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It takes a lot for me to dislike a film. It has to be a complete and utter waste of my time, and even then it could still have some redeeming values. Its hard to label It Comes at Night. On one hand, its a slow paced descent into the deepest throes of the human psyche, and on the other hand it is an utterly depressing and hopeless look at humanity.

I tend to lean on the latter part of my assessment, mainly because there is just so much reality to this parable about a world ravaged by a deadly virus (yeesh, imagine if this came out in 2020). More than anything, this film pretty much predicted what could happen if a disease truly did start randomly killing people with no quarter. Society would turn on itself, and it would become a battle of the fittest and prepared, and in some cases, best armed. I don't fault anyone for not liking this film. It's a hard slog and a depressing one at that. I appreciate the fact the film didn't try to sugarcoat anything. I truly believe humanity would turn on each other in a similar way.

Is the movie well made? Sure, I had no problems with the pacing or the reality of the story. Beyond that, there is not much else to say about this film. It's a simple survival story and every person's opinion of it hinges on whether they believe humanity is ultimately selfish (much like myself) or you were looking for a standard horror/thriller that would try holding a mirror up and asking what you would do in that situation.

There's a lot of discussion on here as to whether this film constitutes a horror film or something more akin to a psychological drama.

As a horror film, I didn't find the film scary, and as a psychological drama, not particularly fresh in what it was presenting. I consider 'The Road' as a much, much stronger example of a film that blends horror and psychological drama - in exploring the limits of humanity & family in an apocalyptic setting.

It's nonetheless a well-made film with fine performances, but I came into the film expecting...something great, which it wasn't. That's hype for you.

A beautifully shot, lovely scored and well-acted film. Shame it is dull and disappointing. I'm all for psychological horror but I really think this film has been misrepresented as genres it just cannot live up to. A few nightmare sequences does not a horror make! Honestly, I feel like it is a great film in its own right but my expectations left me feeling as through it was three quarters of what it could have been. I feel so guilty saying this, but temper your expectations. I wish I had too. If that doesn't turn you off, then go for it - it really is a well-made movie and does do a good job of creating tensions, despite the lack of payoff.

Despite the title sounding very sinister, the film is anything but what it implies. Too little information is given about the 'disease' and the rest of the world. The absence of CGI is refreshing, though, and makes it that much more realistic. Great character bonding, too.

But what comes at night? The sick? The sickness? What? Nothing came at night...

Inside the mind it is dark. You imagine it is safe. You take refuge there. Outside of the mind is the world. The world is sick, dangerous.

You have a door between the two. You keep it locked. You have a protocol for the door to keep what is out, out. The people you trust, that you let inside, you expect them to keep to the protocol as well.

But at night something comes the door can't defend against. At night the dreams come, because the dreams live inside, with you. Dreams of doubt and fear. It's at night when the door is most necessary... and most likely to be compromised.

"It Comes at Night" shrugs off traditional horror beats and embraces the extended discourse of a nightmare, the inky blacks lit only by a hand-held lantern, the invisible contagions that we can't keep out no matter how hard we try, the way a fire we must light attracts things that might do us harm.

It's "Night of the Living Dead" without zombies. It's "The Thing" without a monster. It's the distrust we have of everything outside, even the outsiders that are inside. It's the long narrow dark hallway to a door that's supposed to be locked, must be locked, but isn't.

And it's one of the very best horror films of the year so far. A year that has already been a landmark one for progressive, humanist, and existential horror.

And yes, it is a horror film, no matter what others may tell you.

An incredibly poor attempt at being mysterious that leaves questions unanswered and answers vague. A movie that leads viewers to form their own ending does not give me the idea of effort and creativity but a lack there of. Any sort of plotline or point of interest was mentioned once and then never again. They didn't follow through on anything. There was nothing to be afraid of because we were never told what to be afraid of. What comes at night? What is the disease and how do you get it? The characters got no development, the story got no development, it was all very surface level.

Cinematography was good though.

I see you "indie horror that takes place entirely at a house in the forest", and I get it, you have a friend with a cottage which helps cut costs on expensive sets or blocking off public spaces. And I'm okay with this, the woods has both a natural beauty and creepiness that can be effective regardless of how many times we've seen the backdrop. Carry on.

It Comes at Night follows in the footsteps of a lot of modern, A24, "elevated" horror, exploring familiar themes through a less than conventional lens. Restraint seems to be the name of the game here, primarily building off the fear of the unknown. Objects of terror largely remain off-screen, questions are raised but never answered. If you feel frustrated by ambiguity, this may not be the film for you.

Mostly it explores the tension between two families with surface civility, being pushed to a breaking point by extreme circumstances, calling in to question the morality of how far you would go to protect your own, and how much you can trust a stranger. It treads on similar themes as Night of the Living Dead or The Thing, with claustrophobic dread only exacerbated by the lack of trust for your fellow man. The performances are strong across the board, with a bottled up anxiety that feels like it's ready to burst at any moment, building towards a devastating finish.

