Summary

In ‘Lights Out,’ Rebecca and her brood are stalked by Diana, a ghostly diva who only slays in the dark, proving that not everyone looks good in dim lighting. Diana, embodying a terrifying allegory for untreated depression begins with violently killing, Sophie’s husband. The plot thickens with a harrowing journey through their haunted past, culminating in a sacrificial climax where familial bonds are tested against the backdrop of psychological horror. The narrative deftly weaves suspense and metaphor, presenting a chilling tale that delves deep into the psyche, casting light on the profound darkness of human suffering.

Theories, Speculations, & Questions

Diana’s Origins: Diana has been a real peach this whole time. Since birth Diana had a rare skin disorder making her sensitive to light. There isn’t much detail about what her life was like before she entered Mulberry Hill Mental Hospital other than they found her parents dead and her locked in a windowless basement. While explaining Diana’s history we can see a snip of an article saying “no one knows where she came from”.  Once she entered the hospital, she was found assaulting fellow patients, infiltrating people’s minds, and hanging with her best friend Sophie. Diana’s life came to a horrific end when the doctors tried a light therapy to treat her skin conditions. However, this was not her true end. She became our dark, unsettled, and seemingly burnt ghost attached to Sophie. Our shadows hypothesize that she was always an evil entity. There was no mark of an event from what we know that turned her into depression, she just was.

Nature of Diana’s Powers: Ok Diana, so you can turn off the lights? Seems like an unfair advantage here. She can move in and out of the darkness with ease. She gets stronger when Sophie is in a weaker mental state. She is strong enough to pick up Rebecca with her necklace (really strong necklace btw). Her only limitations seem to be that she must disappear if light hits her, her survival is dependent on Sophie’s survival, and she may have trouble with door knobs. To be honest, we are surprised she didn’t kill folks a little faster.

Lights Out Ending Explained: According to the Movie’s creator’s Diana is a paranormal creature that represents depression if left untreated. This brings a really dark and depressing message to the final scene where Sophie takes her own life to save her children. The ending didn’t seem to leave any room for a sequel as it implies that Diana’s existence is tied to Sophie’s life. It is revealed that Rebecca’s father didn’t actually leave but Diana killed him.

Outstanding Questions

• How did they explain the two dead cops at the end? I mean Diana didn’t just shoot those guys…but she did in fact gouge some eyes out.
• What was that writing on the walls in their house? Anyone else thinking that this might be the house that Diana was found in?
• What did they think happened to Martin’s father, our first victim in the movie? I mean he was badly mauled in his mannequin warehouse.

Shadow’s Commentary

• Thumbs up on jump scares: Right out of the gate we plunge into a jump scare scene and we dig it. That last light flick and music blast got our little hearts pumping.
• Fear the Dark: This movie takes advantage of the tension between the dark and the light in very unique ways, by using warehouse spotlights, red street lights, black lights, headlights, and candles.. If only we had a glow in the dark sticker scene. Though the trope of darkness as danger is time-worn, it remains effective for good reason, and this film executes that suspense masterfully.
• Shoutout to Esther:  The employee who sees a creepy figure (and took it very well) when she is closing up this strange, unexplained mannequin infested warehouse and … she doesn’t really press the issue with her boss.. just a casual “be careful leaving”. Low and behold this mysterious creature kills her boss, father of Martin. Lucky for you, Esther, he did not make it to work the next day to fire you.
• Monster’s Body: We get a full body shot of Diana, our monster, early in the movie and she’s giving burnt lady gaga. We were little bummed for an early reveal, producers could have held off for a while and left some things to the imagination to increase the fear factor.
• Diana: We love that our monster just goes by Diana. Enough said here.
• Diana’s stick portrait: Anyone else lol at Diana’s “self-portrait” while she was scratching on the floor at Rebecca’s house? Diana’s addition to the family portrait with a scratchy stick figure could be seen as the ultimate uninvited plus-one, “if you can’t join ’em, haunt ’em.”‘

• Rebecca’s boyfriend: We hate him, he tried to stay and help near the end but right off the bat he was trying to send Martin to child protective services, no man , Martin must be protected at all costs. However, we did love the scene of Diana holding him over her head and he turns on the car headlights. Clever and not the classic “boyfriend dies” trope.

Lights Out Review

Vox praised its tension and jump scares, Roger Ebert’s site appreciated its craftsmanship despite its conventional plot, and Rotten Tomatoes showed a division between critics reviews and audience reactions. Meanwhile, Reddit’s horror enthusiasts debated its underrated merits and dissected its darker themes, sometimes shining a light brighter than the movie itself on its narrative depths.

We would rate this movie a 6/10 on our scary scale for some decent jump scares, great light dark/tension, and a decently spooky Diana. We would give this movie a 3/10 on our ridiculous scale for only the random scene where Diana is wearing a dress, her stick figure portrait, and that Rebecca has an avenge sevenfold poster in her apartment. Otherwise, the overarching theme of depression and mental illness is really no laughing matter.