I’m ready for horror again. I’ve been doing plenty creepy in this series in the last couple months with Bird Box and The Titan, but those movies were trying to tell me something. This month is the last stretch of winter, I’m feeling a little restless, and I’m ready for something gory and exciting. The last couple movies have been good, but I’m here to get pumped, so much so, that I’m not even going to try and be cute with the introductions this time around.

All Light Will End caught my attention quickly with the title alone. I’d never heard of it to this point, but it came out sometime last year, and the premise seemed… well, it seemed like water we’ve treaded before. It’s about someone who grows up after having a childhood haunted by some supernatural entity. I’ve said in the past that horror movies tend to repeat plots a lot, and I just have to judge them by execution over originality. However, to my delighted surprise, this film delivered on both accounts.

I haven’t touched on this too much in the past, but I enjoy when a movie tells its story out of order for the sake of establishing a good emotional punch or narrative twist. Any film buff will gesture vigorously in Tarantino’s direction for shining examples of this storytelling style. Bird Box did this as well, casting its present plot at odds with its flashback plot, though it serves a different purpose in that film. In Bird Box we know that something big had to have happened to get our characters to their present predicament, and we are left in a sea of tension waiting to watch those events unfold.

In All Light Will End, we’re given something similar, but it’s more than that, too. I think this movie is one of my favorite examples of non-chronological storytelling. Some of the narrative is given in flashbacks and fractured dream sequences, but we find out by the end that a particular plotline is actually being told in the past, rather than present. It does create a few weird instances that could be considered plot holes, but I personally felt that these moments were intentionally created to throw the audience for a loop.

This is the crux of what made me love this movie and consider it to be more original than some that we’ve covered in the past. I never would have seen the big twist coming unless I was closely analyzing each scene. It’s truly shocking for all that it reveals, because, yes, it reveals more than one hammer to promptly drop on our heads. I was riding a “this movie’s alright” train until this point, and now, I’m in love with it. I’m attempting to be as vague as I possibly can, so that anyone reading gets to watch the movie unspoiled.

I’ve focused heavily on the storytelling, because it’s where All Light Will End truly shines, but before closing I want to bring up a few other points as well. I have no complaints when looking at acting, writing, or effects. Every step of the way this movie is crafted expertly, which helped immerse me in the ride even more. The characters all have their unique chemistries that make the focal friend group believable and fun, and all of them seem genuine. I was here for everything about the movie, even before I hit the twist, which drove it all home for me.

I cannot recommend this movie enough. It’s a horror movie no one could possibly regret watching, and falls just short of 90 minutes, so there are no slow burns or drags throughout.

Overall Personal Rating: 8.5/10

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-Vincent

© 2019 Vincent C. Russo. All Rights Reserved. This post is intended for review and constitutes fair use. These films and any images used belong to their respective owners.