Review – It Comes At Night
A24 has done it again. The best production studio in the game today has once again pushed the boundaries of cinema with It Comes at Night. This is a truly remarkable film. A film of relentless tension that never lets up. My heart was racing from the opening shot and didn’t stop until I finished my fifteen minute drive home.
Secured within a desolate home as an unnatural threat terrorizes the world, Paul (Joel Edgerton) has established a systematic, though flimsy domestic order with his wife Sarah (Carmen Ejogo) and son Travis (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). Their order and safety is put to the test when Will (Christopher Abbott) and Kim (Riley Keough) arrive seeking refuge.
It Comes at Night plays out like a horror version of Reservoir Dogs (1992), where it looks at an event that we don’t see and focuses on a group of people affected by it. In It Comes at Night, we don’t know where this unnatural threat came from or what it actually does. We get hints here and there, but it is a complete mystery the entire movie. All we know is that it is deadly and infectious. This lack of information makes this movie THAT much more horrifying and THAT much more intense.
Like all A24 films, It Comes at Night is a look at the human condition. This is a movie that looks at how regular people react to an irregular and extreme circumstance. It is also a film that looks at humanity, trust in other people, and morality. What would we do in this situation? How would we react if our base was broken into? Would you bring strangers into the house? Because of the sensational performances from the entire cast, particularly from Edgerton, Abbott, and Harrison Jr., we feel every emotion that they are feeling. Edgerton is so serious and always looks at every situation negatively. Harrison Jr. has the naive sweetness of a teenager, and you never know who Abbott really is or what is motivations really are. We are always on edge and when Paul brings Will and Kim into their home is when the tension really tightens. Do we trust them? Is Paul too paranoid? Will they survive? Director Trey Edward Shults does an excellent job of using facial expressions, intimate scenes, and limited, but important dialog to force these questions into our mind. They boil and boil until the film’s finale, which will shake you to your core. It is a truly haunting ending, yet one you won’t soon forget.
It Comes at Night is the best horror movie of 2017. Nothing can prepare you for this movie. With its endless, gut-turning intensity, a smart script with deep themes, powerful performances, and a shocking ending, this is a movie that will haunt you for days after you see it. This is one of the best movies of 2017 and another A24 hit.
Did you see It Comes at Night? What did you think? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.