They Will Kill You (2026)

​“They Will Kill You” stars Zazie Beetz, Myha’la, Paterson Joseph, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, and Patricia Arquette.  Releasing on March 27, 2026, the film follows a woman as she encounters a satanic cult in a New York City high-rise.

The film is directed by Kirill Sokolov, who also directed “Why Don’t You Just Die!” and “No Looking Back”.  If you’re looking for a job to rebuild your life, it’s crucial to read between the lines to ensure it’s a safe bet.  Otherwise, you might end up being surrounded by those who tried desperately to murder you, particularly the members of a mysterious cult.  This woman didn’t get the memo, but unfortunately for these cult members, they have absolutely no idea who they’re actually dealing with.  The second half of March appears to be concluding the month with a ton of blood and twisted mayhem worth seeing on the big screen.  We’ve already seen that in the sequel to “Ready or Not”, and now we have a film that’s somehow in the same vein as “Ready or Not”, but more violent, with the cult residing in a hotel instead of a mansion.  Is this cinematic ad worth accepting, or should audiences search for a much safer job?  Let’s find out.

The story centers on Asia Reaves (Beetz), an ex-convict who was recently released from prison.  She searches for a new job to rebuild her life, until she comes across a help-wanted ad for a housekeeper at the Virgil, a New York high-rise.  After applying for the job, Asia encounters strange occurrences involving the Virgil’s community, where a rumor has spread that several employees are disappearing one by one.  She eventually discovers that the high-rise’s community is actually a satanic cult that sacrifices its unsuspecting victims who apply for the housekeeping job and is now targeting Asia.  Utilizing her deadly skills she developed in prison, Asia goes through hell and back to kill the cult members and escape with her life before they kill her.

Knowing me, I’m always in the mood for a film that’s not only violent and twisted, but also entertaining, depending on the execution.  The trailers for “They Will Kill You” seemed to be the film that matches this description regarding its chaotic concept.  Yes, it’s another “cult horror” movie we’ve experienced countless times before, but there have been a few tolerable ones that I didn’t mind.  Of course, the “Ready or Not” films are examples of this case, despite the second one being a step down from its predecessor.  This left me hoping that the film, which features Zazie Beetz delivering bloody mayhem, would turn out to be another solid addition to the genre.  Fortunately, as luck would have it, I got myself a really nice surprise in seeing it early via this week’s mystery movie event.  I thought it would be “Forbidden Fruits”, but it looked like this week’s event decided to be nice to me for once and give me a major release I'd been anticipating instead.  I’m glad that it did, because I had a pretty fun time with “They Will Kill You”.

Granted, this is another movie that isn’t going to win any awards for originality or emotional depth.  Its only goal is to deliver some gory mayhem and entertainment out of its simple premise and bizarre nature, and that’s it.  You know, something that’s worthy of seeing with an audience.  “They Will Kill You” easily accomplishes that mission with a blood-soaked, bonkers, thrill-a-minute, genre-blending experience that gleefully emphasizes stylistic mayhem over storytelling.  As I said, the movie is sort of similar to “Ready or Not” regarding its satanic cult and their need to sacrifice innocent victims to the Devil himself.  However, the film actually mixes that similarity in with a presentation akin to an exploitation film, the single-location fights from “The Raid”, and the violent insanity of “Evil Dead”.  These elements together concocted a crazy, unapologetically gory ride that felt like it could’ve belonged in any Grindhouse double feature.  Obviously, it won’t be for everybody, especially those who dislike exploitation films for their low-budget gore.  Fortunately, those who do will find themselves cheering for more blood geysers to erupt from their bodies.

Kirill Sokolov is a name I was unfamiliar with until I first recognized “They Will Kill You”.  He has received some good recognition for his previous projects, particularly for his vision, which draws inspiration from filmmakers like Martin McDonagh, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino.  After seeing his directorial style in action, I can definitely understand why.  Utilizing filmmaking techniques inspired by elements such as exploitation movies and Sam Raimi, Sokolov envisioned a straightforward world full of chaos and blood, paying homage to the low-budget horror of yesteryear.  You got the panning shots that follow the action clearly, the close-up shots, the swift zoom shots, the slow motion, and even the fish-eye shot.  It’s these types of techniques that make a specific genre unique through its presentation, whether it’s action, comedy, horror, or all of the above.  Sokolov also did a pretty good job at retaining the movie’s pace through his approach to the action scenes and dark comedy.  While the violence is fun to watch for its gore and choreography, the film's dark humor is also a delightful treat, highlighting the bizarreness of the high-rise’s demented purpose.  Sokolov’s direction may not stand out from other filmmakers who utilize this approach, but it’s decent enough for me to keep an eye out for his next project.

As for its story, this is another film that demands to be seen without knowing anything else about it.  Sure, the plot does involve an ex-convict fighting for her life in a satanic high-rise.  However, it also offers plenty more elements outside of that within the span of 94 minutes.  That includes Asia’s actual reason for applying for a housekeeper job and the Virgil’s satanic cult itself.  I really couldn’t say much else about them, but I will say this: these additional aspects help elevate the film’s entertainment value, especially the cult, whose shock value adds to the premise’s absurdity.  Its familiar tropes may not have sliced as deeply as others, particularly when it borrows elements from similar cult movies.  Fortunately, Sokolov and Alex Litvak’s screenplay provides enough amusement and weirdness in its ideas to compensate for its narrative simplicity.  Additionally, I thought the visuals were pretty solid in capturing the Grindhouse appeal of its gore effects and framework.  It does have some instances of CGI, but it’s not to the point of being an eyesore.

Zazie Beetz is no stranger to the action genre, having starred in “Deadpool 2” as Domino and voiced a thieving fox in “The Bad Guys”.  “They Will Kill You” sees the actress front and center as she partakes in some heavy lifting as an action star.  The result is another compelling performance from Beetz, further solidifying her as a promising action star.  She definitely captures Asia’s fierce determination to fight her way out of the hellhole she got herself into.  However, Beetz also managed to add a convincing human element to Asia regarding her character’s personal connection to someone.  As someone who respects Beetz as an actress, I hope she gets more roles like this.  Myha’la did pretty well with her performance as one of the hotel’s maids whom Asia encounters.  Again, I’m not giving away anything in this review, especially that character’s actual identity.  Heather Graham and Patricia Arquette also delivered some satisfyingly amusing moments as Sharon and Lilith, the cult’s leader, respectively, with the former’s moment involving her death getting the big laughs out of me.

Overall, “They Will Kill You” makes a successful killing with a delightfully savage yet straightforward blood-soaked ride that survives most of its narrative tropes and simplicity.  It won’t win any points for originality or storytelling, but the film does accomplish its goal of being another thrilling, absurdly humorous piece of popcorn entertainment without sacrificing the silliness and shock value of its premise.  It’s basically “Ready or Not”, “The Raid”, “Grindhouse”, and “Evil Dead” all rolled up into a ball of guts that seems icky at first, but rewarding to grasp onto once the chaotic mayhem kicks off.  Accompanied by Zazie Beetz in action-heroine form and Kirill Sokolov’s genre-blending vision, this movie is another solid case of delivering undemanding cinematic fun worth sharing with an audience.  More importantly, it marks a promising future for Andy and Barbara Muschietti’s new production company, Nocturna, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can keep this streak going with some more crazy ideas under their belt as producers.  If you enjoy the movies that inspired the idea of “They Will Kill You”, it’s possible that you’ll like this one well enough to make your stay worthwhile…unless you prefer a hotel that’s less gory and satanic.

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