The Devil Comes At Night (2023)

My quick rating - 4.3/10. The Devil Comes at Night is one of those films that sounds like it should work better than it does. On paper, the blend of thriller and horror elements looks promising. In practice, it mostly spins its wheels and never finds a strong identity of its own.

Directed by Scott Leaver, the film follows Ben, a washed-up boxer returning to his deceased father’s farmhouse in search of an inheritance. After a fight leaves him waking up inside the house, it doesn’t take long before things turn strange and unsettling, with the nearby town hinting at something far more disturbing - namely, a cannibal cult. It’s a solid setup, but the movie doesn’t know how to squeeze real tension out of it. The suspense rarely builds, and instead of pulling you into Ben’s situation, it often leaves me watching from a distance.

A major issue is how heavily the story leans on familiar cult-horror beats. The mysterious woman also trapped in the house, the uneasy interactions with the locals, and the constant uncertainty over who can be trusted all feel lifted from better films. Rather than using those elements to misdirect or escalate the danger, the movie plays things straight, which quickly makes them predictable.

Ryan Allen’s performance as Ben is easily the highlight of the film and does most of the heavy lifting. He’s convincing as a boxer past his prime and gives the character some much-needed swagger. That said, the role itself doesn’t give him much range to work with. The supporting cast, particularly the cult members, is far less consistent. Some lean way too far into theatrics, while others barely register, which makes it hard to take the threat seriously.

Visually, The Devil Comes at Night feels oddly stagnant. Being confined to the farmhouse could have worked in the film’s favor, but the lighting and camera work rarely do anything interesting with the space. The movie spends far too long in the same locations without changing up the presentation, and eventually, the setting just feels repetitive.

There are a handful of genuinely tense moments, and the way the story slowly pieces together the father’s past is handled reasonably well. Watching Ben move from one clue to the next at least gives the narrative some forward motion. Unfortunately, those moments only highlight how much unrealized potential the film has.

In the end, this is a one-and-done watch. Cult-horror fans might get a mild kick out of it, but for most viewers, The Devil Comes at Night doesn’t leave much of an impression. And once it’s over, there’s little reason to come back for another round.

You can check this out on a few streamers with Amazon being the cheapest.

The Devil Comes At Night (2023)

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