David F. Sandberg
Shazam! is a walk-off grand slam in extra innings, feeling like a statement from a studio and director working so hard to finally get it all right.
With effective sound design and plenty of earned scares, Annabelle: Creation is another successful entry in the continuing Conjuring saga.
Lights Out initially seemed to be promising. Though reminiscent of other horrors I have seen, the idea of a creature that only lives in the dark is still an interesting and potentially frightening subject; that is, if it’s composed with the right balance in both story and direction. Unfortunately, like many dime-a-dozen horror films, Lights Out suffers from an all-in approach, choosing to simply attempt to scare the viewer by any means necessary rather than working on making it genuine.
