Lights Out | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | David F. Sandberg |
Produced by | |
Screenplay by | Eric Heisserer |
Based on |
Lights Out by David F. Sandberg |
Starring | |
Music by | Benjamin Wallfisch |
Cinematography | Marc Spicer |
Edited by | Kirk Morri Michel Aller |
Production
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Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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81 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $4.9 million |
Box office | $148.9 million |
Lights Out is a 2016 American supernatural horror film directed by David F. Sandberg in his major directorial debut, produced by Lawrence Grey, James Wan and Eric Heisserer and written by Heisserer. It stars Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, Alexander DiPersia, Billy Burke and Maria Bello. It is based on Sandberg's 2013 short film of the same name and features Lotta Losten, who starred in the short.
The film had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 8, 2016, and was released in the United States and Canada on July 22, 2016 by Warner Bros. The film was a box office success, grossing over $148 million and receiving generally positive reviews. A sequel is currently in development.
In a textile warehouse, worker Esther sees a silhouette of a figure when she turns the lights off, but sees nothing with the lights on. She warns owner Paul about the apparition, which he ignores, and leaves. Paul is then chased and gruesomely killed by the figure.
Paul's stepdaughter, Rebecca, lives away from her mother Sophie and half-brother Martin. Sophie suffers from mental illness and a depression that has resurfaced, talking to an imaginary friend. One night, Martin sees Sophie talking to a figure and is horrified, gaining insomnia. Rebecca takes Martin to her apartment to protect him, against their mother's wishes. That night, Rebecca awakens to see the figure, barely avoiding its attack thanks to the building's neon sign flashing through her window. The next morning, Rebecca finds "Diana" scrawled on the floor. She recalls Diana from her own childhood, the reason she left when her father, Sophie's first husband, seemingly abandoned them. Later, she breaks in and sees files about Sophie and Diana, and that Diana was killed when exposed to a bright light during an experiment.