Based on the short film with the same name, Lights Out is an imaginative horror that preys on our innate fear of the dark. Whenever the lights go out a mysterious shadowy figure known as Diana (Alicia Vela-Bailey) appears where the only safe place from her is in the light. This, in theory, is a great premise for a horror film but unfortunately Lights Out is unable to deliver anything substantial to bring some light to the horror genre.
With an interesting premise that makes for some tense and creative sequences, Lights Out is essentially another generic horror with some element of mystery. It sees younger brother Martin (Gabriel Baterman) along with his older sister Rebecca (Theresa Palmer) delve into the past of their mother Sophie’s (Mario Bello) mental health issues to figure out who exactly Diana is when she starts to reappear to terrorise their lives. The cast give a wholly decent performance but since each character plays the generic incompetent horror characters of the rebellious teen, innocent child, and caring boyfriend who insist on leaving rooms dark when they walk around the house and walk towards dark areas it becomes easy to see Lights Out as a selection of half-baked scares with no real suspense or depth.
Lights Out extinguishes any potential for an intriguing mystery with one convenient plot point which puts all the cards on the table about Diana’s identity before there is time to properly establish any mystique about her dark past and her relationship with the mother. Consequently, this leads to a pacing issue in the second act. It is as if Diana’s motivation was an afterthought to a list of creative sequences that could be done with her during the final act. During this segment, it the film also becomes inconsistent about the rules it follows. It is clear that Diana can only appear and interact with the world in the darkness but during one sequence we hear a door being banged on to be revealed that nobody is there while the hallway is fully lit. All the film had to do was show the hall lights coming back on when the door was opened to stick to the film’s own logic.
Thankfully Lights Out becomes more enjoyable during the final portion of the film after it has ticked all the boxes needed to establish a standard horror film set-up. There are genuinely tense moments at this point where the characters are more creative with light sources to fend off the Diana for the final showdown. Unfortunately, though, Lights Out stumbles at the last hurdle with a disappointing final reveal of Diana that only raises more unanswered questions. Not only is this final blow nonsensical, Lights Out lets itself down more by throwing in a final twist to forcefully conclude what was already a neglected story arc.
Overall, Lights Out is a somewhat imaginative horror film that offers some moments of genuine tension and dread throughout what is essentially the standard horror formula. With generic idiotic characters, lack of mystery, and an inconsistency in its own logic, Lights Out is regrettably unable to live up to its own potential. Without shining light into contemporary horror cinema, Lights Out will gradually fade into the darkness to be remembered by its premise only.
By Andrew Murray
ThatFilmAndGameBlog 
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