Movie Breakdown: Lights Out

Pre-Screening Stance:

James Wan has reached a point where if his name is attached to a horror film, then it’s probably worth checking out.  With that being said, even if I didn’t know he produced Lights Out, I’d still be excited to see the film since the trailers for it have been rock solid in a “should I watch this if I enjoy sleeping” kind of way.

Post-Screening Ramble:

If you just want to have a good time, then I think you’re going to dig Lights Out.  Like The Babadook, The Conjuring, It Follows and other recent horror hits, it features a slew of suspenseful scenes with well done jump scares occasionally peppered in just to make sure you steadily feel on edge.  From there, to be honest, it’s hard for me to say much else about the film.  It has a super brief hour and 21 minute run-time, and its story, which is essentially about a family desperately trying to figure out how to deal with an unwanted guest from their past, isn’t particularly layered or drawn out.  The movie starts, a rather bad thing happens, some relevant info gets uncovered, scary things happen, and then before you know it the film is in its final act and barreling towards a conclusion.  That’s it.  So, as I noted up above, if you just want to watch something that will be fun and perhaps give you the willies, then go see Lights Out.  You can even leave your brain at home!  On the flip side of that, if you’re looking for some kind of game changing, in-depth monster flick, then you may want to seek a different film out.

One Last Thought:

Lights Out reminded me just how much I like and appreciate Maria Bello.  I should revisit some of her older films, especially History Of Violence and Thank You For Smoking.