Film of the Day: "Lights Out" — Three Minutes That Will Change Your Evening | Interesting facts

All you need to know: this horror movie will make you never turn off the lights before bed again.

The short film "Lights Out" (2013) became a viral hit, racking up over 18 million views on YouTube. And it all started with a single light switch.

What the film's about

A woman (played by Lotta Losten) is getting ready for bed. Just another night, just another hallway. But the moment she flicks off the light — something appears in the darkness.

A silhouette. A figure. A creature. And the longer that switch stays down, the closer it gets. Light is her only protection. That's where all the tension comes from.

Viewing experience

Instead of relying on jump scares and gallons of fake blood, director David Sandberg squeezes everything out of one simple idea: fear of the dark as our most basic instinct.

A woman in a nightgown stands in the middle of the hallway flicking the light switch — Frame from "Lights Out"

Everything happens in one apartment, without dialogue, without expensive special effects — but it's shot so precisely that you literally feel the air thickening on screen, and there are only a few steps left to the door. Click — and you don't know if the heroine will survive. Click — and the monster's closer. Click — and you're already covering your eyes with your hands in fear.

Critics and audience reaction

On IMDb, the horror scored 7.6 out of 10, and viewers still remember how it scared them — despite the entire story fitting into two and a half minutes.

One user on the site with the handle BA_Harrison wrote in their review: Excellent performance by the actress who plays the unfortunate victim of the supernatural entity. The film does exactly what it sets out to do, effortlessly scaring the viewer to death. My colleague nearly wet himself with fear. What a wimp!

"Lights Out" is a masterclass in how to terrify without words. Earlier on zoomboola.com, we covered "A Walk Through My House" — the strangest horror of all time.