This month, the focus on scary films is going to stretch into the Saturday Shorts. If you like it, great; if not, well, I’ll politely suggest that we meet up again next month after things have calmed down a bit. If you’re not into getting freaked out by simple technique/plot, you really should skip this entry. Here’s Lights Out from David Sandberg and Lotta Losten.

Holy fucking shit.

Simple tricks and cuts are really the granddaddy technique of making something work without the hocus pocus of CGI. Where this one really sings, though, is how the writing preys so acutely on human reaction to fear, and the distrust of our perceptions. It’s easy to see a figure in the hall and blame a coat rack or the light. While we may not want to admit it, many of us would hide under the covers like a four-year-old and hope that whatever you think is out there just goes away. The result is something we can relate to, which makes it that much creepier of an experience. That there’s something actually there… that makes a fear come to life, and makes us that much more uncomfortable. It’s always scary to think that the Boogeyman could exist.

And with that, keep the lights on and have yourself a happy Saturday.