Imagine the end of the world— Now imagine something worse.
Award-winning filmmaker Trey Edward Shults follows his incredible debut feature Krisha with It Comes At Night, a horror film following a man (Joel Edgerton) as he is learns that the evil stalking his family home may be only a prelude to horrors that come from within. Secure within a desolate home as an unnatural threat terrorizes the world, the tenuous domestic order he has established with his wife and son is put to the ultimate test with the arrival of a desperate young family seeking refuge. Despite the best intentions of both families, paranoia and mistrust boil over as the horrors outside creep ever-closer, awakening something hidden and monstrous within him as he learns that the protection of his family comes at the cost of his soul.
The film hits theaters today!
I saw the movie, did you guys see it?
Carmen: Yeah.
Joel: Yeah. I’m in it, of course I saw it.
Carmen: We really like it.
I liked it too, it’s creepy.
Joel: Yes.
Carmen: Very.
I’ve been describing it as kind of a zombie movie without zombies. In your head, what do the zombies in this movie look like? If you can paint the picture, what do they look like?
Carmen: Ooh. I don’t know that there are any kind of zombies out in the woods. I don’t know what’s out there. I like the fact that I don’t know. I like the fact that the audience doesn’t know ’cause then it all ends up living up here. It gets all warped and twisted and that’s sometimes the thing that’s scary, is your own imagination.
Joel: I like the way the disease looks in the movie. But I think the zombies are just like … Part of the great thing, and we like movies like The Thing; and as Trey, the director, pointed out last night, I think beautifully in a interview was the movie is as much about what fear we have of each other. As we do of the thing that threatens to inhabit us all or to disease us all, kill us all. We’re scared of each other and what we’re all capable of.
Very true. There’s a lot of big themes. What are some of the big themes that resonated with you?
Kelvin: I keep talking about this coming of age aspect of the film for this young boy and, you know, finding your voice and … I feel like we have such a foundation that comes from our parents. And we find ourselves becoming more of our parents every day and we don’t even realize it and that’s scary, too, because it’s like do we agree with what they gave you? And what does it mean when you try to branch out from that and find yourself and do they clash? And when they clash … I don’t know, it makes you kind of nervous, too. And that was like my paranoia going on and I was like “Oh my God, I’m them! And they’re dangerous!” But at the same time, you support and you love and they’re your parents so you feel an obligation to be loyal.
In the film, you guys have an interesting house guest. In real life, has there ever been a house guest gone wrong?
Joel: Yes. I have for sure. I had sort of a weird relative visit once. And it all went very wrong. And I was a younger person at the time and I felt this incredible sense of protectiveness towards my mother. It would take me a long time to tell you exactly what happened, but just the idea of someone coming in and then having the wrong intention that felt a little bit dark and I really picked up on the vibe.
Carmen: Yeah, it’s so often family. It’s often not people from the outside but people much closer.
Joel: People who overstay their welcome.
Carmen: Yeah. That have the most sort of potential of danger and threat.
Kelvin: Yeah.
