Review: The Long Night

Director: Rich Ragsdale

Screenplay: Mark Young and Robert Sheppe

Year: 2022

After a long time of searching for information about her biological parents, Grace finally finds someone who can give her information about them. Along with her boyfriend Jack, the young couple heads out of town to meet the person with the information in rural Texas. What was supposed to be an exciting weekend turns into a nightmare when the couple finds themselves stalked by a cult determined to fulfill an apocalyptic prophecy. 

Scout Taylor-Compton has recently appeared in many horror films, but in my opinion, she has failed to establish herself as a contemporary scream queen. The fact that she has not achieved this is not related to her performance as an actress but rather to not starring in a horror film of impact and recognition. "The Long Night" won't be the movie that does this either.

Precisely, the performances of Scout Taylor-Compton and Nolan Gerard Funk are one of the best things in this movie. From the beginning, they manage to clearly establish their characters and what each one represents for the development of the plot. We quickly become interested in Grace and her story, which sets the plot's beginning in a good way. 

"The Long Night" starts off strong. Not only does it successfully present its main characters, but it also manages to establish through its images and sounds a tenebrous and tenebrous atmosphere that lasts for the rest of its 91-minute runtime. However, once the couple begins to be stalked by members of the cult, all the good they had achieved gradually deflates until it crashes to a resounding end.

The entire story falls flat because of its script's weakness, which is a recurring problem in the last films that Shudder has offered. The cult, which should be a crucial element in building tension, does very little to pose any real danger. Added to this is a monotonous and predictable story that tries to take an unexpected turn but only manages to make things worse.

"The Long Night" offers nothing exciting for horror fans. It manages to establish interesting characters and a tense atmosphere, but its lack of tension and predictable plot make it fizzle out too soon.