 and $185 million respectively. Give a hungry, talented director a small budget and more often than not he or she will never abandon your expectations.
Oh, there's that abandonment thing again.