Dread Central, there’s something you should know about me. For all the tough talk and gruff exterior, I hide a terrible secret. Every night, when I crawl into the mountain of blankets and pillows that I call a bed, I hike the comforter up over and around my head like a Russian babushka. It’s a longstanding habit of mine that stems from a very integral fact: I am scared of the dark.
Even living alone, I lock my bedroom door and spin my computer chair to face me lest Sadako be seated on the other side. I check the corners of my ceilings for Kayako. I’m not sure why so many of my fears are small Japanese girls… we can analyze that later. The point is that bumps in the night and shuffles in the dark terrify me.
And luckily, David Sandberg is here to validate my fears! Thanks, bro! With the upcoming film Lights Out, he’s out to prove that we were right to be scared of the dark. Starring Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, Alexander DiPersia, and Maria Bello, Lights Out is based off of the terrifying short film of the same name by director Sandberg. Check out the original short and a trailer for his new film now:
Sandberg isn’t the first to prove that the dark is a nasty, scary place. Check out these 13 films that prove we were right to be scared of the dark.
13) Darkness Falls (2003):
I have a bit of a soft spot for Darkness Falls. It might have been cheesy and silly, but like hell if I didn’t look over the end of my bed for Matilda Dixon for a month. This movie came out when I was just 14, right at the start of my evolution into a horror nut, and left an impression. It was a fun, action-heavy spookfest with as much schlocky charm as a Christmas pageant written by Lloyd Kaufman. As I get older, I still get some guilty fun out of popping it into my DVD player and spending another night under my blanket worried about the specters of my childhood.
12) Vanishing on 7th Street (2010):
Vanishing on 7th Street is a film that manages to be great despite itself. Even with some truly terrible performances by Hayden “Emo Anakin” Christensen and John “I Would Like My Paycheck, Please” Leguizamo, I still find myself regularly recommending it. It taps into a primal fear, with the faceless, ubiquitous dark closing in around you spelling certain death. There are some clear shortcomings, especially when it dips its toes in some philosophy, but the fundamental concept and terrifying premise give it real weight. Also, props to whoever came up with the surgery scene. That shit was genuinely terrifying.
11) From the Dark (2014):
I honestly don’t really get why From the Dark doesn’t get more love. A few logical continuities aside, it’s one of the most interesting modern takes on vampires outside of Afflicted. Without ever actually saying “vampires!,” the gangly and vicious nameless foe depicts a Nosferatu-esque horror in visuals alone. It explains its lore and “rules” without some kind of mystic tome or magical individual explaining the backstory. It has some great use of limited space and conservative camerawork, making you use your imagination and only showing when appropriate. It’s not a perfect film, but one I think far surpasses its aggregate score. If you haven’t seen it, check it out.
10) The Hallow (2015):
“Kyle!” I shouted, with exuberance, “They did it, Kyle! They finally made evil faeries!” Eyes wide, distended cheeks ready to spew forth the contents of his maw, he took a moment to recover and swallow. “Oh God, what? How? Where? When?” His Celtic Studies major’s heart was aflutter. For so long, he had waited for his adopted people’s lore to be treated fairly, and not Disneyfied like so many before. “The Hallow,” I whispered, “and it’s like, real good, dude.” For those of you not part of this conversation, The Hallow is about faeries that are also zombies that are also mold that steal babies and melt in sunlight. Also, there’s a flaming scythe fight scene. Please watch The Hallow.
9) They (2002):
They is a film I found on a bargain bin shelf four years ago for 25¢. It’s the same place I found such exceptionally terrible softcore porns like Dark Wolf. Where I expected some boobs and a public domain soundtrack, I found an actually scary movie. They is a movie that isn’t afraid to let you wonder what the fuck is going on. Pieces of the plot are fed to you, but never is the full picture really revealed. Even when you find out what’s going on, the actual mechanics of how everything works are left in eldritch mystery. It shows you scary shit and leaves just enough room for your brain to run circles trying to explain it all.
