It Comes at Night (2017)

“It Comes at Night” stars Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Carmen Ejogo, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Riley Keough.  Released on June 9, 2017, the film is about a family who is secured in a desolate home when an unidentified threat terrorizes the world.  When another family comes by to seek shelter, paranoia and mistrust strikes the two families.

The film is directed by Trey Edward Shults, who also directed the 2015 drama film, Krisha.  Well, I didn’t expect this film to appear at my cinema.  I only saw a trailer for it a couple of times and it honestly freaked me out a little bit.  I mean, what the heck is going on with this trailer?  Who or what is terrorizing the outside world?  What’s the big deal with the red door?  Those are the questions that I must find the answers to.  So far, the film was met with plenty of praise from critics, but it was also met with a mixed response from everybody else.  While it’s quite understandable that not a lot of people will like this latest indie horror flick, I did manage to find a few things in there that I personally enjoyed.

Pros:
Strong performances from the cast, including Joel Edgerton as Paul.

Great cinematography.

The film offered a perfect mixture of dread and disturbance.

Trey Edward Shults did a solid job at putting the audience in the main characters’ shoes.

Cons:
The pacing was slow during a couple of scenes.

The amount of dread and its story might turn off a lot of general moviegoers.

Abrupt ending.

Final thoughts: “It Comes at Night” is not only the most unnerving horror film I’ve seen this summer, but it’s also the most debatable, mostly because of its plot, its pacing, and the amount of dread that is used to further the horrific experience.  Most people will react to it in many different ways, but to me, I found this one to be an effective and well-acted tale of what paranoia and mistrust can do to people when someone or “something” is lurking outside their comfort zone.  It’s pretty hard for me to recommend this film to anyone who’s not a fan of independent horror films, but I can recommend it to anyone who does, so that’s something.

B