Shazam director unleashes some dark stuff with terrifying horror short 'Shadowed'

David F. Sandberg, the director behind tongue-in-cheek DC film Shazam! as well as horror flicks Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation, got his start making online shorts. One of those even morphed into Lights Out, his directorial debut. Now, because what else is a filmmaker to do stuck at home with limited resources, Sandberg has returned to the short horror well to craft a terrifying tale called Shadowed.

As much of the world stays indoors as part of the response to the global coronavirus pandemic that's delayed or shut down productions across the entertainment industry, the isolation has affected plenty working in TV and film. Some release inspirational videos. Some issue PSAs. Sandberg is here to freak you out ... "because what else are we going to do while stuck indoors?"

Starring Sandberg's wife, actress, and frequent collaborator Lotta Losten, Shadowed is an especially freaky watch for anyone stuck at home ... at night ... in the dark. It's three minutes of no-budget, tricky, fun, fundamental horror — and it might inspire nightmares.

Check it out:

Okay, never turning the lights off again. And investing in floodlights. And maybe never sleeping, either. Shadow people and shadow vases and shadow weaponry? No thank you. There's no reason to think Shadowed will follow in Lights Out's footsteps and make the feature leap, but Sandberg still notes that the pair go together: "Sort of a companion piece to our short Lights Out," he writes. "Watch loud in the dark." Yeah, right.

Sandberg's next feature, Shazam! 2, is scheduled for 2022.