On July 22nd, the film Lights Out will arrive in American theaters. The horror flick is the big screen debut of director David F. Sandberg, who makes YouTube videos under the name ponysmasher. One of those videos, a 2014 offering also called “Lights Out,” served as the inspiration for Sandberg’s new film.
Sandberg’s journey from online video creator to film director underscores one of YouTube’s favorite talking points: That everyone with a camera, a dream, and a reasonable amount of creative ability can launch their star online. Therefore, it’s not surprising that, in the week leading up to Lights Out’s theatrical premiere, YouTube is paying tribute to Sandberg’s work. The video site, in tandem with Lights Out producer Warner Bros., invited creators to YouTube Space NY, where they received the opportunity to shoot their own horror videos on two sets from the Lights Out film.
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The sets, as summarized in a video released by Warner Bros., are the ones on which Sandberg filmed some of his most potent scares. With their gloomy appearance, they provided plenty of inspiration for the creators who took part in the tentpole at YouTube Space NY. One of those creators, Tony Valenzuela, filmed his Lights Out-inspired short in 360 degrees and released it on his BlackBoxTV YouTube channel.
By honoring Sandberg’s accomplishment, YouTube is subtly inviting other young horror filmmakers to share their work online as well. By highlight one creator’s path, the video site may have just laid the groundwork through which its next rags-to-riches story will be produced. At the very least, it is giving a nod to a film that the critics seem to be enjoying so far. We’ll see if audiences agree once July 22nd rolls around.
