Because it was oppressively hot for the Pacific Northwest yesterday (Sunday June 25th), and because both Conklederp and I have been waiting for its release, we went to see It Comes At Night yesterday afternoon and in short, it was not 100% what I expected, and it was better than I expected.
And I feel that that is pretty much all I can say without delving into the realm of spoilers, so unless you have already seen It Comes At Night, or do not intend to ever see the movie, then continue reading, otherwise stop now and know that it is a really well crafted movie if you like movies involving realistically portrayed people in an extraordinary and tense situations. I do not know if I would classify this as a traditional horror movie in the same vein as one of the trailer'd movies, Wish Upon, and if you go into this movie expecting that type of movie, then you will most likely be disappointed.
What both Conklederp and I loved about It Comes At Night, all started with the teaser trailer, which does not give away too much by way of the story, and does a great job of setting the tone for the film. The director, Trey Edward Shults, whose earlier film Krisha I have not seen, takes a familiar baseline with a family in a cabin during some catastrophic event that is never fully explained and subtly plays with our fear of the unknown. The audience is told through actions and the introduction of newcomers to our family about the rules, which are all very practical, but it is the adherence to these rules that forces the characters to ask questions, and that is where a lot of the tension comes in. Coupled with what the audience brings into the movie with their own preconceived notions about what they think the movie is about and what we have already seen in similar genres.
One aspect of the movie that definitely helped was the score by Brian McOmber, who I was previously unfamiliar with, but I was very impressed with how his music accompanied and amplified many of the otherwise quiet scenes and long shots. Both Conklederp and I commented (after the movie) the score reminded us a lot of the music Jared Emerson-Johnson wrote for The Walking Dead: Season One from Telltale Games. There were even times during the movie that what we were watching felt a bit like something from Telltale Games and half expecting text to pop up in the corner of the screen reading "Kim Will Remember That."
Other films/shows that we thought It Comes At Night reminded us of if only because of thematic elements and tone as opposed to story, were The Witch, The Road, and all of the character scenes in The Walking Dead that did not involve zombies. Maybe even It Follows, but this movie was even more vague and more subdued than that. And that really what It Comes At Night boils down to is a character story about people in a situation that they never asked to find themselves in.
Something that I really wish comes out of how well It Comes At Night is apparently doing, is a rise in more independent horror movies that take their time to build the characters because why do I want to invest my time with people who I do not care at all about? It also helps, from my perspective at least, is that studio A24 has been responsible for distributing films like Under the Skin, The Lobster, The Witch, and Ex Machina.
In the end, I have really nothing bad to say about this movie, if that was not already obvious. The casting was perfect. The script was well written. The acting was befitting of the actors, the script, and the world created. The music was perfectly suited and never overbearing. The length seemed just about right (91 minutes) and how the movie ended seemed very appropriate, as I cannot think of how a different ending would have benefited the overall movie. Nothing but goodness.
~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
Born At Nine, And Dead At Noon
And I feel that that is pretty much all I can say without delving into the realm of spoilers, so unless you have already seen It Comes At Night, or do not intend to ever see the movie, then continue reading, otherwise stop now and know that it is a really well crafted movie if you like movies involving realistically portrayed people in an extraordinary and tense situations. I do not know if I would classify this as a traditional horror movie in the same vein as one of the trailer'd movies, Wish Upon, and if you go into this movie expecting that type of movie, then you will most likely be disappointed.
~*SPOILERS*~
Sort of.
What both Conklederp and I loved about It Comes At Night, all started with the teaser trailer, which does not give away too much by way of the story, and does a great job of setting the tone for the film. The director, Trey Edward Shults, whose earlier film Krisha I have not seen, takes a familiar baseline with a family in a cabin during some catastrophic event that is never fully explained and subtly plays with our fear of the unknown. The audience is told through actions and the introduction of newcomers to our family about the rules, which are all very practical, but it is the adherence to these rules that forces the characters to ask questions, and that is where a lot of the tension comes in. Coupled with what the audience brings into the movie with their own preconceived notions about what they think the movie is about and what we have already seen in similar genres.
One aspect of the movie that definitely helped was the score by Brian McOmber, who I was previously unfamiliar with, but I was very impressed with how his music accompanied and amplified many of the otherwise quiet scenes and long shots. Both Conklederp and I commented (after the movie) the score reminded us a lot of the music Jared Emerson-Johnson wrote for The Walking Dead: Season One from Telltale Games. There were even times during the movie that what we were watching felt a bit like something from Telltale Games and half expecting text to pop up in the corner of the screen reading "Kim Will Remember That."
Other films/shows that we thought It Comes At Night reminded us of if only because of thematic elements and tone as opposed to story, were The Witch, The Road, and all of the character scenes in The Walking Dead that did not involve zombies. Maybe even It Follows, but this movie was even more vague and more subdued than that. And that really what It Comes At Night boils down to is a character story about people in a situation that they never asked to find themselves in.
Something that I really wish comes out of how well It Comes At Night is apparently doing, is a rise in more independent horror movies that take their time to build the characters because why do I want to invest my time with people who I do not care at all about? It also helps, from my perspective at least, is that studio A24 has been responsible for distributing films like Under the Skin, The Lobster, The Witch, and Ex Machina.
In the end, I have really nothing bad to say about this movie, if that was not already obvious. The casting was perfect. The script was well written. The acting was befitting of the actors, the script, and the world created. The music was perfectly suited and never overbearing. The length seemed just about right (91 minutes) and how the movie ended seemed very appropriate, as I cannot think of how a different ending would have benefited the overall movie. Nothing but goodness.
~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
Born At Nine, And Dead At Noon
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