Lights Out: You’ll never want to sleep in the dark again

No matter what mood you are in, a good horror movie can make you forget all your troubles… and also give you other things to worry about. Through the years, the horror genre has been a sure-shot hit field for drama and movie producers, locally and internationally.

Be it desi shows like Aahat and Woh, which used to air on Zee TV in the 90s, or the ever-horrifying doll-from-hell Chuckie of Child’s Play, horror-based entertainment has been a part of every 90s child’s life – and most of them recall it with fond nostalgia.

Therefore, being a 90s-kid, I have high expectations from the upcoming, CGI-induced scary movies and shows. In recent past, we have had hits like The Conjuring (2013), the Insidious series, The Blair Witch Project (1999) and Crimson Peak (2015), which have upped the ante for good productions and keep challenging their successors to strive for more.

However, there have been misses too, like Poltergeist (1982), Annabelle (2014), Unfriended (2015) and even the ill-famed Paranormal Activity. Most of these productions run the risk of becoming too predictable, following the same or virtually no plotlines and having substandard actors play demanding roles.

Because of this, one cannot help but feel sceptical whenever a new horror movie is introduced. But that, however, is not the case with Lights Out. Gripping its audience from the very first scene, the recently released trailer of Lights Out has gotten people excited – especially horror-film aficionados.

Aside from the near-perfect ambiance throughout the movie, the reason why this film seems better than its predecessors is that the plotline is much more effective (playing on people’s fear of the dark) and scenes where it seems that the lead protagonist is working with the paranormal entity, gives it a definitive edge. Plus, it would be fun to watch the Coyote Ugly (2000) famed Maria Bello back in action.

Set to be released on July 22, if this movie remains fast-paced, maintains a good level of suspense and avoids becoming clichéd, it will definitely be one of the top movies of 2016. I, for one, cannot wait to watch this film when it comes out.