It Comes At Night: Review

Director Trey Edward Shults’ debut film Krisha was one of the most criminally underseen gems from last year and the sheer level of talent he displayed in that film was powerful enough for me to be looking forward to any and all of his future projects. Now he’s re-teaming with everyone’s favorite indie distributor A24 for his follow-up project It Comes at Night, and if this film proves anything, it’s that Shults isn’t fucking around and he’s here to stay because he has made one of the most singularly spellbinding pieces of horror cinema I’ve seen this decade.

It Comes at Night isn’t necessarily a horror film per say, but rather a hellishly intense psychological thriller/family thriller. It’s a very slow burn but that only adds to its effect. This is a film that slowly creeped its way into my psyche and has now left it scarred and shaken for eternity. This is not a film that will scare you quite like something like The Conjuring or The Exorcist, it’s a film that will have you leaving the theatre terrified and broken in the most human way imaginable. Shults takes his explosively toxic family dynamic from Krishaand translates it to a post-apocalyptic framework mixing the conventions of both genres seamlessly. The story itself is rather familiar but the gritty, claustrophobic, and visceral way with which Shults conducts his camera (use of aspect ratio is sublime) elevates it to unbelievably high places. However, it wasn’t the images or actions that take place in It Comes at Night that disturbed me the most, but rather the humanity at the center of it. Right from the opening scene, this film is hammered with a great deal of emotional stress and fear.

Fear is a fickle bitch, it’s one of the greatest controlling forces in how we as humans make our decisions and treat others. Fear can spawn from anything and can be the cause for everything. Shults brilliantly explores the fear and distrust within every character in this film and thanks to the magnificently genuine and dynamic performances, the audience is always kept on their toes trying to figure out the motivations of each character.

I walked out of the theater tonight totally shaken by what I had just experienced and I have a deep gut feeling that this will haunt me for many months to come and certain images will be forever burned into my brain. Shults explores the monstrous side of humanity in a way that I don't believe will ever be topped. Emotionally profound horror at its finest. (9.25/10)