The Devil Comes at Night – Blood in the Snow 2022
November 21 to November 26, 2022
Disclosure: This review is based on a Rough Cut screener of The Devil Comes at Night, so any technical limitations have been ignored
A washed-up boxer finds himself trapped in a house surrounded by a demonic cult in The Devil Comes at Night. Incoherent following a bar fight, Ben (Ryan Allen) is dropped off at the home of his recently deceased father while his friend Jack (Elias Zarou) tries to smooth things over with the locals. Ben intends to find his inheritance in his father’s safe and leave, but he soon finds himself trapped when the house is surrounded by unhinged neighbours led by Mason (Jason Martorino). After finding Amy (Adrienne Kress), a friend of Ben’s father, who has also been hiding in the house, the two soon discover the horrifying and demonic truth about what is happening.
The Devil Comes at Night is a single-location horror film from co-writer and director Scott Leaver. The film primarily follows the protagonists of Ben and Amy as they try to survive the night in Ben’s father’s farmhouse, which is being sieged by an apparent demonic cult with cannibalistic aspirations towards Ben. It is quickly discovered that the cultists cannot enter the house itself and that Ben’s father was doing research that provides insight into what exactly is happening on this particular night.
The Devil Comes at Night is a relatively solid horror film similar to The Long Night earlier this year. The film makes pretty good use of its single location and a tiny cast that primarily consists of actors Ryan Allen and Adrienne Kress as the protagonists Ben and Amy and Jason Martorino as antagonist Mason. However, The Devil Comes at Night does falter a bit towards the end with a sudden plot revelation that frankly doesn’t make that much sense.
Trailer for The Devil Comes at Night – Blood in the Snow 2022
