Synopsis:
A couple wake up in the night to a man searching for something in their home. After they are forced to kill him in self defense, they decide to take one hour before calling the police to search for what they hope is a hidden fortune.
Releasing today is DarkCoast’s By Night’s End. It’s a pretty peculiar tale of a home invasion gone wrong, which isn’t exactly a new concept in today’s horror/thriller industry. A criminal drops off some kind of package in a home while avoiding the piggies and attempts to return to pick it up at a later date. Unfortunately, the new inhabitants don’t appreciate someone busting their doors down and take matters into their own hands once they realise that his ‘score’ may be the answer to their debts.
Written and directed by Walker Whited (original story by Sean McCane) and starring the talents of Michelle Rose, Kurt Yue, and Michael Aaron Milligan, By Night’s End is a film so very reminiscent of those Sunday night “Blockbusters” that used to screen in our homes weekly. Pretty much the best films of the year would get their Sunday night prime time slot a few months after release on our local cable provider and this would have been something that everyone back in the 90’s would have stayed home to watch. I can easily picture my family grabbing their positions on the couch and sticking their paws into the popcorn and watching this very film–it was quite nostalgic.
Suffice it to say that I’ve seen this film before. This isn’t a critique—per se—as I love genre specific films myself. This is a good home invasion horror/thriller/action flick with well-conceived characters, a good story, perfect pacing, and a generic but appropriate score; nothing to write home about but someone definitely aced that course in film school.
Sure, the big bad is a terrible stereotype. Sure, the film is as predictable as sunrise. Sure, we get no envelope pushed. We’re absolutely following the mantra of “If it ain’t broke.” It’s standard fare, like a well-constructed sandwich; tasty, satisfying and comforting but maybe not all that fancy. I’m OK with that though. Sometimes all you want is to sit down and to watch something that’s well made and familiar. It’s like good comfort food. You know what you’re getting and you know already that you’re going to like it. Nothing wrong with that.
The attention to detail in the actions scenes is on point, as is the combat choreography. Sure, this isn’t a Jason Bourne film, but it holds its own without you ever having to roll your eyes. The toothbrush really sold me.
Being a home invasion styled film, we are stuck in a single location for most of the movie, and there are some weird plot holes that I’m not really going to delve into as they really don’t matter that much. I suppose if you had to sit back and ask yourself “Why?” at various points and happenings in the film, the plot would quickly begin to unravel, but I didn’t and had a good time because I chose not to. Points for me! Just let it be entertainment for entertainment’s sake. If you are going to start pointing out each curious decision, you’re going to have a bad time.
By Night’s End is not a mind-blowing movie. It is not the next surprise blockbuster or Oscar contender. It is—however—the most entertaining film I’ve seen in a while. It knows what it is and does that perfectly. Solid entertainment and a solid 7/10 for me. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. Trailer and poster below.
