DC continues its surprising embrace of horror in Shazam!

With DC's new superhero film Shazam!, the franchise's surprising — and refreshing — embrace of horror continues.

Shazam! is DC Films' second straight movie helmed by a director known for horror, with Lights Out's David F. Sandberg taking the reins after The Conjuring's James Wan tackled Aquaman. Like Wan, Sandberg pulls from his horror background for beats that are unexpectedly scary for a family-friendly movie.

Sure, Shazam! is an example of the once oppressively bleak DC universe steering toward Marvel-style comedy with a heartwarming plot to boot. But those anticipating a cheery tone all throughout may be surprised by the villain plot, which involves Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) deploying horrifying monsters to do his bidding. In a key scene, these Seven Deadly Sins go on a brutal killing spree that calls The Cabin in the Woods to mind and will likely make younger viewers cower in fear.

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Sandberg also makes use of some effective jump scares to build and release tension and elevate an otherwise somewhat mediocre villain plot. He looks to have been inspired by old-school blockbusters that were so great at playfully terrifying audiences of all ages while still making them laugh, telling IndieWire Jurassic Park was an influence. "Kids grow up with Jurassic Park and it's still pretty violent," he noted, also citing the iconic face-melting scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark as inspiration.

Wan previously utilized horror in the highlight of Aquaman: a beautiful, scary underwater trench sequence that has surely stuck with anyone afraid of the ocean.

This embrace of horror looks set to continue in some form, with a spin-off about those Aquaman trench monsters in the works. Shazam! also seems to be a sign that DC's future films can be both dark and fun. The choice, it turns out, was never one or the other.