In 2013, director David F. Sandberg made a very simple but effective horror short titled “Lights Out”. In the short, an everyday woman turns off the light in her home before she goes to bed, only to discover a shadowy figure lurking in the darkness. She quickly flips the switch on and off, on and off again, to make sure what she has seen is real, but the figure is only visible in the dark, and seems to disappear entirely when the light is on. Although she can only see the entity when the lights are off, she can definitely tell that it’s slowly moving closer. With each flick of the light switch, it inches one step forward, until it’s standing directly in front of her, ready to pounce. Terrified, the girl runs to her room and jumps into bed. As she shakes with fear under her covers, the figure makes its way over to her nightstand, and for a single single second bears its horrifying bug-eyed face before displays a ghastly smile and clicks off the lamp, leaving the girl to inevitably fall prey to its attack.

Not only did this short win Sandberg the best director prize in the “Who’s There” category for the BC Horror Challenge and the award for best short at the Bilbao Fantasy Film Festival, but it also caught the eye of producer Lawrence Grey who brought it to The Conjuring director James Wan, who then offered to help produce the short if Sandberg was up for turning it into a feature length film. Thus, the movie Lights Out was born, and Sandberg was given the chance to prove himself as a real Hollywood director.

Admittedly, Lights Out has a slightly silly premise. Darkness Falls, From the Dark, and The Chronicles of Riddick all have similar setups, meaning that the characters in all of these films have to stay in the light to stay alive, but none of them quite measure up to the bar that this Wan produced picture has set. The reason why? Director David F. Sandberg actually understands how to send chills down an audience’s spine. His charcoal figure who basks in the darkness creates a petrifying atmosphere whenever she appears onscreen. Her crooked movements stand out like a stutter as she walks stiffly down the hall, making her appear less and less human every time she pops up in a quiet corner, or a whispers evil instructions from within a pitch black closet. She is death, and she’s come to silence those who seek to bring joy to the world, especially those who wish to help Sophie recover from her delusional illness.

Sophie’s been talking to herself for ages, but lately, since her husband mysteriously died, her sickness has taken a turn for the worst. Her kids Martin and Rebecca try their hardest to help their mother routinely take her pills and stop speaking to people who aren’t there, but their attempts to lessen the effects of their mom’s mental illness seem to be in vain, as she only grows more crazed and unfit for parenting. One night, as Martin catches her muttering to an invisible foe in the darkened corner, and then witnesses five bony fingers reaching out from around the door frame, he begins to wonder if his mom is truly afflicted, or if there actually is a malevolent spirit hiding out in their home.

In a way, this wicked spirit who goes by the name Diana is really just a metaphor for the issues in the house that have been building up for years and are now bursting at the seams; a personification of all of the negative energy clustered inside of these tired old walls. Sophie has been pretending that everything’s fine for a long time now, and although she believes that she is protecting her children from her morbid nature, she’s actually creating tiny rips and tears within the family unit that are too rugged and too deep to be easily covered up and painted over. This house embodies everything that this family stands for, and if it is haunted by an otherworldly force, then are just as cursed as their childhood home. Martin and Rebecca can’t avert their eyes any longer. Their mom is standing at the brink of sanity, and if they’re not careful, they’ll lose her forever, as she sinks deeper and deeper into a sea of depression. It’s an interesting parallel drawn between a woman who battles with her own personal demons and the demon who is terrorizing her family, which helps to elevate the film above a typical generic horror movie and turn it into a thoughtful commentary on society’s perception of mental illness and how we as a nation choose to deal with it.

Aside from the intelligent social discussion that it sparks, Lights Out is also a great movie just because it’s one of the scarier films to hit the mainstream in quite some time. It’s packed to the brim with jump scares, but instead of feeling cheap and unnecessary, they help push the momentum forward, and make it feel easier to relate to the characters because you can’t help but feel sorry for their horrifying situation. The sound editing is truly top notch, as is the lighting department, which together combine to create a scary story that really gets under your skin and raises the hair on the back of your neck. In the hands of a lesser director, even with the help of his skilled crew and killer cast, the plotline of Lights Out could risk coming across as cheesy and uninspired, but Sandberg shines in the director’s chair, and delivers a very impressive directorial debut. The only thing left to do now is thank Wan for bringing him to our attention.

It’s not a perfect film, but with time and the same creative people at his side, Lights Out director Sandberg could truly become a terrific and memorable filmmaker. Stories like his aren’t just engaging because they’re reminiscent of a Cinderella tale, but also because they remind us that it is possible to work hard and hone your craft and be noticed by someone higher up. It may seem like the odds are stacked against you, but if you keep your head down and focus on your work, you might just wind up catching a horror maestro’s eye, and get your shot at the big time. Independent film is still very much alive, and noteworthy folks like Sandberg are leading the horror genre in a very exciting direction.

Make sure to catch Lights Out when it hits theaters on July 22nd, 2016.