MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Psychological Horror/Stars: Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Carmen Ejogo, Riley Keough, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Griffin Robert Faulkner, David Pendleton, Chase Joliet, Mick O’Rourke, and Mickey the Dog/Runtime: 91 minutes

I think it is safe to say that over a stretch of about two solid decades or so something quite unsavory happened to the realm of horror cinema. That being that it seemed like horror movies as a whole had started to make the transition toward being more engaged in seeing how many cheap and watered-down jump scares they could cram into one movie rather than try to genuinely scare an audience through nothing more than mood and atmosphere. As a result, we see that this significant oversimplification of the horror genre of movie magic into nothing more than a bloated PG-13 cash cow quickly saw the release of numerous entries that were at best time-wasters and at worst head-scratching and just plain dumbfoundingly bad. Thankfully, during these “dark ages” there were still some slices of horror cinema who resisted this urge. Case in point: the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, 2017’s It Comes at Night. A film that, instead of deploying those eye-rolling and sigh-worthy trends, decides to do something else and operate instead as a character-propelled voyage into psychological terror. Along with that though, this is also a slice of cinema carrying an R-rating that, in all honesty, the team making this film could have lowered to a PG-13 if they snipped a few things here and there. Instead though, they chose to keep this film’s rating and content as is so as to make clear that horror is not always supposed to be cheesy, over-the-top, or even comforting for that matter. Suffice it to say then that I can safely say that if you wish to see a PG-13 rated horror movie about a happy little elf then there is always room over at the Woodsorns’ residence over on Happy-Go-Lucky Lane. This however is not that kind of movie. Instead, this is one for people who are onboard with a bleak tale and the possibility for the atmosphere this film is equipped with drenching you whilst also staying with you long after the screen has cut to black and the credits have begun to roll. Suffice it to say then that no this slice of cinema is not one that will leave you positive or even upbeat, but it is one that is both wonderfully done on both sides of the camera whilst also offering a terrifically ominous and way more audience-specific viewing experience. One incidentally that if you are the kind of movie goer who relishes this kind of film will see you find quite a bit to enjoy here.

The plot is as follows: Taking us deep into an ominous and foreboding forest, we witness as we are dropped feet-first into a rather unique depiction of the world around us. This is because the plants are still in bloom, the animals are out and about doing their thing, but something has changed. Namely that it would appear that a pathogen of unknown origin has swept across the entire planet. Yet whilst it’s not clear where it comes from, what impact it has had on civilization as we know it, or even what it does to people there is one thing that is clear. That being that contact with it must be avoided at any and all cost lest one wishes to die a slow and most painful death. It is in this new world of sorts therefore that we are introduced to our main family unit consisting of patriarch Paul, his wife Sarah, and their son Travis respectively. As our film opens proper, we see that this trio is in the midst of yet another day that is governed by a new code to living. One that sees them isolate from the outside world as much as possible and also have to resort to shooting and then burning the body of Sarah’s father due to him showing symptoms of the dreaded pathogen. Now normally, this particular incident would mark the end of the nightmare. Unfortunately, for our family of three this is not the end; rather, it is merely the beginning. This is because later that night, the family is awoken to the sound of an intruder in their home who, upon being subdued, identifies himself as a man by the name of Will who is simply looking for water to aid his wife and kid who are, at the present time, less than 60 miles south of their current location. Of course, and given the circumstances, this story seems a bit fishy for Paul so he decides to take Will outside to verify his claims courtesy of a Jerry Lewis telethon-in length interrogation first and then heading out with him to where he says his wife and kid are. Upon their return, we see that Will was telling the truth as with the pair are Will’s wife Kim and son Andrew. To that end, we see that our pair of families try to locate a degree of satisfaction in sharing a living space together, but unfortunately this doesn’t turn out to be the best idea. Rather, it turns out to be only the first stone on a path made up of paranoia, hostility, and desperation that by the end of it will see 2 families engage in a battle for survival against a deadly virus outside, but an even deadlier battle inside. One whose opponent may or may not take the shape and form of the person right next to them…..

