'Lights Out' Highest Rated of This Week's New Movies

Two big new releases are coming to theaters this weekend, but it's third new wide release, a relatively low-budget horror film, that's getting the best reception from critics ahead of its debut. Lights Out is being praised for its modestly effective scares, and the critical affection could help the little film to stand up to its major competition at the box office.

Lights Out concerns a young boy who seems to be haunted by the same evil presence that stalked his older sister years earlier. As the siblings try to sort out the nature of the diabolical force, they begin to suspect that it has something to do with their mother. Gabriel Bateman and Teresa Palmer star as the haunted brother and sister, and Maria Bello portrays their mother.

This week's release is an expanded version of a short film created in 2013 by director David F. Sandberg. The screenplay for the feature-length version was written by Eric Heisserer, and the project was screened for the first time at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June, giving critics a look at it well in advance of its wide release.

That's good news for the film, which currently has a 100% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, edging out fellow new release Star Trek Beyond, which currently stands at 91%, and totally destroying Ice Age: Collision Course, which currently stands at 16%.