YMMV / Lights Out (2016)

• Alternate Aesop Interpretation: The interpretation that Sophie was right in her decision doesn't take her children's actions and reactions into account. Rebecca and Martin resolve to save their mother despite multiple chances to leave her to Diana; Rebecca's reaction to the suicide, which the film lingers on, is to scream and cry; and Martin stares into the middle distance as he is powerless to help. Additionally, the movie sets up a method of hurting Diana with the blacklight, which would've been harder but likely effective. Another way to take the ending is that, while those with depression might think it's heroic to kill themselves and remove the immediate problem rather than be a burden on their loved ones as they try to help, said loved ones would prefer to solve the problem the hard way and keep the afflicted alive.
• Alternate Character Interpretation:
  • Stalker with a Crush: Combined with Psycho Lesbian. A potential explanation for the sheer lengths Diana goes through to keep Sophie all to herself. Their implied relationship in the mental hospital has shades of this, especially when you consider Diana's very specific hatred of both Sophie's husbands to the point that she murders them both and particularly Diana scratching the father out of little Rebecca's drawing and adding herself next to Sophie instead.
  • Tragic Villain: A different interpretation of Diana is that what she told Sophie is true - she didn't actually die in that light experiment, but instead got shifted to a different plane of existence, and Sophie is now her only tie to the known world. When Sophie gets better, Diana loses that link, as evidenced by the Room Full of Crazy in the basement. Couple that with her having been kept confined in the basement for most of her childhood due to her light allergy.
• Broken Base: Which is better? The feature length film or the original short? Those who prefer the movie, love how it expands upon the original concept and gives us entertaining and interesting characters. Those who prefer the short, think the film stretches the premise thin and think giving Diana a backstory at all is completely unnecessary and diminishes the mystery of her in the original short.
• Complete Monster: Diana Walter, a sociopath since the day she was born, is sent to a mental institution after she played mind games with her father, ultimately causing him to kill himself. While there, she manipulates a depressed Sophie into becoming friends with her, and became physically abusive towards her, going as far as to break her legs when she heard that Sophie might be getting released. As a ghost, she latches herself onto Sophie, enslaving her in the process. Wanting Sophie to herself, she murders both of her husbands when they attempted to heal their wife's mind, and she stalks and terrorizes Sophie’s children Rebecca and Martin, eventually opting to kill them in utter defiance of Sophie's demands. When two police officers are alerted on a potential break in, they go to investigate; Diana savagely murders both officers, and attempts to kill Rebecca in front of Sophie. Self-serving and hostile, Diana sought complete control over Sophie's body, and would murder anyone who came in her way.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Bret is the best character in the whole goddamn movie. What could have been the typical dumbass horror movie boyfriend who dies just to add drama was instead a likeable and resourceful young man who believes Rebecca when she explains the supernatural encounters instead of just blowing it off. The scene where he uses his car lights to ward off Diana has reportedly caused several audiences to start cheering. Even before that moment he was genuinely supportive of Rebecca and was the one pushing for a Relationship Upgrade, when it's typically the other way around in movies. Also helps that Sandberg himself said Bret was his favorite character as well.
• Fan-Preferred Cut Content: Some consider the original ending (which takes place after the theatrical ending scene) where the villain makes one final attack on the siblings to be canon, given that it avoids the implication of suicide being a solution to problems without requiring the need for a sequel.
• Fanon: Fans of the film and original short tend to theorize that Esther is the character of the 2013 short since we don't see her again. Considering that most (if not all) of Sandberg's shorts have Lotta be The Chew Toy of them, it wouldn't be surprising.
• Heartwarming Moments: Just about every scene between Rebecca and Martin, with the trust, care and protectiveness that they show each other.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Diana is played by professional stunt Alicia Vela Bailey. One year after this movie, she'll be the stunt for another character with the same name. Both films would even end up tied together when SHAZAM! (2019) featured a cameo of Mrs. Glover now working as a foster care counselor.
• Moe: Between his Extremely Protective Child moments toward mom, bonding moments with his older sister, and the scene where Becca finds him asleep in a bathtub with a flashlight in his first night away from the Haunted House, Martin inspires a lot of warmth and protectiveness.
• One-Scene Wonder: Billy Burke as Paul, who shows signs of being a caring parent and concerned spouse, then puts up a decent chase before becoming the first victim.
• Paranoia Fuel: Let's face it. After you watch this movie, you probably don't want to stay in dark places for too long.
• The Producer Thinks of Everything: In the climax, the muzzle flash from the officer's gun means that Diana is effectively Immune to Bullets.
• The Woobie:
  • Martin, a sweet kid whose lost his father, has to live with Diana and a mother going crazy and is desperate to get out of that house for just a night at the beginning of the film.
  • Sophie, given how long she's been tormented by Diana, losing both her husbands and having her children driven away from her as well.
  • Rebecca, in the backstory. She lost her father when she was a kid, was tormented by Diana without anyone believing her.

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