Now right off the bat I do wish to praise this slice of cinema’s talented crew behind the camera for one particular creative choice. That being that they choose not to reveal certain pieces of information that in other movies similar to this would be explained at some point such as the origins of the virus, how long the virus has been around, etc. Instead, the film chooses to put us in the dark as much as the characters on the state of things in the world of the film. A creative choice that incidentally turns out to be quite brilliant since doing so enables us to put ourselves as movie goers in the horrific situation in a way that feels terrifyingly authentic. Besides that though, the work done behind the camera is actually well-done. Indeed, this starts with how this film’s helmer, one Trey Shults, does a great job at consistently keeping you spooked not by anything grandiose, but by either just dropping you low-key hints at the bigger picture or just letting your imagination scare you infinitely more than anything that is on screen at the time. Suffice it to say this slice of cinema is another intriguing chapter in the cinematic saga of just out of our sight entities that creep about as well as the downright petrified individuals who find themselves having to handle that which they cannot see nor can they even begin to comprehend. To be sure, every single surprising hint or detail we are given here manages to make sense nor is the resolution as taut or novel as the thrilling buildup to it, but it is still a wonderful effort all the same. Having said that, I am also convinced that this slice of cinema would have functioned on the same level it does here if it had been made instead as a theater production….provided Shults hadn’t inserted in every scene a acutely detailed eye. Indeed not only does the cinematography department do a brilliant job utilizing Steadicam as it weaves its way through the knotted and gnarled forest with a wonderful musical accompaniment reinforcing the ominous feeling of unease one feels throughout, but the director also does a great job at capitalizing on the internal spookiness of lengthy and quite gloomy passageways that are only brightened by one barely lit lantern can be in a way that is sure to leave more than its fair share of chills running down your spine. Finally, while it doesn’t take the themes it is operating with to points of overkill, this film does manage to insert itself quite comfortably into a distinct subgenre that deals with narratives which revolve around a concrete way of life falling apart in the wake of an enigmatic and quite novel menace. With that in mind though, I am also convinced that you might not have seen a fair amount of the others since stories like this one don’t always live up to the immense amount of potential that their core idea holds. Thankfully, this is one slice of cinema that takes that potential and manages to utilize a fair amount of it to help craft the nightmarish main statement at the heart of this film. A statement that says that, in a slice of cinema like this one, the source of the horror is not in what is or isn’t seen. Nor for that matter is it to be found in the fight on the part of the characters in it to remain amongst the land of the living. Rather, it’s when faced with a nightmarish situation like this one, the pondering of if there truly is anything left to stay alive for. A chilling supposition to be sure, but one that fits this film and everything about it to a t.

Along with the other positives I mentioned in the previous section, it should also be said that the cast in this might be small, but they all manage to do quite potent work. This starts with Joel Edgerton who has, with his work in everything from The Gift and Black Mass to Zero Dark Thirty and 2021’s The Green Knight, become one of my favorite actors to keep an eye out for whenever he appears in a film. Suffice it to say that this is definitely the case here as Edgerton does phenomenal at giving us a character who is intriguingly neither a hero nor an antagonist, but a mixture of both. This is because although yes the character of Paul is doing the noble thing of trying his darndest to keep his family safe during this crisis, the manner in which he is choosing to go about accomplishing this to say nothing of some of the things that he does are less than scrupulous at times to put it lightly. As a result, this is a character who firmly and proudly resides in that distinct shade of morality known as gray and Edgerton does a grand job at operating in that area consistently throughout. I also really appreciated the work done here by Carmen Ejogo as Paul’s wife/Travis’ mom Sarah. Indeed, as wonderfully portrayed by Ejogo, Sarah might have a bit more empathy than her husband, but she is also fairly tough in her own right and has no qualms about protecting her family if she feels they are being threatened. Out of everyone though, I think the definitive performance here is given by none other than Kelvin Harrison Jr. who, in the role of Travis, manages to become quite the intriguing character in this due to being both irritated with how controlling his dear ol’ dad is yet equally as compliant in everything he does whilst also having to operate as the conduit for when this slice of cinema chooses to engage in side outings of body horror due to being continuously stricken with freaky nightmares of oozing tar-colored vomit and zombies choosing to come into his room uninvited. Suffice it to say that it is a quite potent performance and one that I hope brings bigger opportunities career-wise Harrison’s way. Now I do love the work done here by both Christopher Abbott and Riley Keough in the roles of the other family’s patriarch Will and matriarch Kim respectively. With that in mind though, I know that there are going to be some people out there who might feel that their characters are either a tad bit underwritten at best or just plain nowhere near as developed as the aforementioned trio at worst. However, I would like to point out that I think that is definitely a purposeful move on the part of the film. This is because, to the other trio, this duo and their son are very much an enigma and they are never quite sure what exactly to make of them or really learn all that much about them. As a result, this high level of uncertainty must also carry over to how we as the audience must view them as well. Not just to make us feel what our main characters are feeling, but so the ending is able to pack the necessary punch that it needs to in order to work at its fullest.

All in all and at the end of the day dear reader the 2017 slice of cinema that is It Comes at Night is one that is quite a few movies rolled into one. Indeed it’s a rather distinct entry in the realm of horror cinema. It’s an extremely immersive and quite emotional look at the concept of loss. Oh and it’s also a disconcerting yet quite unconventional take on the time-honored coming of age saga.  Yet despite how desperate and seemingly unrelated these various components all turn out to be from another, the incredible thing about this slice of cinema is the phenomenal manner in which its helmer Trey Shults manages to blend them all together and make it work without even a single iota of quarrel to be found between them. Thus, and at the end of the day, It Comes at Night proves to be a careful in terms of tempo and firmly concentrating narrative that does a really grand job at utilizing both its phenomenal cast of performers in front of the camera as well as a truly gifted crew working behind the camera respectively. To be sure, it may not provide you with all the answers that you would like it to as well as the fact that it does prove to be quite the bleak cinematic voyage. However, if you are the kind of person who is ok with coming up with the answers to any questions you may have on your own from time to time to say nothing of being willing to synch up with this film’s distinct beat and are willing to immerse yourself in its disheartening waves then I think it is safe to say that you will find a true gem in the realm of psychological horror cinema to say nothing of a film that is significantly more than its marketing campaign might have had you thinking that it was. On a scale of 1-5 I give It Comes at Night “2017” a solid 3.5 out of 5.