He Kills at Night

There’s a serial killer on the loose at Christmas and their next victim opens the film, albeit dated 22 September.

From there its basically a two hander save for an early encounter with Fern (Isabella Percival) who is driving home only to stop for a pee, when Alan (Richard Galloway) attacks and kills her in a struggle.

However on the road is Marie (Levi Heaton) who hits Fern’s car and provides Alan with the opportunity to kidnap her. His instructions are clear: he needs to get out of the country that night. Marie’s black eye and story about getting home to her family cut no ice.

To say much more could almost ruin the film as the Pickering Brothers (Thomas, directed, James, wrote) have crafted an intricate plot that pits Alan against Marie as well as flitting between timelines.

As mentioned, Galloway and Heaton to a certain extent carry the film as in the car, they spar and the characters develop. This is interspersed with killings attributed to the serial killer, Alan. Both actors make the best of a wordy and complex script.

The film does come together satisfactorily with good production, with excellent use of lights and the night, though there is little in the way of actual suspense.

However despite the work of the actors and the deft direction, it’s at times not that engaging. Certainly the characters on their own aren’t and it appears padded, with some quite long scenes, for what is a relatively short film.

The key here is that the viewer will stick with the film, as again while not saying too much, there appears to be something else going on with timeline traps strategically placed that keep the viewer on edge.

He Kills at Night had its world premiere at London FrightFest 2025