Comment

Oct 16, 2017
Lights Out sets up like a standard demonic presence, horror movie, where an evil entity pursues the seemingly innocent protagonists to no end, but it employs a unique device of making the antagonist only visible in the shadows to add something extra. The device works to great effect for jump scares that don’t seem as cheap as some in the same genre, and it's a useful base for a handful of interesting visual effects like the muzzle bursts from a gun causing the antagonist to intermittently disappear, or a protagonist gaining brief respite from being attacked by flipping on a car’s headlights. Without care, Lights Out could have floundered, but the director was clearly committed to the vision and wound up making a genuinely spooky experience.