They Will Kill You

• Directed by Kirill Sokolov
• March 17, 2026 (SXSW) / March 27, 2026 (US)

An ex-convict answers an ad to be a housekeeper at an exclusive New York City apartment complex connected to a series of disappearances over its long history.

I was interested in They Will Kill You when it came out. From appearances it seemed like a movie that was aiming to be fun or bonkers. Marketing showed a level of style bordering on cartoonish or anime. All this in a supernatural/horror setting.

The cast is small yet talented. Zazie Beetz plays main character/hero Asia Reaves who is an ex-convict looking for her estranged sister Maria (Myha’la) last known to be working at the mysterious Virgil. Paterson Joseph and Patricia ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors’ Arquette portray interracial couple Ray and Lily Woodhouse. Tom ‘Draco Malfoy’ Felton appears as cult member Kevin Sullivan along with Heather Graham as other cult member Sharon Vanderbilt, Angus Sampson as Asia’s private investigator/lawyer working with/for Asia, and the distinctively voiced James Remar provides the voice for the unclean spirit of the pig’s head. When was the last time you heard an evil entity called an ‘unclean spirit’?

I give it credit to director Kirill Sokolov for diving straight in the action, but it makes things a little confusing for a few minutes like you missed something before engaging in the occasional flashback to tell the story. In hindsight it was a smart movie to interrupt the action with brief peeks into what lead up to events to maintain the focus on action and macabre humor.

Other than a few exterior shots, this occurs on sets to meant to be the century old Virgil where the rich and powerful live. It is stylized like an old upscale building. They Will Kill You contains numerous practical effects mixed with CGI. One cool scene undercut by obvious fakery is Asia leaping through a table she splits with an axe. Her face just looked very ‘incorrect’ for a few seconds of this slo-mo scene.

Asia is not some former inmate that just happens to be a good fighter. She spent her time in prison honing her skills in brutal free-for-alls. They make a big deal of prison separating her from her sister but never point out that sis, once dad was dead, failed to take a trip to see her sister at the slammer. Asia gets framed as in the wrong, but Maria appears to have never reached out once their abusive dad was out of the way.

Zazie Beetz shows she can handle action outside of the MCU. She sells handing out beatdowns and using any/all weapons or available tools to take out the residents. Her dramatic chops sell the needed emotional motivation of not leaving without her sister. Beetz has enough of snark and hard edge as Asia you not only believe she can win but are actively invested in how.

The gore can be very funny with rolling eyeballs and spirting blood. Residents of the hotel are immortal no matter what so while the first death may be shocking, the rest are played for laughs. Between the goo and how the kills happen, this has a great deal in common with the more entertaining horror offerings of the ‘80s. Heads are severed or obliterated with varying degrees of getting bisected in a way that gives the viewer a visceral thrill accompanied by a chuckle. There are interesting camera angles and a real push for style and that ephemeral sense of cool. Sokolov shows an ability to create macabre humor in an age where it is rare skill. It pairs nicely with creepy elements like an unclean spirit that takes residence in a severed pig’s head upon which the names of members are written.

I wish they had done a little more with the characters of Ray and Lily and their relationship. Both had understandable reasons to seek the protection offered by taking up with a Satanic cult that gave adherents immortality as well as a level of social power. Patricia Arquette is a fine actress and showed affection when performing with Paterson Joseph. Or just give a bit more time to Joseph’s Ray to be more than the info dump on the reality of the situation to Asia.

I can’t find anything to really complain about in this film. Though I can point to things I dislike, they are minor quibbles since the total package was enjoyable. Though how a happy ending was achieved was a little easy, it did not create a bad ending. It was fun and at least a little creative.

With an excellent cast and just a sense of fun, They Will Kill You is a great movie. Just gory and bloody action fun.