Lights Out
Blu-ray
Review by Kam Williams
Beware
of the Dark in Old School Horror Flick
When
Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) was growing up, she spent many a sleepless
night frightened by noises that she only heard after the lights went
out. Today, the emancipated 22 year-old has all but forgotten that
unfortunate chapter of her childhood. After all, she's long-since
moved out of the house and has her own apartment as well as a
devoted, if dimwitted, boyfriend, Bret (Alexander
DiPersia), she's been dating for 8 months.
But
Rebecca's relative state of bliss is rudely interrupted when she gets
word that her little brother, Martin (Gabriel Bateman), has been
suffering from insomnia for several days. She can't help but wonder
whether he's just having nightmares or if he's being terrorized by
the the same sort of paranormal activity that had plagued her own
formative years.
It suddenly has Rebecca reflecting on how her father (Billy Burke)
had perished under mysterious circumstances at work after being
warned by an alarmed colleague (Lotta Losten) that something weird
was happening with the office lights. Could his untimely death
possibly be related to little Martin's current plight or was there no
correlation?
So,
those are among Rebecca's concerns when she returns home to comfort
her scared sibling. She offers to take custody of Martin as soon as
he starts talking about their mom Sophie's (Maria Bello) recent
bizarre behavior, an indication that she might again be struggling
with bouts of depression.
Truth
be told, however, something supernatural is afoot. The premises have
been invaded by the ghost of Sophie's BFF (Alicia Vela-Bailey) who
died from a light-sensitive skin condition when they were kids. For
some unexplained reason, she's morphed into an evil apparition that
haunts her old friend's house and only comes out at night.
Lights
Out is one of those old-fashioned horror flicks which seeks to keep
you on edge by making you jump out of your seat when you least expect
it. The movie marks the noteworthy directorial debut of David F.
Sandberg who has fully fleshed out his 2013 short film of the same
name.
Despite
low production values that often leave a lot to be desired, Sandberg
has nevertheless managed to shoot a rather riveting screamfest,
thanks to a capable cast, a haunting score and a knack for editing
that's downright nerve-wracking. Proof positive it's still possible
to mount a decent B-horror flick on a very modest budget.
Very Good (3 stars)
Rated PG-13 for violence, mature themes, disturbing images, incessant terror and brief drug use
Running time: 81 minutes
Distributor: Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Group
Blu-ray Extras: Deleted scenes.
To see a trailer for Lights Out, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LiKKFZyhRU
No comments:
Post a Comment