It Comes at Night - "A Tension Inducing Film About Paranoia and Fear of the Unseen" (Film Review)

Still from A24's It Comes at Night (2017)

It Comes at Night is the latest film by Trey Edward Shults who blew festival audiences away in 2015 with his first feature film, Krisha. With the newly gained notoriety, a larger budget and a wonderful, new self-written script, Shults' latest film was sure to be a success; and it is, according to critics nationwide!

I have been highly anticipating this film since the teaser was released months ago, thanks to the clever marketing of this movie. As an avid fan of suspense/thriller/horror genres it's often a criticism of mine that far too much is given away in a teaser or trailer. In this case, the teaser was perfect, setting up the eerie tone of this movie and bringing viewers to the edge of their seats in a minute and a half. Was it clear what the film was about? Not quite, and that's what made it great! What's out there? Zombies? Rabid animals? A pandemic disease outbreak? One thing was clear; people got sick. The trailer that followed gave us a bit more to chew on, but viewers were still left wondering what direction the film would take. What will "it" be?

After seeing the film, I'll say two things:

1. I went into it with no preconceptions about what the film would be, and left completely satisfied
2. There's pretty much no way to discuss it without spoilers

What I can safely share, is that the film will keep you tense, very tense, throughout! Collectively and individually, the performances from the cast are excellent. Joel Edgerton plays Paul, a man who is determined to protect his family from perilous external forces. His wife, Sarah (played by Carmen Ejogo) supports him in his efforts to protect the family. Their son, Travis (played by Kelvin Harrison Jr.) is a 17-year-old boy, struggling with living out the late years of his adolescence removed from anyone his age, and quarantined in a tucked-away house in the forest. After the unexpected arrival of Will (played by Christopher Abbott), his wife, Kim (played by Riley Keough) and their young son, the two families join forces to protect themselves from what's out there. But, how long until happily playing house becomes too good to be true? This is a psychological thriller, where fear can change people, and trust is put to the ultimate test. If you can set aside your expectations and avoid pigeonholing the movie into a particular genre, go see It Comes at Night for a tension inducing experience.

*SPOILERS*

It Comes at Night did exactly what I've always wanted a film to do. The audience is never shown "it"! What's behind that red door? What comes at night? Who knows...but does it even matter? You know that something happened, that people got sick and they need to stay away. Perhaps, that's all you really need to know. Having seen hundred of suspense/thriller/horror movies I can recall countless times where the audience sees "it", and "it" is not scary or interesting at all. Rather, "it" makes you dislike what started as a decent movie with a lot of potential. Instead, It Comes at Night leaves it all up to your imagination. "It" can be whatever you want "it" to be because, at the end of the day, that's not what this movie is about. This movie isn't about what's out there. It's about something entirely different; the idea that "Fear Turns Men Into Monsters". Go back and watch the trailer, and you'll see that this is the message from the start. 

This is a psychological thriller, not a horror movie. Perhaps, a horror movie is what some expected. One article discusses how this isn't the first time an A24 film was presented as a horror movie, but was a different type of movie in reality (i.e. The Witch). Not to say that the film didn't have a few scare tactics; there were definitely a few jump-inducing scenes. But, the so-called bait-and-switch didn't affect me quite as much, perhaps because it was a solid film, no matter what you may have expected.

Still from A24's It Comes at Night (2017)

Here's what made it great. First, the use of light in this movie, along with the cinematography is exceptional. Specifically, all of the night scenes in and out of the house are particularly eerie, most using only the light from a lantern to slowly unveil the surroundings. At any point, the viewer is thinking "is this the moment where we'll see something?" You know now that some mysteries aren't fully unveiled, but that doesn't take away from the film.

Still from A24's It Comes at Night (2017)

This film also focuses a great deal on Travis and his personal struggle of being deprived of the contact with his peers that he needs in these late adolescent years. We see this several times as Travis tucks into his attic room, so as to be privy to the goings-on of the adults in the house. He draws an immediate liking to Kim who is, likely, the first person close to his own age that he has interacted with in some time. In his efforts to protect his family, Paul emasculates his son throughout the film by not allowing him to be exposed to any level of potential danger. Harrison Jr. provides an exceptional, breakthrough performance, full of emotion and angst. 

Still from A24's It Comes at Night (2017)

The performances by the rest of the cast are no less impressive. After the two families bypass their honeymoon period and things start to take a turn, the tension can be cut with a knife. In one scene, Paul catches Will saying that he's an only child, and points out that Will mentioned having a brother when they first met. Will quickly recovers by explaining that he refers to his brother-in-law as his brother. It's clear, however, that Paul is finding it difficult to believe him, and the seed of distrust has been planted. Edgerton and Abbott do an excellent job of conveying an undertone of distrust in each other, even when all seems well. It keeps the viewer questioning whether one might turn on the other at any moment, and if, in fact, this new family should not be trusted. In the final scene, when the trust had entirely dissolved, the viewer sees the full extent of the monsters these men have become. The fear and paranoia that sets in from thinking that someone in the house may be sick quickly spreads like the sickness they are all trying so hard to avoid. In the end, what ends up killing them is not whatever is out there, but what is right in front of them.

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