Review of It Comes at Night (2017) by Stefan B — 02 Jul 2017

One of the most memorable movies I have seen in a long time.

It's a far cry from a conventional horror film, but it certainly scared me way more than, say, the Conjuring or even something as claustrophobic as the descent. It won't make you jump (which I never was really into in a horror movie anyway, as it's just too easy to pull off) but what it did, for me at least, was leave me with a sick, shaky feeling inside that still lingered a few days afterwards. I suppose it all depends on what you're scared of. I've always been scared of diseases, and this movie is about a terrible, terrible disease, so there's that.

The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, in a bleak, creepy kind of way. The acting is on point. I have a few quibbled about a certain plot twist that drives the third act (a certain event, teased in the trailers, is something of a plot hole) and the ending wasn't quite what I'd hoped for, as I find the film's brilliant message about paranoia to be a little diluted by the last few minutes (hard to say why without spoiling the movie). A lot of people may complain that nothing comes at night, which, I suppose, is fair. However, when I watched the trailers I rather feel that I was set up for exactly what I got--a psychological horror story about how fear turns people into monsters. The titular "it" isn't a monster (though the movie isn't as free of creepy-looking monsterey-ness and nightmarish imagery as some seem to suggest) but rather fear itself. Again, it's probably not for everyone. It's similar to the Witch, though to be honest I felt it was much more satisfying and with a much clearer message than that movie. My final point is--all those who are saying this isn't scary are partially right. It depends on what scares you, and what kind of scare you're looking for. It won't make you jump (much). But it may make your skin crawl. There's a reason that so many critics liked it, and I don't think it's fair to write it off so quickly.