The buzz is strong with this one. The James Wan-produced horror film Lights Out has been earning a reputation as a lean, mean thrill machine as of late. The movie screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival last month to a round of critical acclaim (it currently has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with 8 reviews), most of which praise first-time feature director David F. Sandberg's ability to turn the relatively simplistic hook (a ghoul who only appears in the dark) and turn it into an effective series of scares. As of now, I'm officially a believer.

BloodyDisgusting has a new clip for the film, which follows the always-welcome Teresa Palmer as a young woman fighting to protect her family from a blood-thirsty creature of the darkness, and it's remarkably effective considering you essentially know exactly how it's going to play out.

Update: Turns out this clip isn't embeddable, but you can click through this link to check it out.


Pretty creepy stuff, eh? It's an impressive display of craftsmanship, and a fine example of why sometimes simple is better. And that really applies to the film's general conceit. Fear of the dark is hardwired. Primal. We can all relate to it, and when it's well exploited we can all feel it. It looks like Sandberg, who will next go on to direct Annabelle 2, knows exactly how to twist that knife.

It's also interesting that Warner Bros. has emerged as the big league studio at the forefront of horror. Though their collaborations with Wan, from The Conjuring to Annabelle, and now the next Conjuring spin-off The Nun in the works, Warners has fostered a profitable, high-profile corner of the horror market. Here's hoping Lights Out is the next big hit, because I'm all about seeing more budget directed at horror films.


Here’s the official synopsis for Light’s Out:

From producer James Wan (“The Conjuring”) comes a tale of an unknown terror that lurks in the dark. When Rebecca left home, she thought she left her childhood fears behind. Growing up, she was never really sure of what was and wasn’t real when the lights went out…and now her little brother, Martin, is experiencing the same unexplained and terrifying events that had once tested her sanity and threatened her safety. A frightening entity with a mysterious attachment to their mother, Sophie, has reemerged. But this time, as Rebecca gets closer to unlocking the truth, there is no denying that all their lives are in danger…once the lights go out.

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Image via Warner Bros.

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