‘Lights Out’ Director David F. Sandberg Working on New Horror Short Adaptation!!

Back in 2016, writer/director David F. Sandberg released his feature-length horror movie Lights Out, which would mark his feature directorial debut. Though it was Sandberg‘s first foray into feature directing, the Lights Out story was a familiar one to him, as it was adapted from his short film of the same name. Written by Eric Heisserer and directed by Sandberg, Lights Out follows a young woman named Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) working to solve a terrifying paranormal mystery surrounding her brother (Gabriel Bateman) and mother (Maria Bello). Back in October, audiences were able to revisit Lights Out with a special screening hosted by Collider’s Perri Nemiroff — and Sandberg teased some exciting news.

During the post-screening Q&A with Nemiroff, Sandberg revealed that he would step back into the horror space at some point for another feature-length film. When prompted, Sandberg said that he is currently working to adapt two of his existing short films into a feature, “We’re working on that, actually. That’s on the way. I can’t say which ones, but it’s actually two.” Despite keeping details close to the chest, Sandberg has a variety of shorts to pull from for eager horror fans, including Shadowed, Not Alone Here, and Cam Closer and Cam Closer II — which could offer avenues for potential sequels down the line.

Additionally, Sandberg seemingly confirmed that his next project — likely the adaptation in question — will indeed be within the horror genre. He noted how he likes working within the space and hopes to return to it: “I’m definitely doing horror next. I’m very eager to get back to that because it feels like I have so much more to do. I have so much more horror in me. I was just getting started with Annabelle: Creation, and then I took a superhero detour.”

David F. Sandberg Has Also Tackled ‘The Conjuring’ Universe

Alongside Lights Out, Sandberg is also known for working on Annabelle: Creation, a horror feature set within the Conjuring universe that first began in 2013. The Annabelle portion of the universe kicked off in 2014, centering on the creepy vintage doll first introduced in The Conjuring. Annabelle: Creation takes place 12 years following the death of a doll maker’s daughter, Bee, as he and his wife welcome a nun and a handful of orphans into their home. However, Bee’s room is off-limits, so, naturally, a curious child finds her way into the room, where an evil doll awaits her. Annabelle: Creation was the latest horror feature by Sandberg. His feature career pivoted away from the genre in 2019 when he directed DC‘s Shazam!.