Movie Review: A24's It Comes At Night

It Comes At Night
Cast: Joel Edgerton, Riley Keough, Christopher Abbott, Carmen Ejogo and Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Written and Directed by: Trey Edward Shults
Run Time: 91 minutes
Release Date: June 9, 2017
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Hashtag: #ItComesAtNight

Imagine the end of the world - Now imagine something worse. Award-winning filmmaker Trey Edward Shults follows his incredible debut feature KRISHA with IT COMES AT NIGHT, a horror film following a man (Joel Edgerton) as he learns that the evil stalking his family home may be only a prelude to horrors that come from within. Secure within a desolate home as an unnatural threat terrorizes the world, the tenuous domestic order he has established with his wife and son is put to the ultimate test with the arrival of a desperate young family seeking refuge. Despite the best intentions of both families, paranoia and mistrust boil over as the horrors outside creep ever-closer, awakening something hidden and monstrous within him as he learns that the protection of his family comes at the cost of his soul.

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It Comes At Night tells a story of a family who has gone to extreme measures to protect themselves from an unknown lethal contagion by sealing themselves off from the any and all outside contact. From the very first scene, it sets a very intense tone and continues to build tension throughout the film. The film's cast is extremely strong and small enough so that you actually care about these characters which is a hard to find in horror films. Starring Joel Edgerton, Riley Keough, Chris Abbott, Carmen Ejogo and Kelvin Harrison, Jr., the film is electrified through these actors with strong and noteworthy acting.

While the film is incredibly suspenseful, it leads you on a pins and needles journey to nowhere. I was left riddled with confusion and anger over the film but I couldn't hate it. The story is very thin and relies on visual and audio stimulation to keep you on the edge of your seat. Throughout the film, you keep waiting to find out what the true threat is and for some sort of culmination; and are never given any sort of answers to the dozens of questions you are left with my the end of the movie. Half way through the film, you still aren’t sure what the real threat is and what the story is building towards showing how strong of an influence fear and paranoia can have over our decisions, this film definitely does its job at holding your attention, but in the end leaves with so many unanswered questions that you leave the theater feeling cheated. I found myself feeling led on and a bit betrayed for having been only given access to a portion of what could have been a great suspense/horror story.