They Will Kill You ~ Review

By: [email protected] on Fri, 04/03/2026 - 11:42

There are certain types of horror films that are designed as insane sequence delivery systems. We’re talking about gleefully gory splatterpunk classics, such as Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead films, Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste and Braindead, or Ryuhei Kitamura’s Versus. These movies hint at a story, but are designed for the filmmakers to create over-the-top set pieces. They Will Kill You is a film that can sit proudly alongside those mentioned above. And while the film gestures at anticapitalist themes…it mostly exists to watch Heather Graham’s headless corpse flail around after her head explodes like a grape from being shot with a swan off shotgun.

Mild spoilers ahead. Ten years ago, Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz) and her sister Maria (Orefile Moloi in flashbacks, Myha’la in the present) are on the run from their abusive father. However, in the chase, Asia shoots her father, and is subsequently arrested. Ten years later, Asia is out of prison and believes that her sister is in trouble. AND boy is she…Maria has been hired as part of the housekeeping staff for an exclusive New York high-rise known as The Virgil. Now, if the strange locks on the doors of this building didn’t set off red flags, the various Satanic carvings and giant neon Pentagram on the building’s steeple probably should.

The Virgil is run by Lilith Woodhouse (Patricia Arquette) and her family, which includes Kevin (Tom Felton), Sharon (Heather Graham), and a whole bunch of other rich jerks. And the thing is, these people have pledged their lives to Satan to be immortal. Now, Asia has to John Wick her way through the building to save her sister. From that simple premise, writer Alex Litvak and director Kirill Sokolov (also co-writer) create a delightfully over-the-top film that feels like what would happen if Sam Raimi made a beat-em-up arcade game. It’s just one ridiculous abattoir of carnage. For example, after Heather Graham gets her head blown off with a shotgun, her eyeball, which crucially did not blow up, sneaks around on its own accord. It’s all in good fun, and while the film does have a comment about late-stage capitalism and exploitation of minorities and poor people, it really doesn’t belabor the point.

I’ve wanted Zazie Beetz to get a starring role in an action film ever since she stole Deadpool 2 right out from under Ryan Reynolds. And she gets to display her action chops here – and hopefully she will lead a kickass John Wick-style franchise in the future. Crucially, though, Beetz understands the assignment and fully embraces They Will Kill You’s ridiculous tone.

Patricia Arquette brings the offbeat energy here that she used in Severance, which again serves the movie well. And Heather Graham and Tom Felton are game for some really fun, gory moments.

Is They Will Kill You a future cult classic? I don’t think so, the film is made up of too many component parts to completely stand on its own, and near the end it starts to feel more than a little repetitive. BUT it does showcase Sokolov as a director to watch! Hopefully, he doesn’t get swallowed up by the Hollywood franchise machine and continues making gory, ridiculous movies like this one for many years to come.

Three stars out of Four