8) Darkness (2002):
As an intellectual snob, a good plot twist is the kind of thing that makes me feel satisfied watching a film. It’s easy to praise the Shayamalans and Finchers for their creative twists, but Balagueró’s Darkness deserves equal praise. Rather than blindsiding you, it leads you along a path that you slowly realize step by step. Each brick building that road is its own revelation, and when it’s all done, you look back and see the path in its entirety. It’s clever, fun, and ramps into terrifying.
7) Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (1973):
It’s rare that you say to yourself, “Eh, I really liked the made-for-TV version better.” That’s exactly the case with Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. I didn’t hate Nixey’s 2011 vision, but the more subtle 1973 version remains my favorite. It’s a far more focused narrative, with fewer characters to get in the way and convolute the plot. I don’t need children to be in peril to get me to care about a movie, Hollywood; please stop. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is a great example of classic horror goodness that didn’t need a huge budget or star power to be awesome.
6) Pitch Black (2000):
When I picked Pitch Black off of a Blockbuster shelf in the early 2000’s, I was not aware of the amazing effect it would have on me. I don’t recall the exact age, but it must have been between when I was 11 and 13. Forever after, I have considered knife-wielding wounded souls with a history of violence the best character in any movie. Jason Statham was my favorite Expendable, and I kept rooting for Choi Min-sik in I Saw the Devil. Judging by schoolyard debates and the popularity of steampunk, it convinced an entire generation that goggles were cool. It’s hard to pin the zeitgeist on a single person/film, but for a brief time Vin Diesel was untouchable. My theory? It all started with an obscure sci-fi movie called Pitch Black and an absurdly badass character named Riddick.
5) The Lost Boys (1987):
The Lost Boys is a movie that was so good my mom showed it to me when I was 10. This was about the same time she showed me Schindler’s List and Fargo. My mother was a strange, wonderful, deeply gifted woman. It probably explains a lot about me. And you know what? I will still challenge anyone to a stake duel at midnight that says it isn’t one of the most badass vampire tales to ever be put to the silver screen. I spent years envisioning how I’d live both as vampire and as hunter, weighing my soul against the various pros and cons of awesomeness. If that isn’t influential, then I don’t know what is.
4) The Omega Man (1971):
Say what you will about Christ figures, The Omega Man gets it right. The world is full of heathens who turn their back on civilization for the dark? They shun technology and live in the shadows as primitive cultists worshiping a false god? They can only be cured by the blood of the man trying to save them all along? Not super subtle. But all of those are just plot points in an amazingly realized vision of a lonely man trying to survive in the apocalypse. It’s a realistic vision of survival in a world at odds with you. Christ figure or not, Charlton Heston kicks some serious ass before sacrificing himself for the greater good. Righteous.
3) The Tunnel (2011):
Without exaggeration, The Tunnel is the best found footage film to come out of the craze. It’s arguably better than Paranormal Activity. Everyone has his or her favorite indie movie, and The Tunnel is mine. It takes a simple plot and builds upon it believably to the point where you forget it’s a bunch of actors. It perfectly captures what makes real documentaries great and reflects it into a fictional narrative that feels as real as any newscast. Along with Lake Mungo, it’s what I point to when people try to say that found footage was all bullshit.
2) Interview with the Vampire (1994):
Say what you will about the modern vampire movie. Without Rice’s novel, none of it would exist. Beautifully visualized by Neil Jordan, Interview with the Vampire was the birth of the complex vampire narrative. The idea of vampire society, clans, conflicting interests, and personal struggles was made indivisible canon by Rice. It’s a complex, gorgeous film that makes you constantly question the line between nature and nurture, good and evil. Even if you don’t personally resonate with it, it has the capacity to make you think and question morality beyond the normal bounds. There are vampire films that I personally like more, but none that I would call better.
1) Lights Out (2016):
Going from YouTube short film to viral sensation is every amateur filmmaker’s dream. Going from that to a feature film production with the backing of a major studio is a Cinderella story. It’s the kind of thing that makes horror fans and hopefuls look to the genre with wonder and love. With Lights Out, David Sandberg has done the impossible. In 2 minutes and 42 seconds, he made something that would break the mold and rocket him into the world of major motion pictures. On July 22nd audiences will be able to see his vision come to life. Join me in viewing Lights Out, and see why we were right to be afraid of the dark.
So how about you guys? Excited to see Lights Out in theaters? Let me know below!