Sure, They Will Kill You, But Can They Get On With It Already?

by

I kept thinking about a documentary from last year called Realm of Satan while watching They Will Kill You, a new horror-comedy-action film. Despite its fast pace, They Will Kill You actually gives you a lot of time to think. Realm of Satan is a mostly silent film that shows members of the Church of Satan going about their everyday lives – sometimes performing rituals, but often just doing normal things like hanging laundry or beekeeping. It suggests that even Satanists are just people, putting on their pants one leg at a time. This is relevant because They Will Kill You – like another recent release, Ready or Not 2 – is about a young woman and her sister fighting a wealthy cult that worships the devil and plans to use them as sacrifices. Horror movies often feature coordinated evil schemes centered around Lucifer, which sometimes mirrors real-world fears about occult groups and child trafficking. However, it feels wrong to blame actual Satanists – who are generally sex-positive, atheist goths – for the world’s problems, especially now.

Kirill Sokolov directed They Will Kill You, co-writing the script with Alex Litvak (known for Predators). The villains are somewhat one-dimensional, like those in Ready or Not 2, with characters like Sharon (Heather Graham), the founder of an anti-aging company, and Kevin (Tom Felton), a typical arrogant rich man. They live in the Virgil, a Manhattan high-rise reminiscent of Rosemary’s Baby. The residents have achieved a kind of immortality by offering up new employees as yearly sacrifices. This ability to resurrect themselves makes the initial action sequences exciting, but eventually becomes repetitive. When Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz) begins fighting back against the masked tenants who want to sacrifice her, she discovers they can regenerate lost limbs and body parts. While the film has a Tarantino-inspired, over-the-top style with elaborate sword and axe fights, it also uses the regeneration ability in more gruesome ways – like a detached eyeball chasing Asia through tunnels.

While it’s initially amusing to see Graham with her small head – a result of a previous injury that hasn’t fully healed – the shock value of the body horror in They Will Kill You quickly fades. Director Sokolov films the action well, with smooth camera work and clear fight scenes, but the fact that the central threat is seemingly invincible makes the conflicts feel pointless. Asia, a former convict searching for the younger sister she left with their abusive father ten years ago, proves to be a tougher opponent than anyone at the Virgil expected. She reconnects with Maria and, aided by a disgruntled employee named Ray, attempts to escape the fortress-like building. However, the plot lacks direction and any real sense of progress. The sisters simply fight cultists, escape, get recaptured, and learn bits and pieces of their past through flashbacks – revealing how Asia ended up as a potential sacrifice at the Virgil and how Maria became one of its housekeepers.

The movie They Will Kill You doesn’t spend much time developing its world, but it does introduce an interesting premise: the employees are partially part of the cult, benefiting from immortality but trapped as perpetual workers who could lose their lives with a single mistake. Lilith Woodhouse (Patricia Arquette), the leader, rose through the ranks by dedicating herself to her job – and to Satan. Her marriage to Ray, a Black man, is noteworthy because they found acceptance within the cult a century ago when society rejected them – a potentially compelling storyline the film sadly ignores. Similarly, the film touches on the idea of an eternal underclass sacrificing their souls, but doesn’t delve into it meaningfully. While the movie opens with a quote about wealth inequality and the Devil, it ultimately lacks the sharpness to make a real impact, falling flat despite its violent content.

Read More

2026-03-27 20:54