Sandberg, who extended his own impressive short by the same name into this extended film, should have let this one rest. Can’t always have the lights on.

On the whole, with good editing, and trademark James Wan techniques of building up anxiety and good usage of light, the film definitely does manage to raise the hair on your neck when needed. Entertaining, scary in parts and funny at times, LIGHTS OUT makes for a decent one time watch.

The atmosphere here is suggestively creepy. Dark frames, dim flickering lights, sudden switch on and offs, striking sounds delivered suddenly, shadowed faces and faces shrouded in darkness and the general lame tricks that shore up the genres myriad affectations. They are all so obvious and predetermined that you can’t help but feel cheated by the déjà vu surrounding the experience.

Ultimately, Lights Out is a perfectly acceptable waste of time for those looking for an orgy of jump scares that are professionally framed.

And if the lights begin to flicker, just run.