It Comes at Night (2017)

A24 has been pumping out semi-decent horror films quite consistently these past few years, so that created a certain bar going into this film in terms of my expectations... I came out getting basically exactly what I expected, and a little bit more. First off, I'd like to just let everyone know that this film's title is incredibly misleading. This is NOT a monster movie, nor is it barely even a horror movie. It Comes at Night is a suspense thriller and a character study... at least that is what it should have been.

At its core the film is just that, it includes masterful cinematography that suits the genre well and holds a cast of stellar performances throughout. The score is present enough to keep things exciting, but nothing to write home about. The pace and tone of the film are right on and the film, while a slow burn, is not boring. Which is a huge relief as this film could've really been a snooze. However, the script is well written enough to keep the audience engaged through its in depth characters and curious scenario.

The film really had the potential to be the suspense pick of the year had it not included its horror elements. Coming from someone who is of course a horror fanatic, the fact that I felt it didn't belong here says a little something to me. It almost felt like the execs at A24 thought that the movie wouldn't sell as a standalone character study; as though they had to keep with their trend of "high brow horror" and forced its horror elements into the script. While this very much so could not be the case, the horror in this film was intrusive to the narrative nonetheless.

Every scene of horror was found in the form of a dream, and had minimal thought put into the design and moments in which they occurred. They came off as cheap, dated, and as good stills to promote the audience to a brain-dead audience who "wouldn't be able to appreciate a more subtle film." As a result , the film is weighed down from being more than it could've been. Despite its pros and cons, the film is entertaining in spite of the fact that its not terribly original. I'd recommend it but as a suspense thriller, not a horror.