This year saw a surge of films from directors who gained recognition through online short films, including notable names like Curry Barker with Obsession, Kane Parsons with Backrooms, and Markiplier with Iron Lung. These filmmakers are continuing the legacy of David F. Sandberg, who made waves in the horror genre with his 2016 film Lights Out. This movie was groundbreaking as it was the first studio horror feature to stem from a YouTube short film. The two-and-a-half-minute clip featured Sandberg’s wife, Lotta Losten, in a chilling narrative about a woman being pursued by a shadowy presence when the lights go out. Created on a shoestring budget, Sandberg’s short initially gained traction after entering the Bloody Cuts Horror Challenge and winning best director. A subsequent Reddit post propelled its views from just 8,000 to over a million, capturing Hollywood’s attention.
Losten attributes the film’s worldwide resonance to its silent nature, stating, “It just floated around the world because I don’t say anything.” Eventually, producer Lawrence Grey reached out to Sandberg, expressing interest in collaborating with James Wan on a feature-length adaptation. Sandberg partnered with screenwriter Eric Heisserer, known for Arrival, to develop the script for Lights Out, which featured a cast including Teresa Palmer, Billy Burke, Gabriel Bateman, and Maria Bello. During initial test screenings, the film received disappointing feedback, prompting the team to remove the ending that revealed the spirit’s return. After this change, the scores improved significantly, highlighting an effective storytelling lesson: sometimes less is more.
Lights Out premiered on July 22, 2016, and achieved impressive box office success, grossing $148 million worldwide against a mere $4 million budget. With a sequel currently in development, Sandberg, who later directed Shazam!, advises aspiring filmmakers: “Keep creating because you never know what’s going to resonate. We didn’t know that Lights Out was going to work.”
This article was featured in the October 21 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. For more insightful content, subscribe here.
