Textual Analysis

Textual Analysis

Lights Out (2013)

Lights Out, developed by Swedish director David F. Sandberg. It was first released on Vimeo and Youtube, and was winner of 'Best Short' at FANT Bilbao 2014. 

The film begins by introducing the protagonist, an ordinary female heading to bed in her pyjamas. We as an audience already get the sense that she is vulnerable. When she goes to turn off the light and a shadowy figure appears at the end of the hallway our antagonist is introduced. The unknown creature causes our protagonist to grow panicked and she tapes the light switch down in an attempt to keep it on. She goes to bed but the lamp beside her begins to flicker and the light in the hallway turns off. The light soon comes back on and our protagonist believes she is safe, only to be met face to face with the creature when she turns to look. 

The film shows excellent use of lighting, having the creature's figure outlined when it is first shown at the end of the corridor to emphasise its unsettling form. In our protagonist's bedroom, the lamp gives the room a dim light, enough to keep the keep the monster away (or so we think) but enough to create an eery atmosphere. At the end, when the monster's face is shown, it is illuminated by the light of the lamp, making its disturbing features such as big, blind eyes and unnaturally wide mouth stand out. 

Use of sound in this short is particularly strong. The loud click of the light switch emphasises silence of the rest of her house, making her seem more isolated. The clicking light switch is the only sound we hear until the figure is seen standing right next to the bedroom door, and at this point we hear an eerie sound effect used to increase tension. While the woman is under the covers, hiding, we can hear footsteps. These are made to seem louder by the absence of any other sounds and get louder, suggesting the creature is getting closer. We cannot see the antagonist however, which helps to build tension while the audience listens to its footsteps.

Regarding Mise en Scene, the setting is typical of a horror film. A lone woman's suburban house at night. The woman herself is wearing her pyjamas, displaying her as vulnerable seeing as she is not protected by much clothing. The creature is not shown properly until the very end but while it is standing in the hallway we can see its figure, which appears a little abnormal. Throughout the film we only see the hallway and the bedroom. The hallway is long and bare, making for a better effect on the audience when the woman turns the light off and the monster appears. In the woman's bedroom, there is only a bed, a cabinet and a lampshade. From the bed, the door can be seen and we are given the woman's point of view when the hallway light turns off and she can see through the slightly-ajar door.