It Comes at Night

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

"You can't trust anyone but family." That's an excellent quote from Joel Edgerton in It Comes at Night, one of the most terrifying & disturbing films I've ever seen. Edgerton plays Paul, a former teacher who lives in a secluded, boarded-up house with his wife, Sarah (played by Carmen Ejogo), his son, Travis (played by Kelvin Harrison Jr.), & their dog, Stanley. They are secluded because of a very dangerous & highly contagious disease that has crippled the outside world. One day, someone breaks into the house. After knocking the intruder unconscious & tying him to a tree for a day, Paul concludes that the intruder is not infected. The intruder introduces himself as Will (played by Christopher Abbott), who is seeking water for his family who is stuck in an abandoned house 50 miles away. After giving Will water, Paul & Will go to bring Will's wife, Kim (played by Riley Keough), & Will's son, Andrew (played by Griffin Robert Faulkner), who are not infected either, to Paul's house, as Sarah believes that with more people there, they can defend it better.

After bringing Kim & Andrew back, Paul goes over the rules: the red door is the only entrance & exit in the house, & it must be locked at all times, with Paul or Sarah possessing the key; the firearms, including Will's, will be locked in the safe; when they venture outside, they must be in groups of 2 or 3; & they never go out at night, unless it's an emergency. Will & Kim agree, & the two families eventually become to grow closer to each other. But eventually, fear & paranoia begin to ravage the house, & no one can trust each other.

The cast is amazing. Trey Edward Shults's direction & screenplay are excellent. The cinematography by Drew Daniels is stunning. The film editing by Shults & Matthew Hannam is excellent. The production design by Karen Murphy is amazing. The sound editing & sound mixing is excellent. And the film score by Brian McOmber is haunting. This is one of the best horror films I've ever seen. It's a perfect example of how fear can turn even the most honorable men into monsters, a message that is ever so timely in the world today, especially in America.