It Comes at Night (Film Review)

It Comes at Night has a very deceptive title.  The film is labeled under the horror genre, and with horror stories such as It Follows and It preceding the release, it’s no surprise I expected the titled “It” in It Comes at Night to be some kind of supernatural being.  “It”, however, does not refer to any monstrous being, but rather a state of mind: one’s subconscious thoughts while asleep.  Make no mistake, It Comes at Night may not be a traditional horror film like It Follows and It, but it can certainly get horrific.

The monster within It Comes at Night is not the boogie man, but us humans, and what we are capable of when placed into a certain state of mind.  Such theme is not a novel concept—it’s been done many times before—nor is the film’s purposely vague setting.  The story goes that an unknown disease has spread across the world, killing off its majority.  To avoid infection, a husband (Joel Edgerton), his wife (Carmen Ejogo) and their son (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) have secluded themselves in a cabin deep in the woods (the film opens with the wife’s father being killed after succumbing to the illness).  The film follows the family as they encounter an intruder (Christopher Abbott) seeking help for his own family, and the ensuing events that occur between both families.

Minor Spoilers From This Point Onward:

It Follows at Night does nothing inherently original with its story, setting, or characters.  There’s a scene where the story appears to be taking a new direction (focusing on the husband and intruder going on a three-day journey), yet quickly switches back to its original premise just as it's getting interesting.  Where it lacks in originality, however, the film makes up for with atmosphere and slight tweaks to the usual formula.  The husband is certainly no slouch when it comes to survival.  I would compare him, both in appearance and attitude, to a certain video game character (who also shares the actor’s name), but I’ve talked enough about said video game in previous reviews.  Instead, I’ll discuss how the husband certainly knows what he’s doing for a former school teacher.  While he forgoes killing the intruder, the husband still plays it extra cautious with their new captive.  The husband leaves the intruder outside—head bagged, mouth duct taped, and body tied up to a tree—for a day without food and water before interrogating the weakened man, using water as a reward for truthful answers.  It’s abundantly clear—both in and out of film—that the husband has no qualms about killing (or, at least, leaving him out to starve) if the intruder deceives, with the husband’s statement; “you make me believe you.” putting the intruder’s life in his own ability to convince he’s trustworthy.  It’s a well-made scene that sets up the protagonist as a vigilant man who loves his family and is willing to cross any line to protect them.

It Comes at Night plays heavily on family coming first and how far each character is willing to go to ensure their loved ones’s survival, and yet there’s also the creeping basic humanity within the film's characters that hesitates them from going full pragmatist.  It’s here where the film’s true horror arises as a conflict of emotions between family and friendship, doubt and trust, love and lust, and survival and empathy brings out the best and worst in its characters, with the end result being none-too-pretty.  The cast’s solid performances certainly help convey the necessary, effective emotions for such scenes to work as tragically as they do.

The film’s most unique element is its usage of the son’s subconscious thoughts while sleeping at night: displaying various, surreal imagery of his fears, desires, questions, and concerns.  The son’s underlining desire for the intruder’s wife (Riley Keough) is an element I really wish the film had focused more on.  The film openly conveys the son’s conflicting emotions as this genuinely kindhearted teen struggles with his lustful thoughts and dreams.  Such drive is only amplified by the cabin’s claustrophobic setting, paper-thin walls (allowing him to hear each couples’s intimacy), and the wife being the only non-related female around.  It’s a fascinating psychological conflict that could have further examined the film’s theme in a different approach (how a notably ethical person can succumb to horrific acts if the setting is right), yet it’s barely scratched upon before being completely swept aside in the last third.  It Comes at Night succeeds at what it sets out to do, with some downright brutal, yet captivating storytelling.  Nonetheless, it would have been nice to see the story go less conventional roots in certain regards.

HEY!  DO YOU BY CHANCE ENJOY VIDEO REVIEWS BY TWO BROTHERS WHO ARE DRUNK AND SWEAR A LOT!?  WELL THEN, GO CHECK OUT MY FRIENDS'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL MOVIE REVIEW BROS WHERE THEY'VE ALSO RECENTLY REVIEWED IT COMES AT NIGHT!