Anyone who enjoys a good scary movie will tell you that it can be hard to find a good scary movie. Sometimes they are lame in between and sometimes they just aren’t scary. Regardless, it takes a certain breed of horror film to elicit the perfect response. The Long Night is that perfect horror film. The Long Night is an indie film about a couple who stays at a home on their way back from a weekend with his parents. They immediately think something is off and find out they are right. She begins to find information about the parents, she has been looking for, but it only deepens the mystery they find themselves in. Scout Taylor-Compton plays the lead and she is great. No stranger to horror movies, she played Laurie Strode in the remake of Halloween. She is certainly a “scream queen” in her right and definitely shows in this movie. Scout Taylor-Compton helps make this movie better than it probably should be.
The film overall has an aesthetic that you would expect from a major motion picture. I thought it looked like a quality film and that really helped me with the suspension of disbelief. There is a gritty and dark feeling to the palette that wasn’t contrived or antiquated, but felt like an organic uneasiness. Great Horror films need this to feel authentic and so many of the horror films made today just don’t have this. And this is one of my favorite aspects of “The Long Night.” The acting wasn’t horrible from the rest of the cast, but it felt like it JUST missed the mark in some places. I believed the characters, but it felt like the chemistry wasn’t there and the actors weren’t engaging but instead just dealing with each other. The husband is the most annoying. Nolan Gerard Funk is a good actor, but it’s not his best role. Maybe the character is supposed to be annoying, but it just doesn’t work as it should.
The storyline isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, though it is less common. It gave me some Hereditary vibes, which is great for any scary movie! This may be the biggest compliment I can give the film. The direction and cinematography weren’t anything new, but I thought it was well framed and well done. Although, having the story take place in the south, which is full of urban legends and gothic aesthetics makes this film better. It wouldn’t work as well in any other place. Overall, it’s a good movie. Maybe it could have been a little better, but it could have been a lot worse. For horror fans, the film is worth checking out. You won’t be disappointed. “The Long Night,” maybe a B-Horror film, but doesn’t feel like. It’s one of the best Indie Horror films I have seen in a long time. I would give it an 8/10 and I think it’s definitely worth a watch. It would make a great date night fright film or something to watch on a cold night in.
