David F. Sandberg

David Fredrik Sandberg (born 21 January 1981) is a Swedish filmmaker and YouTuber. He came to prominence for writing, directing, producing, editing, and scoring no-budget short horror films, which he released online under the pseudonym "ponysmasher". The most popular of these, Lights Out, received a feature film adaptation in 2016, marking his feature-length directorial debut. He has since directed the films Annabelle: Creation (2017), Shazam! (2019), Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), and the 2025 film adaptation of the video game Until Dawn.

Early life David Fredrik Sandberg was born in Jönköping on 21 January 1981. His younger brother, Joakim, is a video game developer best known as the creator of Iconoclasts. He attended Torpa School, where he met his future wife Lotta Losten when they were both around 11 years old, and they later attended Junedal School together. He grew up watching films and making his own films using his father's VHS-C camera. He worked in a video store as a teenager, where he saved up money to buy his own camcorder for filmmaking.

Career Beginning with animation and documentaries (2006–2013) In his late teens, Sandberg began working as an intern at Film i Jönköping, a local film center in Jönköping. He learned more about filmmaking from Svante Rosberg, the film commissioner who ran Film i Jönköping when he started, and whom Sandberg considers his mentor.

He continued working at Film i Jönköping, primarily working on documentary projects. From 2006 to 2009, he worked on several documentaries for the Swedish Inheritance Fund. His last collaboration with Rosberg before his retirement was Animera = Göra Livlig, a 2010 documentary about senior citizens creating animated films. In 2009, he moved to the city of Gothenburg. He continued working on animation and documentaries, and began collaborating with producer Claes Lundin. In 2011, they completed and sold an animated documentary series called Earth Savers, and in 2013, their documentary short Ladyboy premiered at Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival.

Shifting to feature films (2013–present) In 2013, he began to shift his focus away from animation and documentary works and towards short horror films. According to Sandberg, his original goal with filmmaking had been to make horror and sci-fi films, and he felt he needed to have some existing work in that field in order to get funding for future work. Lacking any funding of his own, his shorts were made with no budget: his equipment and props consisted mostly of items he already had or could buy very cheaply, and his only cast and crew were himself and Losten, his wife. He released his films on both Vimeo and YouTube, using his alias "ponysmasher". The film was a viral success, and quickly garnered millions of views. According to Sandberg, his life changed "in every way imaginable" after Lights Out; he began receiving tons of messages from film industry people who wanted to work with him. One of these contacts was Lawrence Grey, a producer who wanted to adapt Lights Out into a feature-length film. Grey brought screenwriter Eric Heisserer and producer James Wan on board to collaborate and produce a script with Sandberg, who would also direct the new feature. The film (also titled Lights Out) began production in mid-2015, and premiered at LA Film Festival in June 2016. The film was a massive box office success, grossing $148 million on a $5 million budget, and a moderate critical success, earning a 76% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 58 out of 100 score on Metacritic. Sandberg next directed Annabelle: Creation, a prequel to supernatural horror film Annabelle and the fourth film in The Conjuring Universe. The film was released in 2017 to positive reviews and box office success.

In 2019, Sandberg directed the DC Extended Universe superhero film Shazam!, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The film received positive reviews. In April 2019, TheWrap reported that Sandberg would direct a sequel for New Line Cinema called Shazam! Fury of the Gods. In 2023, after the release of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Sandberg stated he was "done" with the superhero genre and expressed a desire to return to horror. He then directed and produced the 2025 film adaptation of the video game Until Dawn.

Sandberg is set to direct and produce the horror film The Culling with his wife Losten through their production company Mångata. The film will be distributed by Lionsgate. He is set to direct the film adaptation of Cullen Bunn and Jack T. Cole's graphic novel The Unsound and thriller Below, both for Netflix.

Personal life Sandberg met actress Lotta Losten in the early 1990s, when they were both around 11 years old, and they later began a relationship before marrying in 2013. She has featured in many of his short films, including Lights Out. They have lived in Los Angeles since 2015.

Sandberg was diagnosed with atypical autism as a child, but has since expressed an interest in the possibility that he was misdiagnosed. He has also been open about his struggles with depression.

Filmography

Film

Director Lights Out (2016) Annabelle: Creation (2017) Shazam! (2019) Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) Until Dawn (2025) (Also producer)

Uncredited acting roles Year Title Role Notes 2019 Shazam! Travis, Mister Mind, Crocodile-Men Voice role (as Travis and Mister Mind)and performer (as the Crocodile-Men) 2023 Shazam! Fury of the Gods Mister Mind Voice role

Shorts Year Title Director Writer Producer Cinematographer Editor Composer Actor Notes 2006 Vad tyst det blev... Role: Boy (voice only)Also sound department 2011 Animera = Göra livlig Documentary short 2012 The Drawing Box Role: David/David's Brother 2013 Ladyboy Documentary short Cam Closer Lights Out 2014 Pictured Not So Fast Role: Man Coffer See You Soon 2015 Attic Panic Role: Ghost 2016 Closet Space Role: David 2020 Shadowed Role: ManAlso visual effects Not Alone in Here Role: Man 2023 Cam Closer II 2025 Call of the Ocean

Television Year Title Director Composer Animator Notes 2011 Earth Savers Documentary series