A group of women heads out to a remote cabin to celebrate the bachelorette party for one of their own. Once there, they are attacked by a group of men who have something to hide and do not want any of them blowing the lid off their secret.
Written and directed by Neil LaBute, this action thriller is more than serviceable and is decently entertaining. While it doesn’t rewrite the book on home invasion films, it does have some good ideas and popping Maggie Q in the lead is definitely at the top of these. The film itself is a violent, yet easy watch, one where people do get hurt, there is blood, but it’s not exactly gruesome or gory, so those who prefer their action films on the less disturbing side, this is a good one to watch. The action sequences work, the characters are ok, the dialogue isn’t too cringy, so it’s one of those films that can easily be watched on any night, without fearing getting more than you bargained for. Now, is the film all that original? Not really, but it works and is not overly long. In terms of writing and directing, it’s done with a knowledge and understanding of what works and what doesn’t, giving the viewer some expected twists and turns, but overall, a style that works for the story.
The cast here is led by Maggie Q who is a solid action actress with skills perfectly suited to this type of movie. She’s always someone to look forward to in films, her performances are usually on point. Here, she’s good. It’s not her career best, but she does decently well. The rest of the cast was clearly assembled to to be against her or guided by her, so their parts are limited in most cases. Overall, though, most of them do pretty well with their parts. The parts aren’t exactly complex, but most characters get scenes of their own, chances at being full characters and parts that someone would want to have. The way they are all put together on screen here is very much “us versus them” with very little deviation from that. The characters are either on the ladies’ side or the bad guys’ side, no in-between, no turn coats, just super basic good or bad people who are all stuck in a violent situation.
In terms of the looks, the film is well shot by cinematographer Rogier Stoffers and edited by Vincent F. Welsh, both of whom seem the be limited by the material here, especially Stoffers who has done cinematography on films that look a whole lot better and more artistic. Here, the film looks good, but with nothing that will particularly stand out. It’s, once again, decently done, but not particularly in your face great. One thing must be given to them here is that you see the action, it’s right there available for viewing without too many overly edited sequences, without weird angles, or attempts at being more than what the film is really. The film looks decent and is easy to watch.
Fear the Night is a serviceable action thriller that stars Maggie Q and is very much her film. This is, however, not her best film unfortunately. The film works and like with LaBute’s recent vampire foray, it’s an easy watch for those who like the genre but are not looking for something too brutal. Yes, the film is violent, yes, the action sequences are interesting in most parts, but there is something missing here, something more needed to make the film more thrilling. The film starts off and it’s instantly easy to guess where it will go. The reasoning might not be obvious, but the overall way everything goes down is predictable. While that is the case, it’s also decently entertaining, so it makes for an easy–watching sort of film.