- David F. Sandberg has made huge strides as a director in his first few years.
- The original Lights Out short is a fantastic, bite-sized horror flick.
- The short was first shown at the Bloody Cuts Horror Challenge before being posted on YouTube.
David F. Sandberg has made huge strides as a director in his first few years, with the recently released Shazam!, being his fourth feature film. Wrath of the Gods is his finest film, but Lights Out is his best. Sandberg’s horror debut was a major step for him after years of directing short films, but it wasn’t the first Lights Out picture. That would be the short film of the same name, directed by Sandberg in 2013. This early version, which is only two minutes and 24 seconds long, manages to be even scarier than the eventual feature-length adaption. While both films explore the general subject in intriguing ways, the first short video manages to retain more suspense, shocks, and mystery in less than 3 minutes than a full 81-minute feature.
What Is ‘Lights Out’?
The original Lights Out short is a fantastic, bite-sized horror flick. It follows a woman (Lotta Losten) as she prepares to go to bed, and when she turns off the lights in her house, someone comes in the shadows. Sandberg and his wife, Losten, filmed the film in their house on a shoestring budget, utilising equipment he had accumulated over the years. Sandberg was able to produce the picture without relying on others by using simple lighting and editing procedures, demonstrating his talents as a savvy, clever director. The short was first shown at the Bloody Cuts Horror Challenge before being posted on YouTube and Vimeo. Here, it became viral, attracting the interest of the film industry, resulting in the 2016 feature-length version.
David F. Sandberg’s horror flick Lights Out was released in 2016. Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) and Martin (Gabriel Bateman) are two siblings who are compelled to confront a supernatural figure who is tied to their mother and only emerges in the shadows. Now they must solve the enigma of this unseen presence before anyone is harmed. Lights Out is a mostly effective horror experience. Because it was created by James Wan of The Conjuring fame, you should expect a certain level of terror when watching this film. It’s a rather approachable popcorn horror film. Sure, there isn’t much blood and gore, the film looks about as gleaming as other James Wan productions, and the suspense isn’t overwhelming like in the most effective horror films. It is, nonetheless, entertaining and gives a nice experience for horror enthusiasts everywhere.
The ‘Lights Off’ Function Loses Its Mysteriousness
The film falters in what occurs with many short-film-turned-feature scenarios. In many cases, what was previously a straightforward notion must now be filled out over a considerably longer period of time. Lights Out begins intriguingly since you don’t know what’s going on with this mysterious thing or where it originated from. The opening sequence is its strongest, and it is essentially an extended replica of the 2013 short film. Esther (Lotta Lotsen playing a character eerily similar to hers in the short) is a factory worker closing up shop when she notices the shape of a long-haired human in the shadows. She then goes after her employer (Billy Burke), who is later pursued and slain by the monster. It’s an excellent scary set piece! This everything rapidly falls apart, with all of its mystical features getting over-explained. By the midway mark, there is little mystery left. It’s a letdown, but the remainder of the film is still enjoyable.
The original short film from 2013 tells a different narrative. Sandberg’s short film benefits from being a lean and harsh horror experience. Long periods of expository discussion, looking through papers that explain the villain’s past, or anything along those lines are not to be found here. The adversary in this story is simply a scary otherworldly presence! It’s fantastic. That is most effective the first time you see it. It’s simply standing there and lurking in the shadows, reappearing every time the main character switches the lights down. The picture is replicated in the 2016 feature film, but it is so high quality and polished that it lacks the spooky touch that only low-budget cinematography can provide. The shadows in this hallway scene are shot with a lower-quality camera in the short film, making them appear grainier and dirtier. When a horror picture is overproduced, the eerie element suffers.
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