Watch It Comes at Night
- R
- 2017
- 1 hr 31 min
-
6.2 (104,482)
It Comes at Night is a 2017 post-apocalyptic horror film set in a world where a highly contagious and deadly disease has wiped out most of humanity. The movie follows a family of three who has relocated to a secluded cabin in the woods to avoid the disease, and have established a strict set of rules to keep themselves safe. The movie stars Joel Edgerton as the father, Paul, who is determined to protect his family at any cost. Christopher Abbott plays Will, a desperate father who shows up at Paul's cabin seeking shelter for his own family. Carmen Ejogo plays Sarah, Paul's wife.
The movie starts with a disturbing scene where Paul and Sarah's son Travis (played by Kelvin Harrison Jr.) has to euthanize his grandfather, who has been infected by the disease. This sets the tone for the rest of the movie, which is dark, tense, and claustrophobic.
As the two families try to coexist in the same cabin, tensions rise and suspicions deepen. Will's son, who is about the same age as Travis, begins to behave strangely, and Paul becomes increasingly convinced that he poses a threat to his family's safety. Meanwhile, Travis begins to have vivid nightmares and hallucinations, which blur the line between reality and hallucination.
Director Trey Edward Shults does an excellent job of creating a sense of dread and paranoia, with the small cabin and surrounding woods serving as an eerie and foreboding setting. The cinematography is excellent, with the tight close-ups and muted color palette underscoring the movie's sense of unease.
The acting is also superb, with Joel Edgerton delivering a nuanced and layered performance as the protective but paranoid father. Christopher Abbott brings a raw vulnerability to his role as Will, and Carmen Ejogo does a great job of conveying the emotional toll that the apocalypse has taken on her character.
The movie does an excellent job of exploring the psychological toll that a societal collapse would have on its survivors. The characters are all flawed and damaged, struggling to hold on to their humanity in a world that seems determined to destroy it. At its core, the movie is a meditation on grief, fear, and the lengths that people will go to protect the ones they love.
On the downside, the movie has been criticized for its slow pacing, with some viewers finding it tedious and uneventful. However, I found the slow-burn approach to be effective, as it allows the tension to build gradually, and the audience to fully immerse themselves in the oppressive and unnerving atmosphere of the movie.
Overall, It Comes at Night is a well-crafted and thought-provoking horror film that tackles weighty themes with skill and depth. It's not a movie for everyone, but for those who appreciate a slow-burn, character-driven approach to horror, it's definitely worth a watch.
It Comes at Night is a 2017 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 31 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.2 and a MetaScore of 78.