They Will Kill You (SXSW) is a Familiar Yet Fun and Bloody, Action Horror
Title: They Will Kill You
First Non-Festival Release: March 25th, 2026 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Kirill Sokolov
Writer: Alex Litvak, Kirill Sokolov
Runtime: 94 Minutes
Starring: Zazie Beetz, Patricia Arquette, Myha’la
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2026.
With recent events fresh in everyone’s minds, it’s hard not to wonder what goes on behind the secretive curtain that obscures the actions of the wealthy from the general public. If it’s possible to keep an entire private island pedophile sex trafficking scheme hidden, what else are they doing? Part mythmaking, part understandable skepticism, the rumors that spread are indicative of a culture that truly believes in the demonic nature of so-called “elites.”
After finishing a prison sentence for nearly murdering her abusive father, Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz) makes it her mission to locate her sister Maria (Myha’la) whom she promised to protect that night. Using a private detective (Angus Sampson), she tracks her down to a swanky high-rise apartment in Manhattan. Pulling a few strings, she arrives under an alias with full intentions of searching for her sister. What she discovers is far more terrifying than she can ever imagine. Now, Asia must fight her way through an entire high rise full of rich people and staff members to save her sister from a fiendish cult.
They Will Kill You is a familiar action horror outing that works thanks to some interesting choices.
With the inciting incident revealing several exciting truths about Asia’s situation, They Will Kill You takes an unrestrained approach to Zazie Beetz’s star vehicle. From the first fight, Asia is characterized as someone you don’t want to mess with. Her command of hand-to-hand combat pairs well with her intense drive to find her sister. Once this first reveal passes, They Will Kill You loses steam. The high-rise action horror fumbles when the next twist arises, which is the indestructible nature of her would-be assailants. It makes for plenty of fun moments and great jokes but seriously curtails the stakes by ridiculously overpowering everyone.
As Asia fights her way through the bowels of the high rise, the supernatural hijinks begin to wear thin. Both the horror and comedy get repetitive with how often the goons re-spawn only for Asia to slip through the cracks. Without stakes it feels hard to stay connected. Thankfully, They Will Kill You finds a way to make the violence stick. By the time it does, it cannot make up for the more static second act. There’s an inevitability in the way death operates here that feels connected to its anti-rich messaging, but it gets too irritating from a narrative point of view to be effective.
And this becomes the greatest weakness of They Will Kill You: breakneck pacing that rushes through the substance to get to the fun stuff. Despite laying the foundation for some pretty interesting commentary tying wealth with the vices of “Dante’s Inferno”, They Will Kill You breezes through its nine levels of Hell rather plainly. By the time Asia reunites with her sister, there isn’t much room for the film to grow. The colorful confrontations and memorable imagery distract from the lack of movement.
The fight scenes are well-choreographed and Beetz oozes charisma and star power to overshadow the story’s weaker elements. Beetz delivers every punch, kick, stab, and slash with enough ferocity and creativity to give credulity to Asia’s tragic backstory. Asia is a fighter and Beetz lets the depth of her trauma and love shine through her relentless pursuit. While there isn’t finality to many of the fights, there is weight behind her skills.
Colorful and kinetic, the action of They Will Kill You is the selling point to the horror comedy. Burning axes, hidden corridors, and disembodied eyeballs fill out the corners as the supernatural mayhem waxes. Balancing the claustrophobia of Asia’s new prison and the vast expanse of the building, They Will Kill You squeezes out as much tension as it can through the demonic halls of its high-rise setting.
Flashes of brilliance shine through the otherwise typical genre outing. They Will Kill You provides enough high-octane thrills and demonic hijinks to make its special blend of eat-the-rich horror hit hard. Stylish, energetic, and anchored by a thoroughly entertaining and fierce Beetz, They Will Kill You personifies the state of mainstream action horror, for better or for worse.
Overall Score? 7/10
