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

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 10, 2016

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

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 22, 2016

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

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 18, 2016

Lights Out is a decent conceit stretched till it snaps, tied back together with feeble wisps of story, and re-stretched so dimly and often you'll mainly be craving the illumination on your watch dial.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 18, 2016

A lean, mean scare-machine, and a surprise contender for horror of the year. Seek it out. Then, for God's sake, buy a bedside lamp.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 15, 2016

As far as thrills and chills go, Sanberg's feature-length debut revels in both of them, making this a spooky little endeavor I'm frightfully happy to say I enjoyed.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 9, 2016

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.

| Aug 1, 2016

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

| Original Score: 1/4 | Jul 28, 2016

Lights Out, the new horror movie about a monster that can only strike when, well, the lights are out, is a near masterpiece of scary movie craft.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 25, 2016

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

| Jul 23, 2016

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.

| Jul 22, 2016

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

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 22, 2016

If you are in the mood for some neck hair prickles, this should do the trick. By the finely judged end, just who is causing all this horror is not clear, and that perhaps is the greatest fright of all.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jul 22, 2016

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

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jul 22, 2016

The short that inspired it packs more frights into its 3+ minutes of running time.

| Jul 22, 2016

There are a few inconsistencies with the scary bits, but the script is rich, and having Teresa Palmer as a badass adult daughter with commitment issues - typically a male role - is refreshing.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 22, 2016

The scares are cheap, but they're frequently effective, the same way that if you're hungry junk food might fill you up. It doesn't mean you'll feel good about it later.

| Original Score: C | Jul 22, 2016

Palmer, recently seen bathing in light in Terrence Malick's Knight Of Cups, is a formidable presence here, but she's crippled by a sloppy and tone-deaf script. It scores laughs when trying to be serious with emotions and psychology.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 21, 2016

Spackling over any copycat cracks with strong acting and fleet editing, "Lights Out" delivers minimalist frights in old-school ways.

| Jul 21, 2016

Swedish filmmaker David F. Sandberg makes an impressive feature debut with this spooky, less-is-more expansion of his short that landed him this first Hollywood gig.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 21, 2016