‘Lights Out’ Trailer: Everyone Is Afraid of the Dark

In addition to directing The Conjuring 2, James Wan produced another horror film that’s also hitting theaters this year: Lights Out, the directorial debut of David Sandberg, based on his creepy short film of the same name. The first trailer is here, and it’s definitely something you want to watch with the lights on. But don’t feel embarrassed about it — everyone is afraid of the dark.

Wan produced Lights Out with Eric Heisserer (A Nightmare on Elm Street remake), who also scripted the new horror film, which centers on a woman named Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) and her younger brother, who are being haunted by a malicious ghost that only appears when — obviously — the lights go out. As the trailer explains (perhaps a bit too much), the ghost has a particularly tormented past, and it’s not the first time Rebecca has encountered it.

Here’s the official synopsis:

From producer James Wan (“The Conjuring”) comes a tale of an unknown terror that lurks in the dark. When Rebecca left home, she thought she left her childhood fears behind. Growing up, she was never really sure of what was and wasn’t real when the lights went out…and now her little brother, Martin, is experiencing the same unexplained and terrifying events that had once tested her sanity and threatened her safety. A frightening entity with a mysterious attachment to their mother, Sophie, has reemerged. But this time, as Rebecca gets closer to unlocking the truth, there is no denying that all their lives are in danger…once the lights go out.

Sandberg is also directing Annabelle 2, the sequel to The Conjuring spinoff, so Lights Out should give us a good idea of what to expect when that film hits theaters next year. Lights Out also stars Maria Bello, Billy Burke and Gabriel Bateman, and hits theaters on July 22.