NEW BLOOD: IT COMES AT NIGHT

IT COMES AT NIGHT
A24
2017 Color 
91 Mins.
Horror/Thriller/Drama
Joel Edgerton, Caren Ejogo, Christopher Abbot, Riley Keough and Kelvin Harrison Jr. star.
Written and Directed by Trey Edward Shults
Rated R for language, violence, gore and sexuality.

We've seen this movie before. Something's happened to the world, a virus has seemingly taken out most of the population and a family resides in the woods trying to survive. Until one day a mysterious stranger shows up and things begin to fall apart. I know you are probably rolling your eyes. I mean how many of these movies are they gonna make. It's true the concept feels a bit tired but "Night" proves there are still new ways to revisit it that make it feel fresh and relevant. This film is so great. I would just like to warn people upfront that this film is a slow burn and to be honest it's more of a drama filmed as a horror movie.

Shults effectively builds a potent, dread filled atmosphere you can cut with a knife. Every moment from dishes being washed, family dinners and staring into the woods is gorged with an uncomfortable sense of impending doom and anxiety inducing paranoia that makes it all feel nightmarish. It's the type of movie where they stare into an endless void horrified at something we cannot see but we are witnessing the horror that is happening on there faces. I mean there are a few scenes that take place in this long, dark, black hallway with a red door at the end. The camera moves slowly through it penetrating your psyche and inducing a subtle, prominent fear. I swear I was so creeped out I just wanted them to stop doing it. 

 In addition to the atmosphere, the performances are very strong across the board. Edgerton is solid as always, Ejogo has never been better and Kelvin Harrison is a real stand out here. He lends his character a sense of relatable desperation surviving in a bleak world not worth surviving in. The film is filled with disturbing imagery that was hard to forget long after I saw it, the cinematography is really impressive making the most inanimate objects seem downright creepy and the score is simplistic and haunting lending the proceedings the feel of a nightmare you can't wake up from.

 In fact I had a bit of trouble sleeping that night. I wanna say that it's not a perfect film sure it could have used a bit more character work. As well as some fleshing out concerning the story. But maybe that's the point maybe the simplistic nature of the film and all of it's subtext is what makes it so darn effective. It's sure to divide audiences, the movie is just not for  everyone. There's no big payoff and most of the events that happen are ended on an ambiguous note which will feel unsatisfactory to some. But it's all intentional because in the end it's a character driven piece about human nature in which the title refers to the horror that comes when all hope is lost. ****.5/5