"A young woman and her step-brother are terrorized by a malevolent spirit that only appears when the lights go out."
I Say...
Perfect summary.
Horror Type...
Supernatural Horror
Main Players...
Teresa Palmer as Rebecca, aka Becca (Super Big Sis)
Gabriel Bateman as Martin (Brave Lil Bro)
Alexander DiPersia as Bret (Loyal Wanna-be-Boyfriend)
I liked...
- that the "rules" regarding the creature are quickly established, and they're pretty simple (though we later learn of a big one that's a real doozy)
- the relationship btw Becca and Bret; it doesn't overwhelm the story but provides a lovely little subplot of sweetness. I also enjoyed that it was the gal in the dynamic who was the commitment-phobe, for a change
- that gorgeous freaking house! Me want-y!
- that it was a brisk, well-paced one hour and twenty-odd minutes of steadily and evenly unraveling yarn
- the unique (IMO) "monster" idea
The Meh...
- The prejudice shown against someone into a rock'n'roll-kinda lifestyle got up my nose. Really, someone's irresponsible bc she's got heavy metal rock posters on her wall? Give me a freaking break...
- Spoilers and Trigger Warning for suicide ahead; click and highlight between the red colons to read :: A mentally ill character winds up completing suicide as a method of eliminating the creature plaguing them all. This development fills me with all sorts of squick and I wish they'd stuck with the plan of trying to get the character back on the prescribed medication that wasn't being taken. On the other hand, it is a true-to-life development, in some cases, and can serve as a reminder for us to keep checking in on loved ones and friends, to make sure they're caring for themselves appropriately. ::
Would I recommend it...?
Sure! It's (mostly) a fun little nightmare for your Halloween season, with low-level scares throughout and a handful of big jumps strategically placed. I doubt it goes hard enough for hardcore horror fans, though it might be a bit much for the super sensitive.
Miscellany...
- This feature's an expanded version of a short film by director David F. Sandberg. The short stars Sandberg's wife, Lotta Losten, who also has a cameo in the opening scenes of the feature film (I love that she was in it, using some of what she did in the short also in the feature). I have to admit that I find the short, which I first watched some years ago, utterly terrifying (in a way that the feature film isn't, for me). Never thought something under 3 minutes in length could have such a big bite, but that bad boy legit made me lose a night of sleep. I've embedded the short at the very end of this post but urge the sensitive to exercise caution--at the very least, don't watch it around bedtime!
- I freely admit that, for years, I have slept with a dimmable lamp on its lowest setting, and I don't care who knows it. 😎
Ratings...
My Grade: B+
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: Tomatometer=76%, Audience Score=61%
Details, Schmeetails...
I Watched Lights Out on Amazon (the Rotten Tomatoes page linked above provides links to other streaming platforms)
Learn more about it on Wikipedia (Contains Spoilers)
This concludes Day 21 of
Thanks for reading and come back tomorrow...
IF YOU DARE
Here's the short film upon which the feature film is based.
PLEASE DO NOT WATCH IF YOU'RE SENSITIVE TO SCARY STUFF!
(Yea, verily, for I am not kidding!)
You seem to have come up with a lot of movies in which the female characters aren't throwaways and/or decoration. I may check this one out if the rental doesn't involve signing up for a free trial or something.
ReplyDeleteI did watch this (and a bunch of other things!) with a free HBO 7-day trial (and cancelled in time to avoid being charged--it's really easy to do!). But you can also rent it for 3.99.
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