‘It Comes By Night’ Isn’t The Sort Of Horror Movie You Might Be Expecting It’s Something Much Better – UPROXX

A24

In the Q&A session following the surprise premiere of his second film, It Comes At Night, at the first Overlook Film Festival at Oregons Timberline Lodge, writer/director Trey Edward Shults didnt have a lot of answers. Or, better put, he kept quiet about any answers he might have supplied. Asked about any of several ambiguous plot points in a film filled with them, Shults largely demurred even when asked what the It of the title was. This may sound like a director being precious, but it didnt feel that way and nobody in attendance seemed annoyed. If anything, it confirmed that what theyd just seen wouldnt be enriched by easy answers, and that its apt for a film so concerned with the unknown, the fear it creates, and what that fear does to those in its shadow to keep its secrets to itself.

Set in the aftermath of a devastating plague thats seemingly reduced the population of the Earth to a handful of survivors, its a film steeped in darkness, both literally and otherwise. With action that takes place largely in and around a sprawling, lodge-like country home, It Comes At Night sometimes lets only a lantern or a flashlight light the frame and then only a portion of it. Its an apt choice for the films world, a place where hope comes in flickers and whose central family is introduced saying a tearful farewell to an incoherent, plague-strikcen elderly family member. After those goodbyes have been said, the family patriarch, Paul (Joel Edgerton), clad in a gas mask, takes him outside, shoots him, and burns his body. Inside, Pauls wife Sarah (Carmen Ejogo) and their 17-year-old-son Travis (Kevin Harrison Jr.) listen and wait for Pauls return. A family of four has become a family of three.

Yet while all signs suggest that the worlds population may have been reduced to minuscule numbers, that doesnt mean theyre alone. One night, despite their intense security regimen, they hear a pounding and find a stranger (Christopher Abbot) has almost made into their home. In time, theyll learn his name is Will, but only after hes been tied up outside to confirm he isnt carrying the plague. Even then, Paul doesnt ask his name until after an intense interrogation beautifully played by Abbot and Edgerton in a film with no weak performances about where he comes from and why he attempted to break into their place, a process that ends with Paul and Sarah deciding to take in Will, his wife Kim (Riley Keough), and their toddler son.

But this doesnt mean the family will be getting bigger. Its as much a strategic move as an act charity. Will and Kim bring animals and food with them and their presence offers a greater defense against any future invaders. And though they soon settle into a nice routine, when Paul tells his son you cant trust anyone but family, he means it. And after a series of frightening, inexplicable incidents, some already present fractures between the two families threaten to tear the home apart.

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'It Comes By Night' Isn't The Sort Of Horror Movie You Might Be Expecting It's Something Much Better - UPROXX

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero