Paul, his wife Sarah, their seventeen year-old son Travis and his grandfather Bud live a reclusive life in an isolated cabin in the woods. When Bud contracts a mysterious disease, the family is forced to put him down and burn his body. During the night, an invader breaks in their house and they dominate the man and leave him tied to a tree in quarantine to know whether he is sick or not.
A couple of days later, they find the stranger is healthy and he tells that his name is Will. He explains that he left his wife Kim and their little son Andrew in an abandoned house to seek for water and food. Paul and Sarah invite him to bring his wife and son to live with them so that they could protect each other. On the arrival, Paul explains the rules of his house to the couple and they share the labor and supplies. But paranoia about disease and the outside menace arrive in the house affecting the lives of the two families.
It Comes at Night is a 2017 American horror film written and directed by Trey Edward Shults. It stars Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Carmen Ejogo, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Riley Keough. The film had its premiere at the Overlook Film Festival in Mount Hood, Oregon on April 29, 2017, and was theatrically released on June 9, 2017 in the United States, by A24. It was positively received by critics, and has been a modest success at the box office, grossing $19 million.
About the Story
A highly contagious outbreak has ravaged the world. Paul, his wife Sarah, and their teenage son Travis have secluded themselves in their home deep in the woods in an undisclosed location. When Sarah’s father, Bud, contracts the disease, they kill him and burn his body in a shallow grave. The next night, they capture an intruder breaking into the house. Paul ties him to a tree and places a bag over his head overnight to confirm he is not suffering from the disease.
The stranger, Will, explains that he did not know the house was occupied and was only searching for fresh water for himself, his wife, and his young son. Will offers to trade some of their supply of food for water. Sarah suggests bringing Will’s family back to their home, reasoning that the more people they have with them, the easier it would be to defend themselves should anyone else discover their location. Paul agrees, and he takes Will to collect his family. Along the way, they are ambushed by two men. Paul kills them and accuses Will of having set him up. Will points out that he fought them as well and assuages Paul’s mistrust.
A few days later, Paul returns along with Will, his wife Kim, and son Andrew. After establishing the rules that Paul and Sarah have used to stay safe, including keeping the only entrance locked with a key Paul or Sarah wear around their neck, and keeping nighttime excursions to a minimum, the two families begin to establish a sense of normality and grow closer to each other.
One day, Travis’s dog Stanley begins barking aggressively at and chases an unseen presence in the woods. Travis follows the dog deeper into the woods before Stanley’s barking suddenly ceases. Travis insists to Paul and Will that he heard something in the woods. They decide to return home, as Paul insists Stanley knows the woods and will find his own way home. That night, Will seemingly contradicts a story he had told Paul earlier about what he and Kim were doing prior to finding the abandoned house. This causes Paul to begin distrusting Will.
That evening, Travis is awakened by a nightmare about his grandfather. He discovers Andrew sleeping on the floor of Bud’s old room, also suffering from a nightmare. Travis leads him back to his parents’ room before hearing a sound from downstairs. Investigating, Travis finds that the front door of the house is slightly opened. He wakes Paul and Will, who investigate further and find a bleeding and gravely sick Stanley lying on the floor.
They kill and burn the dog. When Travis reveals that the door was already open when he came downstairs, Sarah suggests that a sleepwalking Andrew might have opened the door. Kim argues the possibility, and as tensions between the two families begin to rise, Paul decides that they should isolate themselves in their own rooms for a couple of days so that they can calm down and ensure no one is infected.
It Comes at Night (2017)
Directed by: Trey Edward Shults
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Riley Keough, Carmen Ejogo, Christopher Abbott, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Griffin Robert Faulkner, David Pendleton, Mick O’Rourke
Screenplay by: Trey Edward Shults
Production Design by: Karen Murphy
Cinematography by: Drew Daniels
Costume Design by: Meghan Kasperlik
Set Decoration by: Sally Levi
Art Direction by: Naomi Munro
Music by: Brian McOmber
MPAA Rating: R for violence, disturbing images, and language.
Distributed by: A24 Films
Release Date: June 9, 2017
