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Laramie Movie Scope:
It Comes at Night

A well crafted, but depressing horror film

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
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June 28, 2017 -- I went to see this because of the positive reviews by other critics, and I have to admit this is a well crafted film with some good performances, but watching it was a thoroughly unpleasant experience. The story is heartbreaking, dispiriting and tragic. Horror fans, and others, probably enjoy it. I am not among them.

This movie also belongs, marginally, in the science fiction, apocalyptic genre, since it concerns an isolated family trying to survive a plague that seems to have wiped out most of civilization. The plague is not really explained in the movie, which opens with an adolescent boy, Travis (played by Kelvin Harrison Jr. of “Birth of a Nation”) watching while his father, Paul (Joel Edgerton of “Midnight Special”) murders his critically ill grandfather (played by David Pendleton) and burns the body, another plague victim. Both men wear gas masks and rubber gloves to avoid infection.

Things go downhill from there. If you are looking for an uplifting tale of survival, this ain't it. Travis, who has vivid, horrible nightmares, has trouble sleeping, and often wanders alone though the family's huge, isolated house at night, while his father and mother, Sarah (played by Carmen Ejogo) sleep. One night, he hears someone trying to break into the house. The stranger, Will (Christopher Abbott of “Martha Marcy May Marlene”) is captured. Will claims he thought the house was abandoned. He was trying to find water for his family.

Although Will says some things to arouse Paul's suspicion, Sarah persuades him to allow Will, his wife, Kim (Riley Keough of “Mad Max: Fury Road”) and their young son, Andrew (Griffin Robert Faulkner) to stay with them. A bonus is that Will and Kim also bring goats and chickens with them. The idea is that more people will make their home fortress easier to defend. The new family settles in, but you just know something awful is going to happen, and it does.

This is a very creepy film, a bit similar to some zombie films. Nightmares become fantasy sequences. Eventually, it becomes hard to tell the nightmares from waking life in the movie. Tension builds as Paul becomes increasingly suspicious of Will. The story builds to high suspense as a conflict erupts out of paranoia and fear. Travis continues his late night creeping around the house, and becomes sexually attracted to Kim. If sheer squirmy unease and creepiness is the goal of this film, it achieves its goal.

The film, written and directed by Trey Edward Shultz makes its point regarding tragedy arising from basing decisions on fear and paranoia. That lesson did not ease the punishment of watching this dispiriting, tragic tale, which also has a particular key plot point that seems contrived. I also didn't like the way the movie depicts kindness and compassion as foolish weaknesses, rather than moral strengths. Now I am giving this a B rating, because it is a well crafted film, but I am also saying this is definitely not my cup of tea, and I will never, ever subject myself to watching it again. This film rates a B, mainly for true horror fans.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Copyright © 2017 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.
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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at my last name at lariat dot org. [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]

(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)