SPOILER-FREE PLOT SUMMARY
While fleeing from their abusive father, Asia Reeves (played by Zazie Beetz) is trying to protect her younger sister Maria (Myha’la) but he tracks them down at a local convenience store. In a moment of panic, Asia runs away and leaves Maria to fend for herself. Fast forward 10 years and Asia has been released from prison and is on the hunt to track down her sister. Using an alias, she reports to an old New York building called The Virgil as a new maid. She’s greeted at the door by Lilith (Patricia Arquette) who shows her to her room. While asleep, she’s attacked by masked pig people who don’t seem to die. Confused, she confronts Lilith about The Virgil and she confesses that she’s actually there looking for her sister. Lilith, in turn, confesses that she’s the leader of a cult where everyone in the building has pledged — and sacrificed — loyalty to Satan and, therefore, cannot be killed. With a little help, Asia tracks down Maria and the two have to navigate not only their estranged relationship but whether or not they can ever leave the hotel with their soul intact.
SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
On the surface, THEY WILL KILL YOU seems like a creative, campy project. As you get more and more immersed, however, it becomes less and less imaginative. Whether it be the standard menu of stereotypical jump scares or attackers unnecessary monologuing or a young boy who (of course) is named Damien, the horror tropes are plentiful and that’s a real shame for a film that aspires to be more.
I suppose you could make an argument that, in a campy movie like this, it’s okay that the special effects aren’t world class. Unfortunately, that seems like a convenient argument here. You have characters re-growing limbs, half-formed heads and people carrying around body parts yet none of them look particularly good. The amateur CGI doesn’t enhance the comedy, it actually downgrades the movie as a whole.
All that said, Beetz carries this film. Without her abilities, this is a nothingburger. She’s a bad ass and that’s put on full display here. She’s a load of fun to watch as she goes from room to room like the Energizer Bunny thwarting each unrelenting attack. Her ability to bring a comedic element into otherwise pretty intense situations is to be applauded, especially in a movie that lacks any special quality.
Other than Beetz, there were a few nice touches scattered throughout. Being the house of Satan, the lights turn red when the doors are unlocked, there’s an eyeball moving throughout the property on its own, there’s some pretty great fight choreography, there’s an unpredictable plot twist at the end and it’s always great to see Heather Graham. These elements lift it above the “average” threshold line.
Put simply, THEY WILL KILL YOU is fun but not maximized. Director and co-writer Kirill Sokolov left a lot on the table in a movie that begged for gluttony. Beetz is a great lead and Arquette is an unnerving villain but, other than those two, there’s not a whole lot here to write home about. If you enjoy the horror/comedy genre, you’ll find some degree of value in this. If you don’t, you’ll find it laughable… and not in a good way.
RENFIELD was funnier. You’ve been warned.
JKG SCORE: 6.0
Untitled Film Project 