It Comes at Night

At the end of It Comes at Night, Paul, driven by his paranoia and fear that Will’s family might be infected, makes the devastating decision to force them out of the safety of the cabin. As tensions escalate, violence erupts: Sarah shoots Will, and Paul ends up shooting Andrew and Kim in an attempt to eliminate any threat. Meanwhile, Travis, who has been suffering from disturbing nightmares that blur reality and hallucination, lies ill in bed. These nightmarish visions might be symptoms of the virus or fever dreams, but they foreshadow the tragic events and hint at Travis’s own infection.

The film intentionally leaves many questions unanswered about the nature of the virus and what “it” actually is, reinforcing the themes of distrust and survival. In the final moments, it appears that Travis has succumbed to the illness, and Paul and Sarah are left sitting at a table, possibly having euthanized Travis to prevent him from turning. The movie’s ambiguous ending suggests that the virus’s threat is less about the infection itself and more about how fear and paranoia can destroy humanity. Ultimately, It Comes at Night explores how the instinct for self-preservation—taken to the extreme—can strip away trust, compassion, and our sense of community, leaving characters isolated and broken in a world where the true horror is the darkness within ourselves. The title’s “night” and the lack of clear explanation emphasize the pervasive uncertainty and the destructive impact of fear that looms in the shadows.

Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:59