THE NIGHT: Dawn Can Not Come Soon Enough

The horror genre is one filled with an exorbitant amount of hits and misses – too often more misses than a hits. Unfortunately, The Night from writer and director Kourosh Ahari is a miss, a horror film lacking any investment in its central cast of characters and giving an intriguing idea the lackluster treatment. It tries at several times to redeem itself, giving what should be shocking twists and turns with unforgettable imagery, yet it fails to realize them fully, leaving chunks of intrigue and gaps of boredom.

The Night

The Night opens in a mysterious and eerie fashion, Babak in the bathroom, experiencing the first evidence of a persistent toothache, his reflection disappearing and reappearing. It is a clever opening, shrouding the film in mystery and intrigue. However, it looses a lot of this initial steam in its introduction of Babak’s wife Neda and their friends during a friendly game night. These opening interactions carry on far to long, giving little for the audience to initially invest in. While there is a mysterious patient Farhad tells Babak about, it neither intrigues nor sets up any further tension.

As Neda and Babak depart, Neda is given the nagging wife persona, while valid in her concerns, constantly pressuring her husband to let her drive as she is concerned for the amount he has had to drink. There is little emotion as she expresses her concerns, with more of a “this again” attitude. Babak matches her, utilizing a male dominance for his reasons to drive. At 20 minutes into the film, viewers will find themselves more annoyed with the two, rather than fearful of what they are to come up against. After much debate, they finally decide to stay at a hotel for the night.

While the hotel appears harmless, the darkness of the night lurks with ominous intentions. As the night begins to crescendo into chaos and confusion, the young couple is faced with the supernatural all while forced to reexamine themselves and each other.

Great idea, poor execution

To The Night‘s detriment, viewers will know the ending and what is going on long before the ending is near. With this awareness, the film is robbed of its tension and jump scares. Couple this with the lack of investment it conjures for Neda and Babak, there is little regard for the well-being of the characters. I loved the idea that the film was playing with – it’s why I wanted to see the film.m – but I was wholly disappointed that it did not live up to the expectations it had set for itself.

The Night feels as though it was trying too hard to honor The Shining throughout its entirety. The long hallways, the creepy kid in the hall – even the red doors reminiscent of the red elevator doors gushing of blood. With its constant need to remind you of hotel horrors of the past, The Night sacrifices some of its own identity.

Yet, while the film itself fails to deliver investment and tension, its cast strives to work with what it is given. Both Shahab Hosseini and Niousha Noor deliver strong performances, especially as the horror aspects come into play. There is a depth they try to create, attempting to redeem and to frighten through their reactions and their revelations. Unfortunately, it is not enough to save the film overall.

Conclusion: The Night

The Night unfortunately does not live up to the expectations it sets for itself and the expectations of a genre. With a lack of investment in its central characters and a lackluster execution of what could have been an intriguing idea, it is a film not likely to see the dawn.

Have you seen The Night? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!

The Night was released on January 29, 2021 on VOD.

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