Studio: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment
Release Date: 6/30/2026
Rating: R
Film Grade: C
The Story: While attempting to escape their abusive father, Asia and Maria are trapped outside of a store. Asia is forced to shoot, but not kill him. She’s instantly caught by the police and eventually sent to prison. Maria is returned to her father, and Asia loses contact with them.
Ten years pass and Asia is determined to reunite with her sister, tracking her to an upscale apartment building in New York name The Virgil. Applying for a housekeeping job, she’s welcomed warmly by the building’s manager and residents, but that feeling is quickly lost as mysterious things begin to happen.
My Take: I somehow missed this movie when it came out, first hearing about it with the physical release announcement. The trailer looked like it could be a lot of fun, with signs of over-the-top humor combined with semiserious wanton violence.
Cowriter/director Kirill Sokolov delivers on the latter with his Hollywood debut. It’s early in the movie that we discover who lives in the hotel, setting the stage for multiple action-heavy showdowns. The full story is revealed slowly but the audience is often ahead of the plot as there’s little here that we haven’t seen before. From the overused idea of the main character trying to rescue a sibling or family member to the evil force behind all of the events, to cliched dialog, much of this feels like a remix of superior films.
Looking past that, the movie stands out for its elaborate design work. The hotel has an authentic historic feel with all of the elements that create an intriguing setting. Camera work is frenetic and active, in the style of a Sam Raimi production, bringing the audience into the action. It also shares elements of his dark sense of humor with some genuine laughs coming from a severed body part. Yes, that sounds hideously morbid, but one of the strengths of the film is that balance of dark humor and gore. The film could have used more of this to set it apart from the typical comedic horror entry.
Zazie Beetz (Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, Joker, Bullet Train) is believable as Asia, showing the drive needed to rescue her sister through the toughness gained from her prison background. The real standout in the movie is the almost unrecognizable Patricia Arquette as Lilly, the head of the hotel. She displays power and authority that few can stand against and is impressive in the role. There are a number of other name actors, including Heather Graham, Tom Felton, and Paterson Joseph but their characters are underused to the point that they could have been played by anyone.
Visuals: The digital production features vibrant colors, well adept at showing the multitudes of blood and gore that frequently find their way to the screen. Lush colors and shadowy blacks add depth to the film. While the extras stress the use of practical effects, they’re not always convincing, nor are some of the CGI effects that tend to feel weightless. For example, we’ve seen enough blood spurting from severed heads to expect a veritable fountain of blood spouting from the remaining stump. Here we see a light shower spray that lacks the visceral feel needed for the scene. This isn’t entirely unexpected, given the film’s reportedly modest budget of $20M.
Audio: I didn’t find any scenes from the disc’s Dolby Atmos mix for my bird test, with the film taking place almost entirely inside The Virgil, but I did find some unusual use of the extra speakers. Wides are used extensively throughout, and not just for music, but also for various sounds, voices, and environmental effects. In comparison, tops are used modestly. It’s not unusual to find them used for rain in most movies, but this film doesn’t make that choice. It also skips using them for a shower scene and overhead sprinklers. Instead, it puts all those overhead sounds in the wides. On the other hand, the tops are used for the music from a store’s PA system and also for voices. It’s an unusual treatment for those added Atmos locations.
The musical score features pulse-pounding bass with heavy percussion and a resoundingly heavy bottom end that will give your subs plenty to do. It’s complemented by dissonate strings and male and female choral elements that enhance the feelings of doom.
Special Features: Director’s Log: The Making of They Will Kill You- A documentary-style feature following director and the cast throughout the production process. From creative meetings with executive producers to deep dives with the VFX and prosthetics teams, this piece offers an intimate look at the creative and technical forces behind the film.
Developing the Virgil Featurette- A look into the film’s most iconic location: The Virgil, a nine-floor art deco building inspired by Dante’s Inferno. This piece showcases the building’s intricate design, surreal art direction, and how each floor was constructed to reflect a different level of psychological descent.
Asia Reaves’ Attacks Featurette- This action-packed piece breaks down all the major fight scenes in the film, complete with stunts, spoilers, and cinematic chaos.
Crafting Carnage Featurette- Unravel how the film’s most intense moments were brought to life using hands-on techniques, from puppets and prosthetics to practical effects and choreographed gags.
Final Verdict: Given that this is Sokolov’s first Hollywood feature, I’m tempted to look past the number of cliches that fill the movie. It was entertaining from a design and filming perspective. It’s the story that could have used some fresh touches to help it stand apart from so many other entries in the genre.
Still, it moves along briskly and has some dark humor that was appreciated, landing firmly in the middle-of-the pack of horror movies for both my wife and I. If you’re curious, I’d recommend viewing before purchasing.
Fun Fact: The movie was inspired by Sokolov’s real-life experience, where he discovered a hole behind a cabinet leading to another tenet’s apartment, and his imagined evil purpose behind it.
This review was written by a human without the use of AI.My Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup
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