# Before ‘Obsession’ and ‘Backrooms,’ ‘Lights Out’ Blazed the Trail From YouTube to Studio Hit

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/before-obsession-and-backrooms-lights-out-blazed-the-trail-from-youtube-to-studio-hit/
- Published: 2026-10-25T18:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-25T18:10:50+00:00
- Original publisher: The Hollywood Reporter
- Original article: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/lights-out-blazed-trail-youtube-to-studio-1236736287/
- Topics: Entertainment, Horror, Trending, Weird & Viral

## Key points

- A YouTube short led to a 2016 studio horror hit.
- The film grossed $148 million worldwide on a $4 million budget.
- Sandberg says young filmmakers should keep creating.

## Summary

A two-and-a-half-minute YouTube horror short made by David F. Sandberg became the basis for a studio film, helping establish a path later followed by online creators such as Curry Barker, Kane Parsons and Markiplier. Its success showed how a low-budget idea can attract a global audience and Hollywood interest.

Sandberg’s short starred his wife, Lotta Losten, and gained traction after a Reddit post drove its views from 8,000 to more than a million. Warner Bros. released the feature in 2016, starring Teresa Palmer and others; it earned $148 million worldwide on a $4 million budget. Sandberg says filmmakers should keep creating, while a sequel remains in development.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.