By Night's End Review

DarkCoast from TriCoast is at it again with another thrilling horror movie to be released on October 6th on various streaming platforms, and this time they bring us By Night's End. The film in question is just as I mentioned, a thriller with some horror elements to it, but that's just on the surface. After watching you're left with so much more than a thriller, but a film that investigates relationships, struggles, and what it's like to live in an economic nightmare and doing what needs to be done to survive. In the end, it's both relatable and a fun escape - not an easy feat to accomplish.

The film starts with a man on the run, and in the process stashes a treasure within an innocuous suburban home. Fast forward a little ways into the future and the real suspense starts. A young couple struggling to make ends meat, despite Hannah (Michelle Rose) being a bit of a workaholic, with a dark military past. Her husband, Mark (Kurt Yue), on the other hand has been out of work for sometime, and as anybody who's lost a job in the last five years or so knows, it's difficult to find meaningful work in uncertain times.

As the day progresses, they're met with an unruly intruder breaking into their home, who eventually offers the couple an opportunity of a lifetime. From there, the events spiral further out of control, leading the pair to be prisoners in their own home. As the story progresses we're introduced to a fantastic villain by the name of Moody (Michael Aaron Milligan) who steals the show, so to speak. He's a compelling villain, with vibes of a criminal genius straight out of a Batman comic. His wit and charm make his difficult to hate, but easy to dislike. A really gripping character.

The film throws a few twists and turns our way, some of which are easy to spot as red herring's, but for the most part the storytelling is precise and entertaining. At times you feel as if the impending terror on the family is lackluster, but it's made up for by a few key moments that really have the heart racing. Though, for all the solid writing, there are some weak moments, and predictable events. Nevertheless, it's still quite a fun and wild ride.

A personal aspect I always take note of watching any film is cinematography. As a photographer, I like interesting perspectives, and a keen eye for angles - and there's

something about By Night's End that nails it, both in terms of tone and perspective. It's a subtle, yet important nuance, finding those angles and putting the effort into the post-processing for find the colours and atmosphere that help tell the story of the film. It's really well done, and adds to the overall experience.

I would suggest checking this out when it hits VOD in just under a week. You can catch it on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Direct TV, among others.

4/5