Lights Out 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		0.5

Lights Out 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

The real terror is bad QC.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III October 26, 2025

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NOTICE: Due to quality control issues that have not yet been addressed several weeks after release day, the following (hopefully temporary) write-up is more of a public service announcement than a review.

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A feature-length expansion of writer-director David F. Sandberg's gripping three-minute horror short released in 2013, Lights Out was helmed by its original creator but produced by genre mainstay James Wan. Both films successfully wield an undeniably chilling central gimmick -- a mysterious figure who only appears when, well, the lights go out -- but this meatier 2016 version adds a full cast of characters, ten times as many jump scares, push-and-pull momentum rather than constant dread, and of course a backstory for the perpetually lurking creature. These expanded elements only work to various degrees... but in its best moments, Lights Out is pretty decent genre entertainment.

For a full synopsis and glowing appreciation of the main feature, please see Michael Reuben's 2016 review of Warner Bros.' Blu-ray edition. I'm a bit closer to the mostly positive but slightly more reserved take provided by Brian Orndorf in his theatrical coverage, as I found Lights Out to be a good but not truly great genre entry with several outstanding individual performances but only so-so characters, a cookie-cutter backstory, and plot elements steered by a gimmick that doesn't quite hold up to scrutiny. Nonetheless, the film's atmosphere and scares are often on-point, resulting in a first-time viewing experience that might just have you turning a few lights on after you're done.

Unfortunately, that's where the good news ends for Lights Out today, as WB's new 4K edition is a total misfire in the A/V department and even falls noticeably behind the Blu-ray released almost 10 years ago. While word has already spread about several issues briefly outlined below, the short version is that prospective buyers should absolutely hold off until these issues are resolved... and when they finally are, I'll be sure and update this page accordingly.

Lights Out 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

So, who turned on all the lights? As indicated by these screenshots (which were indeed captured from the 4K disc and downscaled to 1080p), something is dreadfully wrong with the maximum black levels here. From the letterbox bars to the (supposedly) heaviest shadows on display, you won't find anything darker than a deep gray from start to finish, which obviously hampers Lights Out's atmosphere more than most films. (While it does indeed make certain scenes a bit easier to read, I'd imagine that's the opposite effect of what the filmmakers originally intended). Plain and simple, such a defect severely cripples the film's impact and, by comparison, WB's 2016 Blu-ray -- which I obtained especially for this review, just to ensure that I wasn't going crazy -- appears much deeper and richer.

It's interesting to note, however, that this particular problem seems to only exist in the disc's HDR layer, as manually disabling it returns everything closer to normal while revealing the foundation of what should be a fairly solid UHD presentation with more readable image detail, better refined contrast and color, and of course a supportive bit rate that often triples what the Blu-ray is able to put out. I'll leave it up those responsible to find out where things went wrong here and correct it accordingly... but until then, a perhaps too-high 2/5 is about as generous as I can get.

Lights Out 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

More unpleasant news arrives with the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix, which you'd think would be the exact same one used for the 2016 Blu-ray. In short, nope: there's not only less perceived activity in the rear channels, but this newer track is also mixed noticeably quieter with volume variances as high as 10dB during the most obvious moments. It's not nearly as troublesome as whatever happened to the HDR visuals, of course, but in my opinion this is yet another mysterious quality control error... and for that reason, once again the old Blu-ray comes out ahead.

Additionally, you also lose a number of alternate foreign language and subtitle options that were included on the Blu-ray, since Warner Bros.' MOD (pressed) releases are typically English-only on both counts.

Lights Out 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with familiar cover artwork and menus, although somewhat hilariously even the text printing on the 4K disc doesn't look as readable on the Blu-ray due to a half-hearted attempt at a backlight effect. Luckily, at least they remembered to include the Blu-ray's lone bonus feature.

• Deleted Scenes (3 clips, 13:58 total) - A trio of deleted scenes that, as Michael Reuben pointed out in his Blu-ray review, is beefier than expected since one is a full coda for the film that tested poorly.

Lights Out 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

You might not expect a three-minute no-budget film to make a clean jump into feature-length success, yet Swedish director David F. Sandberg's Lights Out scored with audiences back in 2016. (Still no word on a sequel, though.) Solid performances and a palpable sense of dread lead the charge at key moments, but a somewhat mushy backstory and several genre clichés keep it from standing out more strongly. WB's Blu-ray featured very good A/V merits for its time but minimal extras... and somehow it still comes out ahead of this botched 4K edition, which suffers from HDR issues and slightly neutered audio that will hopefully be fixed with a replacement program. Until then, don't buy it.