It Comes At Night (2017)
Staci Layne Wilson
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Starring Joel Edgerton, Carmen Ejogo, David Pendleton, Kelvin Harrison, Jr.
Directed by Trey Edward Shults
It Comes at Night – writer/director Trey Edward Shults’ follow-up to his acclaimed debut, Krisha – is a study in paranoia, distrust, fear, and uncertainty. It starts off promisingly enough when we’re introduced to Paul (Joel Edgerton), his subdued wife, Sarah (Carmen Ejogo), and their 17-year-old son, Travis (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.), shortly before they have to bury beloved Grandpa (David Pendleton). But not before shooting him in the head and burning him in a pit.
Apparently, there’s a dread disease out there, and it kills as quickly as it infects. Paul has only his family, their dog, and a fortress-like house left… life as he once knew it is gone, thanks to the mysterious plague. While it seems to be the apocalypse, no one really knows what it is. And neither do we… ever. We do get a couple of festering boils and blood-vomit, but no zombies (sorry, “Walking Dead” fans!) and no explanation (I’m fine with ambiguity, but give me something).
When a desperate man breaks into their labyrinthine home, the family goes into full SWAT protection mode. Donning gas masks and toting rifles, they track Will (Christopher Abbott) down, bludgeon him, tie him up, and interrogate him. Finally deciding he’s not one of the infected, Paul agrees to help Will get his wife and child, and with the lure of uninfected livestock and food to bring back, off they go. There are only a few brief moments outdoors (in the woods; we never see cities or even towns). Most of the movie takes places inside Paul’s dark, boarded-up fortress.
When the two families converge and cohabitate, that’s when things really unravel. Most of the mayhem is seen through the eyes of Travis – and much of the mayhem is actually comprised of visions and bad dreams. Too many. It felt like a cheat, and after a while I was getting tired of the trope. Fortunately, Harrison is an utterly likable actor. He and Edgerton stand out, but the rest of the cast does the best they can in largely monochrome roles. The saving grace of the movie, for me, is the score. The music is fantastic – and everything a horror soundtrack should be: stirring, scary, emotional, and memorable. Kudos to Brian McOmber.
While there is an underlying existential anxiety to the whole thing, there’s not enough pizzazz to either the visuals or the dialogue to make It Comes at Night worth going to see in the theater. I enjoy a good paranoia thriller as much as the next horror fan – The Tenant, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and The Thing are some of my faves – but I don’t quite get all the critical gushing over this flick. In my opinion, it doesn’t do anything new or different. It was okay, but overall It Comes at Night left me in the dark.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
