Lights Out

Although the movie doesn't offer much in the way of characterization, its cheap thrills are manufactured effectively, like an amusement-park ride designed to rattle the nerves.

The fun wears out fast and so does the "gotcha" factor.

Bello is an excellent actress and makes Sophie's anguish credible, although she can't rise above the material.

At 81 minutes, unfolding in a handful of key locations, and opting for practical effects and clever framing over computer-generated imagery, Lights Out is still lean and concentrated, and it benefits from that spareness.

Predictable stuff, energized by some spiffy scare effects and actors who perform well beyond the call of fright-house duty.

For the most part, though, the film is just a tired tread through the usual elements.

A film with awful performances, a complacent direction and a laughable plot. [Full review in Spanish]

Unfortunately, like many dime-a-dozen horror films, Lights Out suffers from an all-in approach, choosing to simply attempt to scare the viewer by any means necessary rather than working on making it genuine.

A poorly executed child-in-peril piece of fright-free crud involving a deadly ghoul you can only see when the lights are out. So, why not stock up on high-powered torches? It's a weak horror premise, poorly done.

Likeable performances, good pacing and a requisite amount of scares help it along.

A beautiful piece of machinery... The pity about all this is that it can't be tied to a better human story.

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