Hollywood has always been looking for new and inventive ways to scare the living crap out of you and we the public always attend. We like getting scared so it should comes as no surprise that I chose to watch the new horror film Lights Out for today’s film. For a boy named Martin (Gabriel Bateman), things in his life are anything, but normal. You see Martin lost his dad to a strange death, his mother (Maria Bello) is taking to herself (or someone…), and anytime he turns the lights off, he sees a really scary woman who wants to kill him. He’s having a hard time finding anyone to believe him until his older half sister Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) sees the same things that he does. They then find out that this ghost may be connected to their mother so they’ll have to try anything to save her and themselves before it’s too late. The film also stars Alexander DiPersia (I Am Legend) as Bret, Billy Burke (The Twilight Saga: New Moon) as Paul, Alicia Vela-Bailey (Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Diana, Andi Osho (Mock The Week) as Emma, Emily Alyn Lind (Hidden) as Young Sophie, Ava Cantrell (Haunted Hathaways) as Young Diana, and the film was directed by David F. Sandberg (Ladyboy).
Spoiler Alert: I just wanted to take the time to issue a spoiler alert because some information may be discussed that could potentially spoil the film. So, read on if you dare or stop if you do not seek to know. I wanted to start this off by saying that I was very impressed with the film because they were honestly trying to scare the crap out of you the whole time. It was a really creepy and clever story that will surely make someone somewhere not want to turn off the lights. I love how in the story, Diana has a personal connection to them through their mother and that it has to do with her not being well. Diana is able to take over and manifest herself into the real world because someone is week and that is when she takes over. I loved the story of the film, but was it truly scary? I think I am so used to this films and so desensitized as this point in my life that nothing truly scares me, but the film is spooky. I just wanted to take the time now to say that Teresa Palmer looks super hot in this film as a metal chick. I am a huge fan of hers and what she can do on screen. There hasn’t been a film that I have seen with her that I haven’t been impressed with. Maria Bello was fantastic once again playing a mentally unstable sick woman like she did in Prisoners, Gabriel Bateman did a great job as the star of the film, and Alexander DiPersia provided us some comedic relief. One thing is for sure, when I saw James Wan’s name attached to this as a producer, I was like of course cause it felt like a James Wan film (if that makes any sense to you). Nevertheless, go check this out and I am going to give the film a grade somewhere between an B+/A- for a final grade.
In this decade alone, Ed and Lorraine Warren have become figures of the supernatural with films made based on their case files like The Conjuring, A Haunting In Connecticut, and Annabelle. So, it’s safe to say that I was super excited to see that The Conjuring 2 was coming out and hence why I chose it for today’s film. In this film, it’s 1977 and Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) have been on a sabbatical since the events at the Amityville house. They get pulled out of that sabbatical when a strange case comes to them all the way from Enfield, London, England. Things are tough for Peggy Hodgson (Frances O’Connor) and her kids as they struggle to get by. Things ill start to get worse when it seems that her youngest daughter Janet (Madison Wolfe) starts to become possessed. The Warrens now have to fly out there to figure out if it’s true or if the girl is faking it. Can they help her or will they leave? The film also stars Lauren Esposito as Margaret Hodgson, Benjamin Haigh (The People Next Door) as Billy Hodgson, Simon McBurney (Body Of Lies) as Maurice Grosse, Franka Potente (Blow) as Anita Gregory, Bob Adrian (Twelve Monkeys) as Bill Wilkins, and the film was directed by James Wan (The Conjuring).
We all know that sometimes horror sequels are never really that good and we usually leave the theaters disappointed. While I still hold the first film in high regards, I really thought that this was a very good film that was just so spooky at times. There were those cheap scares, but they definitely scared me a couple of times. The demon int he film is just spooky as hell and is enough to really give you the creeps. I love how they started out the film at the Amityville house because they sort of explain what Lorraine felt when she was going through the house. I loved the soundtrack to the film which featured a lot of great music from the late 70’s, but I also loved the score to the film. The score to the film was so creepy that it made it worse for you as you waited for something to happen. While some things that the evil spirits did were a little predictable at times, it didn’t bother me because in my opinion this is the best horror film of 2016 so far. What makes it even more scary is that it’s true and it’s from their case files. Stick around to the end of the film because you get a special treat where you actually get to hear the real voice of the evil spirit that they recorded during their visit plus you get to see real pics from the experience. The evil nun in the pic you see was a great antagonist for Lorraine as it puts her faith to the test throughout the whole film. I would definitely recommend this film to anyone who is a fan of horror and these types of cases. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.
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