David F. Sandberg

David F. Sandberg, born David Fredrik Sandberg in 1981, is a Swedish filmmaker who began his career making no budget horror shorts on YouTube under the pseudonym ponysmasher. His 2013 short film Lights Out became a viral success attracting millions of views, and its 2016 feature length adaptation, which he directed, grossed 148 million dollars worldwide from a five million dollar budget. That success led to a career directing major studio horror and superhero films, including Annabelle: Creation in 2017 and the superhero films Shazam! in 2019 and Shazam! Fury of the Gods in 2023. He also directed the 2025 video game adaptation Until Dawn, continuing a path from viral internet shorts to studio franchise filmmaking.