It Comes at Night (2017)

What a prophetic film this turned out to be. When I watched it the other day, I thought for sure its creation was heavily influenced by COVID-19. But it came out in 2017.

Judging by the movie’s title, the short preview on Netflix, and its most common poster, you would probably expect It Comes at Night to be a creature feature of some sort. Instead, it’s a post-apocalyptic pandemic flick, and one of the best I’ve ever seen. Similar to The Road, we’re never told exactly what has happened. We know there’s a disease. We know you can tell someone has it by looking at their hands and eyes. We know it’s extremely contagious.

But the symptoms of the disease are secondary. The plot centers around a family that has carved out a life for themselves in a house in the woods. They’ve taken on a routine that seems to have allowed them to live in relative comfort despite the horrors of the outside world. But then another family arrives. What’s so unique about It Comes at Night is that there really isn’t a bad guy. All the characters seem to have the best intentions. But suspicions and the constant worry that the disease will make its way amongst them, makes it suspenseful as hell.

  

The acting is so damn good. And the atmosphere created fills you with a constant state of unease. If you’re looking for blood and guts, this isn’t the movie for you. But it’s one of the best horror movies I’ve seen in recent memory.

PC3’s Horror and Exploitation Movie Scale of Awesomeness

Gore – 2

Special Effects – 4

Nudity/Sexuality – 0

Wow Factor – 5

Acting – 10

Fear Factor – 9

Story/Plot/Originality – 9

Cinematography/Atmosphere – 10

Sound/Music – 7

Fun Factor – 5

With a total PHEMSA score of 61, It Comes at Night is highly recommended. You can find it on Netflix.