I must confess I was expecting way more of this "horror" film.

It started off quite well (hence the 4 rating) but after the first 30 minutes went downhill. No questions were answered, you are left with a large list of plot holes and an ending that couldn't be more predictable and boring.

Don't get me wrong, it isn't the worst "horror" film I ever saw but is avoidable especially if you like HORROR.

I'm still waiting for what comes at night.

This movie doesn't fail to scare; worse, it blatantly doesn't even try.

I don't know if I'm more disappointed by movies that you can tell will be crap just by looking at the lighting and camera-work, or a movie that's actually pretty decent in terms of techy stuff and casting and acting and atmosphere and yet miserably fails to deliver. Yeah I think it's the latter. At least with cheap looking movies you know the risk.

If you look at this as a movie that explores "the human condition" or something like that, you might find some merit in it. However, it's advertised as a horror movie, which, by definition, needs to at least TRY to scare audiences. Such a disappointment.

All in all I'm just left wondering what the critics must have watched to give this such high scores. I'll think twice in the future before I watch something trusting Joel Edgerton's name.

It Comes at Night is a film that discards typical horror movie tropes in place of actual craftsmanship. There are no big revelations being made here, no grand "aha" moment that would have you giving a standing ovation. All it offers you is a general sense of paranoia that's fostered under the right set of circumstances.

Using different aspect ratios (letterboxing) to insinuate the differences between reality and a delusional dream state was not only a clever bit of extradiegetic storytelling but also a great conversation piece once you get to the finale. By playing with the subconscious understanding of these aspects and the simple mechanics of the world created, you basically get a film that demands a rewatch upon completion or at the very least, a proper discussion of the events delivered in the 3rd act.

All the performances were fantastic. Even the younger characters were believable. In a short period of time, they all became flesh and blood people, with none feeling gimmicky or poorly placed.

Perhaps this film was too subdued for its own good. As was the case with 2015's The Witch, this film's dedication for a higher pedigree of horror movie storytelling may have effectively deafened its acceptance from general movie goers. With that being said, this is basically another shoe-in for cult status territory.

This was beautifully created and a suspenseful setting but was deeply lacking in storyline. So little actually occurred that I was already confused 40 mins in. If it weren't for Joel Edgerton I would have shut this down 1/3 of the way in. It was confusing, incongruent and frankly a little boring. I patiently waited though and saw it through. Alas the climax was so disappointing I was in shock... and it didn't even happen at night!!! What the hell was coming at night??? Nothing came... even during the day. Not cool... not a horror film, barely a thriller, just a shame.

It Comes At Night tells the story of a family who is desperately seeking refuge from an unknown entity only to stumble across a family who takes them in but soon discover that their fear and paranoia may get the best of them all. Ever since this premiered at the Overlook Film festival, this has been on every horror fan's list of films to see, including my own. After finally getting to see the final product, I was left riddled with confusion and anger over the film but I couldn't hate it.

First off, anyone who is a fan of slow burn horror will probably like this film immensely. Even though the film is 97 minutes, it moves at a snail's pace sometimes. Director Trey Edwards Shultz proves that Krisha was not a fluke here but he also proves that storytelling is still a bit of a weak point. It Comes At Night suffers from the same things that Krisha did. It has a weak and thin script but a strong enough idea in it to float it. Despite this, Shultz does a great job with his cast. Much like Krisha, had any other cast been chosen, I doubt this film would be half as good as it is.

The film's cast is extremely strong and small enough so that you actually care about these characters which is hard to find in horror. Starring Joel Edgerton, Riley Keough, Chris Abbott, Carmen Ejogo and Kelvin Harrison, Jr., the film is electrified through these actors and you can absolutely tell. The story is paper thin but mysterious enough to keep a mild interest. When you combine that with this cast, you have a decent enough horror film that is slightly above your average Netflix fare.

Overall, It Comes At Night was a bit of a disappointment considering the hype it has. The final product is muddled and confusing but still well acted nonetheless. Joel Edgerton leads a fine cast that gives us some truly terrifying performances which elevates the very thin plot. If you are a fan of slow burn horror films like last year's The Witch, then you might enjoy this one.

Good grief, is this the feel-bad movie of the year or what?

A family of survivalists have holed themselves up in an isolated house in the wake of some biological incident, the details of which are left vague, but which has resulted in a virus that kills anyone who contracts it. When another survivor with a family stumbles upon them, they must then decide whether or not to turn their backs or extend a helping hand. It's a parable that examines where the instinct to protect oneself and those he loves ends and the impulse for basic human decency begins.

I guess I'd have to say that "It Comes at Night" was effectively done, because it left me feeling absolutely awful, and I had trouble shaking it. But I would also have trouble shaking the image of someone getting run over by a car -- no one would have to present it artistically for it to get to me. The final moments of "It Comes at Night" go places few movies dare to go, but it might make a viewer have to decide whether it's dramatically satisfying or cheaply manipulative.

Grade: C