David Fredrik Sandberg (born 21 January 1981) is a Swedish filmmaker. He is best known for his homemade short horror films (released under the online pseudonym "ponysmasher") and for his feature directorial debut Lights Out (2016), based on his acclaimed 2013 horror short of the same name. He has gone on to direct major studio franchise films such as Annabelle: Creation (2017), Shazam! (2019) and Until Dawn (2025). He is married to actress and producer Lotta Losten, who has starred in many of his short films. He co-founded the production company Mångata.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 21, 1981 (45)
- Jönköping, Sweden
- Director, producer and writer
- 5 on MovieCove · 14 credits in all
What are David F. Sandberg's films like?
Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 5
Light 2 · Serious 2 · Dark 1
Grounded 2 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0
Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 3
Steady 0 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 2
Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 1
Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 1
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet1
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch David F. Sandberg's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 5 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (3).
Subscription and free streaming for David F. Sandberg's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
14 credits, 5 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Call of the Ocean (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
Until Dawn(2025)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Shazam! Fury of the Gods(2023)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Shazam!(2019)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Annabelle: Creation(2017)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Lights Out(2016)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Closet Space (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Attic Panic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Lights Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Ladyboy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
A Little Slice of Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Lights Out 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Mommy's Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Untitled Amityville Horror Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 14 titles, 10 of them dated from 2012 to 2025.
Film career
- 2016Screen debut· Closet Space
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do David F. Sandberg's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 53rd percentile, the median of all 5; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th2
Shape of the crowd
None of their 5 titles divides audiences: 3 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the atmosphere 62/100 and the pacing 51/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is David F. Sandberg's work okay for kids?
Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and sex & nudity and alcohol & drugs lighter.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does David F. Sandberg work with?
People who share at least 2 of David F. Sandberg's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Benjamin Wallfisch shares the most, 4.
Writers
- Gary DaubermanShared titles: Until Dawn (2025), Annabelle: Creation (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Gary Dauberman
- Henry GaydenShared titles: Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), Shazam! (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Henry Gayden
Actors
- Grace Caroline CurreyShared titles: Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), Shazam! (2019), Annabelle: Creation (2017)See all 3 shared titles with Grace Caroline Currey
- Adam BrodyShared titles: Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), Shazam! (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Adam Brody
- Asher AngelShared titles: Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), Shazam! (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Asher Angel
- Jack Dylan GrazerShared titles: Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), Shazam! (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Jack Dylan Grazer
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Benjamin WallfischShared titles: Until Dawn (2025), Shazam! (2019), Annabelle: Creation (2017), Lights Out (2016)See all 4 shared titles with Benjamin Wallfisch
- Michel AllerShared titles: Until Dawn (2025), Shazam! (2019), Annabelle: Creation (2017), Lights Out (2016)See all 4 shared titles with Michel Aller
- Maxime AlexandreShared titles: Until Dawn (2025), Shazam! (2019), Annabelle: Creation (2017)See all 3 shared titles with Maxime Alexandre
Producers
- Dave NeustadterShared titles: Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), Annabelle: Creation (2017), Lights Out (2016)See all 3 shared titles with Dave Neustadter
- Peter SafranShared titles: Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), Shazam! (2019), Annabelle: Creation (2017)See all 3 shared titles with Peter Safran
- Richard BrenerShared titles: Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), Annabelle: Creation (2017), Lights Out (2016)See all 3 shared titles with Richard Brener
- Walter HamadaShared titles: Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), Annabelle: Creation (2017), Lights Out (2016)See all 3 shared titles with Walter Hamada
Mixed roles
- Lotta LostenShared titles: Until Dawn (2025), Lights Out (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Lotta Losten
