Although the movie is basically seen through the eyes of a teenager, it is very relatable to today.   A family of four is isolated in a house in a wooded area.   The family has a radio, a water source, a food source, and weapons.   But there is very little national news to go on. 

The grandfather becomes sick with a mysterious disease with icky stuff dripping from his mouth. They don’t even realize that there is a contagion or I think they would have worn masks and gloves to take the grandfather outside the home and gotten rid of his belongings as well.  Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Will, a stranger (Christopher Abbott) breaks into their house for food and water.    Once they are convinced that he is not trying to kill them, Paul the father (Joel Edgerton) and Sarah the mother (Carmen Ejogo) agree that the stranger and his wife Kim (Riley Keough) and toddler Andrew (Griffin Faulkner) can come and stay.   When Paul and Will go to bring Will’s family to Paul’s house, they are attacked along the route by armed men and survive the encounter.

Once Will’s family is brought back, strange things start happening and Paul thinks that one of the invited strangers is doing things like killing his dog or leaving the door unsecured at night.   Paul’s solution to trouble is to put the strangers out again to fend for themselves but kills them instead.   Also, we find out through a flashback that Paul had shot and buried the grandfather thinking this would get rid of the sickness.  However, he kept the bed that the grandfather had been sick in.

But it turns out that Paul and Sarah’s teenage son Travis (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) would have dreams and do mysterious things at night, unknown even to himself.   And it is discovered that the son also has the contagion, which is the reason why he is doing strange things.

And, in the end, the husband and wife are left not knowing what they should do next.   Have they too been contaminated or are they ok?   Are the water source and the food supply uncontaminated?

This movie was as intense as A Quiet Place (2018) and it had not a dull moment.   It Comes by Night is fast-paced and the flash backs make sense.   This movie is labeled Horror/Mystery but borders on the supernatural in atmosphere.  

I saw Joel Edgerton in the movies Loving and Red Sparrow. 

I saw Carmen Ejogo in the movies Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, etc.

I saw Kelvin Harrison, Jr. in the movie Luce.   I understand that he is in the movie Mudbound.   I read the excellent book Mudbound, but I have not seen that movie yet.

You have got to hear Riley Keough’s scream toward the end of the movie.   It will break your heart.  Also, Riley is singers-songwriters Lisa Marie Pressley and Danny Keough’s daughter. The movie was directed by Trey Edward Shults.

Written by Rosa L. Griffin