I was looking for a truly scary movie that was light on blood and gore but heavy on scares and found it in Lights Out, a well-acted and perfectly-paced horror movie from director David Sandberg.
Working late one night, Paul soon discovers shadows are the best place for his worst nightmare to hide before killing him. Jump months later to find that his son Martin is also discovering evil lurks in the dark. When Martin is too scared to sleep, he seeks help from his mother but finds her only interest is talking to an imaginary friend in the closet called Diana. When he tries to enlist the help of his older stepsister Rebecca, who moved out after similar treatment from her mother years ago, the siblings (along with Rebecca’s beau Bret) soon learn the importance of flashlights, glow sticks, light bulbs, and every other form of illumination they can find to ward off what lives – and thrives – in the shadows. An ultimate showdown ensues with great scares and suspense, but not everyone lives to see the light of tomorrow.
- Top Scare: Shadow
- Heartbeats: 4 out of 5
- Gore Factor: 2 out of 5
- Suspense Factor: 3 3/4 out of 5
- Recommended for: 14 and up due to the true scariness