It Comes at Night

**The marketing made me expect something this movie was not and ultimately dissatisfied me with what I got.** Marketed as a horror creature movie, It Comes at Night disappoints due to the severe lack of creature horror. Instead, the film follows a family surviving an apocalyptic virus that has all but wiped humanity off the face of the earth. Paranoia saturates every moment of the movie, with characters constantly fearing how others might attack or infect those they care about. The film's scariest moments are the weird dreams the son keeps having. The twists at the end most likely are meant to shock but left me deflated. While It Comes at Night might be beloved by cinema fanatics, I couldn't get past the deceptive marketing. I wanted monsters and got family drama and paranoia.

It Comes at Night is very realistic interpretation of a post-apocalyptic world which follows a family trying balance survival with their own morality. I found almost every aspect of the story to be incredibly grounded; from the way the house is set up to the interactions between our main two families. The whole entire film the families are walking on eggshells trying not to disturb the peace that has settled for our main characters. No matter how long these two families have been in each other's company, they cannot truly trust each other in these desperate times. It creates a significant amount of tension as the audience is nervously waiting for the ultimate end to their harmony. The cinematography and sound design are excellent in this film. The shots from inside the house feel incredibly claustrophobic and maze like, especially in the night scenes. The audio creates some truly terrifying moments as the muffled sounds of banging and rummaging echo through the halls. Our performances are all excellent. The extremely raw, pragmatic, and emotional mannerisms our characters display work so well with the dark and gritty reality of their world. Kelvin Harrison Jr. was a standout, his empathetic nature mixed with dark foreboding undertones was a very complex role that I think he nailed. Joel Edgerton was also great as always. Overall, It Comes at Night is a great film and interpretation of what a real apocalyptic event would be due to the world and humanity that I really enjoyed despite its limited action. Score: 81% Verdict: Great