It Comes at Night: A Cozy Family Getaway Gone Awry
Picture this: you’re nestled in a cozy, isolated house with your wife and kid, living the dream of a quiet life away from the chaos of the world. Sounds perfect, right? Well, welcome to It Comes at Night, where “perfect” is just a mirage in a desert of paranoia and dread. Spoiler alert: things get awkward fast.
Our main man, Paul (played by the ever-brooding Joel Edgerton), has taken his family to a secure, mysterious house in the woods, where the biggest concern is whether or not to pick up the phone or just stare at it suspiciously. But wait! Enter a desperate family seeking refuge, and suddenly the home sweet home feels like a ticking time bomb. Because nothing says “trust” like sharing a roof with strangers in a world where something sinister is lurking outside.
As the new family, led by the charmingly paranoid Will (Carmen Ejogo’s husband, who apparently didn’t get the memo about “stranger danger”), moves in, the air thickens with tension. Paul, who clearly skipped the “Sharing is Caring” lesson in kindergarten, becomes increasingly suspicious of their intentions. I mean, who wouldn’t be wary of a family that looks like they just walked off a survivalist reality show?
Now, let’s talk about the big bad lurking outside. It’s never fully revealed what exactly is terrorizing the world, but it’s enough to make Paul and his family act like they’re living in a post-apocalyptic episode of Survivor. There’s a lot of “don’t go outside” and “what’s that noise?” and “I swear I just saw something move in the shadows” moments. Seriously, if you’re not on the edge of your seat, you’re probably on the floor questioning your life choices.
As the paranoia escalates, so do the questionable decisions. Paul becomes the ultimate helicopter parent, but instead of just hovering, he’s practically building a fortress around his family. Trust erodes faster than a sandcastle at high tide, and soon we’re all wondering if anyone will survive this family reunion gone horribly wrong.
Things culminate in a series of unfortunate events that would make even the most optimistic viewer want to throw in the towel. Spoiler alert: there’s betrayal, misunderstandings, and a tragic end that leaves you staring at the screen like you just witnessed a car crash in slow motion. In a nutshell, the film serves us a hearty dish of “trust no one” with a side of “what were you thinking?”
In the end, It Comes at Night is a masterclass in building suspense and mistrust, wrapped in a blanket of existential dread. It’s like a family camping trip gone wrong, where the only thing scarier than the dark outside is the darkness creeping into their hearts. So grab your emotional support animal, because after this film, you’ll need all the cuddles you can get!