‘They Will Kill You’ Review: Slick Style Fuels Satisfying Yet Familiar Fun

They Will Kill You, directed by Kirill Sokolov and written by Sokolov alongsideAlex Litvak, is a playful Gothic action horror that radiates high energy. It’s worth noting that this fun genre outing was produced by horror heavyweights Andy Muschietti andBarbara Muschietti, the same filmmaking team behind the massively successful It franchise. This movie delivers outrageous, tightly choreographed violence and a commanding lead performance, even when its derivative influences and thinner supporting elements occasionally hold it back from fully realizing its potential.

Zazie Beetz (Atlanta) stars as Asia Reeves, an ex-convict who appears to be starting fresh by taking a job at The Virgil, a luxurious, though suspicious, high-rise apartment complex in downtown New York City. Myha’la (Bodies Bodies Bodies) plays her little sister, Maria, and the emotional backbone of the film is rooted in the story of two sisters simply trying to survive. They come from a rough childhood shaped by an abusive father, and when an attempted escape goes wrong, the two are separated for a decade.

Asia’s arrival at The Virgil quickly reveals that the building harbors some dangerous satanic secrets. Asia is there to find and save her sister, but almost immediately the residents attempt to murder and sacrifice her to their satanic lord in exchange for their ongoing immortality. What these wealthy satanists fail to realize is that Asia, having spent the better part of a decade in prison, has developed exceptional fighting skills. She swiftly turns the tables, brutalizing the eccentric, murderous tenants of the high-rise with satisfying ease.

The ensemble here includes Tom Felton, best known for playing Draco Malfoy in the films, alongside () and of the franchise. At the center of it all gory mayhem is as Lilith Woodhouse, the head manager of the building and the film’s complicated main antagonist.