COME FOR A NIGHT. STAY FOREVER.

Tess Marshall (Georgina Campbell) has rented a house in a run-down part of Detroit, but learns that Keith Toshko (Bill Skarsgård) is already staying there; he invites her into this house of secrets…

The director’s debut was inspired by women’s fear of interacting with men who are strangers; the film is initially headed in a certain direction, only to take a sharp turn somewhere else. Still, the theme remains present in clever ways, such as when a new character, a #metoo-challenged sitcom star, is introduced.

Good performances all around, and tension builds very effectively; amusingly gory after a while. Also interesting as a comment on Detroit’s recent history.

2022-U.S. 102 min. Color. Written and directed by Zach Cregger. Cast: Georgina Campbell (Tess Marshall), Bill Skarsgård (Keith Toshko), Justin Long (A.J. Gilbride), Matthew Patrick Davis, Richard Brake, Kurt Braunohler. Voice of Kate Bosworth.

Trivia: Co-executive produced by Skarsgård. Zac Efron was considered for the lead. 

Last word: “I’d read this book called ‘The Gift of Fear’ by this guy, Gavin de Becker, who’s a security consultant. And basically, he had written a lot of examples of behavior that men can do that often women are encouraged to ignore; little, tiny, microscopic red flags. And in ‘The Gift of Fear’ is him basically saying, ‘Pay attention to that little voice inside your head.’ Because a lot of times, when we bypass these little warning signs, it’s to our detriment.” (Cregger, Screen Rant)