Alan Wake's controls are intuitive but require practice to master the combat flow. You'll primarily use your flashlight to strip away the darkness from the Taken, making them vulnerable to conventional weapons. The 'Focus' ability of your flashlight is vital; holding down the aim button (typically Right Mouse Button on PC, L2/LT on console) will intensify the beam, burning away the darkness much faster but also draining battery life more quickly.
Movement is standard: WASD on PC, Left Stick on console. Sprinting (Shift on PC, L3/Left Stick Click on console) is essential for escaping overwhelming odds or reaching safe zones. Dodging (Spacebar on PC, Circle/B on console) allows Alan to quickly evade incoming attacks, providing a brief invulnerability window. Melee attacks (E on PC, Triangle/Y on console) are a last resort and generally ineffective against most Taken, but can be useful for breaking environmental objects or pushing back a single, weakened enemy.