Lights Out (2016) is a supernatural horror film directed by David F. Sandberg and produced by ‘The Conjuring’, ‘Insidious’ maker James Wan. It stars Teresa Palmer, Maria Bello etc.

The movie follows the story of a family who is haunted by a malevolent entity that only appears in the darkness. As the story progresses, the audience is left wondering about the true nature of the entity and its connection to the protagonist, Rebecca. However, the ending of the movie leaves many viewers puzzled and questioning what really happened. In this article, we will provide a detailed explanation of the Lights Out ending and unravel the mystery behind the entity’s true identity.

Lights Out Ending Explanation & Plot Twists in Details

* * * Spoiler Alert – If you haven’t seen the movie yet, turn back now! * * *

Paul is working on a night duty and chatting with his son asking how he is doing and where her mom is. Martin is worried about her mom because she is talking to herself again and doesn’t seem to be feeling well. Paul pacifies him telling he is working on her feeling well. Martin ends the chat, Paul takes a file about Mulberry Hill then Esther, an employee asks Paul if he needs any overtime.

Paul allows her to leave. Esther is noting down schedules and suddenly the lights start blinking. She feels a dark vibe and comes to the store room to switch the lights off. She switches off and sees a female shadow. She can’t believe her eyes so she switches off again and sees that again. She again switches off and suddenly that shadow comes forward and she gets scared and runs into Paul’s room and calls him. Paul is talking over the phone, so he can’t even concentrate.

Esther leaves after telling him to be careful. Paul closes rooms and is walking through the ground corridor. Suddenly everything gets dark so he shakes his hands upwards to catch the scan lights. He turns right and confronts a dark shadow. He understands something terrible is going to happen but he needs to keep the lights up. He goes to a room the store room and takes a faggot. But suddenly everything goes black and his dead body falls into the ground.

In the next scene, we see a girl lying on the bed with her friend. He is trying to win her so he leaves his socks in her drawer and leaves. Before leaving, the girl throws out the socks from the balcony but she gives a romantic hint to him so he becomes hopeful again. We can see a photograph where we see her with Martin.

In the next scene we see Paul’s wife, whom Paul was talking about earlier. Martin is hearing conversations from his room that his mom is having with no one. Yes, you have read it right because she talks with someone invisible. Martin notices some supernatural existence in a locked room. He can’t sleep at night out of fear. He falls asleep in the school’s home room for the third time for his lack of sleep at night.

The authority calls her mother but she doesn’t respond. So they call her step sister Rebecca. Martin thought she woudn’t show up but she did. Martin asks Rebecca if that’s why she left. She can’t understand until she hears the name ‘Diana’ from him. She understands something terrible is happening with him for what he can’t sleep. Rebecca meets her mother and tells about Martin. Rebecca understands she is not taking medicines. So she takes her brother to her home.

Read more, Come Play (2020) Ending Explained

That night while the movie is going, they are talking about things. Suddenly Sophie turns out lights and starts to tell a story about her and Diana. Since Diana appears in front of him, he gets incredibly scared and runs to turn the light on. Diana understands the danger so she attempts to attack him but before that he lights up and runs. When Becca and Bret are recalling the past, Martin shows up and Becca rescues him. Becca tells him what she gets to know about Diana.

Becca has been able to know these because Martin’s father researched a lot of things. She adds their mom is the only connection Diana has. Diana comes when mom is at her worst. So we have to make our mom strong to cut off their relationship.

Bret goes out so Becca thinks Bret has come when she hears a knock. No one is out there, so they get scared. They hear a sound coming from a room, when Becca approaches, something yanks Martin’s leg under the bed. Becca saves him and comes to her mom’s place to discuss Diana.

Becca asks mom and she mentions her as a friend. Becca tries to make her understand that Diana is dead. But Sophie doesn’t think that. Sophie thinks that Becca wants to take Martin away, so she has made up wild stories. She hates people like Becca who abandons their near ones. Sophie did that for a long time with Diana and no longer wants to do that.

Becca fails and wants Martin to stay with her but Martin doesn’t want to leave her mom. So Becca stays with him at their house and Bret stays too. Becca, Bret and Martin take some safeguards. They keep some lights to stay up all night. Becca decides to sleep with Martin and she comes to bid her mom goodnight. Sophie becomes happy as she decides to stay after a long time. Sophie passes a note to Becca where it is written that Sophie needs help. So Becca understands that Diana is making mom do this. Becca searches for some medicine and gets some in a trash bin.

Everyone is lying in the bed, suddenly the whole house gets black. Becca gets up and goes to the basement to turn the main switch on. Bret goes outside to check the street lights. Becca is trying to make switches work while Martin is looking for Becca everywhere.

Suddenly Martin gets attacked by Diana but he takes the candle in front of her and she disappears. Martin comes to the basement and tells her not to leave him ever. Diana traps them and goes for her another prey who is none other than Bret. When Diana attacks Bret, he turns his mobile’s screen light on but he can’t keep it for longer. Diana breaks it so Bret rushes outside the house but still Diana doesn’t let him go.

Diana is about to kill him, at that moment he starts the car engine and gets rescued. Becca and Martin search in the store box for more lights and keep igniting the fire with papers. In the meantime Sophie wakes and searches for her children but finds no one. She confronts Diana and reminds her that she told her not to hurt her children. But Diana screams and Sophies finds her medicines.

Who is Diana? How did she get introduced to Sophie?

Diana was found in a basement and her father killed himself. Sophie met Diana in the Mulberry Hospital when she was diagnosed with depression. Diana could get inside people’s heads so she got Sophie’s mind and made her believe she was her friend. But she was actually evil because she only came when Sophie was at her worst. Doctor tried an experiment to cure her but that didn’t work and Diana died.

What has the director wanted to say?

Diana is a metaphor of depression here. Depression patients always want to stay in the dark. They talk with themselves. They do well when they are on medicine. Depression always scares away close people of them so eventually they commit suicide.

We can see here how scary Diana aka depression is. So let’s love our close ones who are dealing with depression.