Trey Edward Shults delivers a harrowing family drama, mired in loss and paranoia
Note: contains mild plot point spoilers.
Trey Edward Shults made his theatrical debut as writer-director back in 2016 with Krisha. A personal affair, literally with many of the cast played by family members, it chronicled an intense and disconcerting family reunion at Thanksgiving. His sophomore effort, It Comes at Night, shares much of the DNA of his first film, being intimately rooted in a family drama, but this time fully embracing the horror genre. Events unfold at the edge of civilization, an isolated homestead, a family in seclusion, doing their best to survive, eventually finding that what really threatens to consume them comes from within, not from outside.
Paul (Joel Edgerton), wife Sarah (Carmen Ejogo), and their 17 year old son Travis (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) have a routine. They wear gas masks outside and travel in pairs, they stay armed, they decontaminate when they return, and they eat their meals together to help with rationing as well as maintain that family bond. Most importantly, they always make sure their home is secure; the solitary red door marking the threshold of this secluded sanctuary they have built is locked before nightfall. Beyond the woods that surround them, an illness has consumed mankind, and their routine is all they have to try and stave off its threat.
One night, an intruder tries to break into their home. Paul manages to incapacitate him and ties him up in the woods for a few days. Once sure he is free of the sickness, he interrogates the man, who identifies himself as Will (Christopher Abbott), his intentions being merely to obtain supplies for his wife Kim (Riley Keough) and young son Andrew (Griffin Robert Faulkner) who are secluded in a abandoned house some 50 miles away. After scrutinizing his story, Paul decides to offer them sanctuary, bringing them into his home and his routine, two families eventually working together and crafting a semblance of trust, one that will be inevitably shattered as the paranoia fueled by what lies outside consumes them.
The comparison you’re most likely to see is with 2016’s The Witch, another stellar feature from A24. It’s a fair and flattering one to make; both are films that feel tangible in their surroundings, and rather than out and out horror, are slowly infused with dread and tension. The film also has parallels to Z for Zachariah and yet another A24 venture, Into the Forest. Both look at how an outside influence disrupts a functioning unit and can precipitate fear. What differentiates It Comes at Night is how intensely personal it feels.
Shults penned the screenplay shortly after losing his father, and it’s loss that is at the core of the story. An opening act introduces Bud (David Pendleton), grandfather to Travis. Lesions cover his body, his eyes and blood turned black. Paul’s mercy ends his suffering, and together the family dispose of the body in a fiery grave. It’s a brisk and harrowing introduction to what threatens these characters and serves as the foundation for the fears and paranoia that drive the film. While Edgerton is superb, the film and its tale really belong to Harrison’s Travis. It’s a enthralling turn about a boy on the cusp of manhood dealing not only with the loss of his grandfather, but also the loss of his future. Deprived of experiences, his world is changed forever. The presence of Kim (deft work by Keough) only serves to highlight the burgeoning sexuality of Travis, adding to the unease with his growing voyeuristic tendencies. His anxieties also serve as a vessel for the film’s more horror tinged moments, his sleep haunted by nightmares about his grandfather’s illness.
Some may feel frustration at much of the horror content stemming from fever dreams rather than reality, or at the lack of answers in the film. It doesn’t overly expand on what has engulfed civilization; similarly, questions about various happenings within the house are unanswered. But such ambiguity adds to the unease, suspicion, and atmosphere. The darkness that feels alive, with dark winding corridors in a house that is as much a character as any person, an iconic painting by Pieter Brueghel, and that ominous red door, a haunting visual cue that calls back to Don’t Look Now. These facets are aided by commendable work from cinematographer Drew Daniels, impressive sound design, and a discordant score from Brian McOmber. It’s unsurprising that Shults can craft such an atmosphere given what was achieved with Krisha, but the addition of this external menace allows him to crank it up even more. External threats, internal doubts, a low key riff on The Thing that is no less potent. Loss and fear push these people to their limits, where they discover how far they will go to save a loved one, and question whether past that point, survival is even enough.
It Comes at Night is an authentic emotional drama with a horror genre skin. It deftly crafts a palpable sense of dread that steadily engulfs its characters. Restraint and creativity are a delicate thing to balance, and Trey Edward Shults walks that line with unnerving results. A remarkably assured and effective piece of filmmaking.
Disclaimer: Cinapse Staff writer Wilson Smith was an Associate Producer on the film. This had no bearing on the opinions of this reviewer.
It Comes at Night is released by A24 on June 8th, 2017.