Lights Out

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Lights Out

PG-13

2016

1h 17m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

74%

Tomatometer

180 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

When Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) left home, she thought that her childhood fears were behind her. As a young girl growing up, she was never really sure of what was real when the lights went out at night. Now, her little brother Martin (Gabriel Bateman) is experiencing the same unexplained and terrifying events that jeopardized her safety and sanity. Holding a mysterious attachment to their mother (Maria Bello), a supernatural entity has returned with a vengeance to torment the entire family.

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Critics Consensus

Lights Out makes skillful use of sturdy genre tropes -- and some terrific performances -- for an unsettling, fright-filled experience that delivers superior chills without skimping on story.

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Ed Potton

The Times (UK)

Oct 10, 2016

3/5

There are scares from the off in the short, punchy horror Lights Out, adapted by the director David F Sandberg from his short film.

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

Aug 22, 2016

3/5

The thrills are well orchestrated in a flick that knows not to outstay its welcome.

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Geoffrey Macnab

Independent (UK)

Aug 18, 2016

3/5

In its own deeply contrived way, the film is just as frightening as you want it to be.

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Zach Pope

Zach Pope Reviews

Aug 7, 2023

Excellent jump scares forgettable characters but Palmer is great!

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Aug 23, 2022

4/5

It does employ a few all-too-familiar tricks, but they certainly don’t undercut the many things the film deserves credit for.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Apr 11, 2022

2/4

While Sandberg orchestrates a few sequences of heavy tension, Lights Out doesnt quite click or retain a place in our minds after the end credits.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 13, 2026

Lights Out = a *3.5* star movie!

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Roger S

@RT66529725 Sep 6, 2026

This is actually a good decent tv or dvd/Blu ray horror movie. Not for theatres in my opinion. It’s really good. Acting is good and storyline is interesting and good.

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Cinema S

@cinema_sensei Aug 21, 2026

A simple horror concept executed surprisingly well. The idea of a creature that only appears in darkness creates plenty of effective scares, and the use of shadows and lighting makes even ordinary rooms feel threatening. Teresa Palmer and Gabriel Bateman give the emotional story some weight, though the characters and mythology aren't particularly deep. The final act becomes more conventional, but it's still a creepy and entertaining horror film.

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Noriko S

@NSakaida Jul 22, 2026

It was fun, didn't waste any time, and knew exactly what it wanted to be.

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azeem H

@Azeem1 Jul 20, 2026

David F. Sandberg's debut movie from his own short, is a well executed film. The acting is solid, the storyline is solid and the acting is engaging, additionally the directing is confident and sure. All involved hit it out of the ball park. I'm not much of a horror enthuse but I do like this film along with other similar style films such as Mama and It Follows.

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Fantazynerd 1

@RT48179632 Jul 4, 2026

Example of a bad mom

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David F. Sandberg

Director

Teresa Palmer

Rebecca

Gabriel Bateman

Martin

Alexander DiPersia

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Billy Burke

Paul

Maria Bello

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Synopsis

When Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) left home, she thought that her childhood fears were behind her. As a young girl growing up, she was never really sure of what was real when the lights went out at night. Now, her little brother Martin (Gabriel Bateman) is experiencing the same unexplained and terrifying events that jeopardized her safety and sanity. Holding a mysterious attachment to their mother (Maria Bello), a supernatural entity has returned with a vengeance to torment the entire family.

Director: David F. Sandberg
Producer: James Wan, Lawrence Grey, Eric Heisserer
Screenwriter: Eric Heisserer
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Atomic Monster, Grey Matter
Rating: PG-13 (Disturbing Images|Brief Drug Content|Some Thematic Material|Terror Throughout|Violence)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 22, 2016, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 11, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $67.3M
Runtime: 1h 17m

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