Film Review - They Will Kill You (2026)

This film tries so hard to be like other films that it somehow becomes fun to watch.

We follow Asia Reaves, played by Zazie Beetz, an ex-con who takes a job as a housemaid in an unsettling, almost sinister-looking hotel in New York. It doesn’t take long before she realises something is very wrong. The residents and staff are all part of a satanic group, and every month they need to make a human sacrifice to preserve their immortality.

Unfortunately for them, Asia is not an easy target.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmvSCifBVso

Hardened by ten years in prison, she has her own mission. She is not there to survive, she is there to find her younger sister. From that point on, the film leans fully into chaos, delivering blood, limbs and complete madness.

To enjoy They Will Kill You, you have to meet it on its own terms. This is a 15-rated film in the UK, or R-rated in the US, so it is unapologetically violent and, at times, completely nonsensical. But that lack of logic is part of the appeal. Much of the comedy comes not from the dialogue, but from how absurd everything becomes once the action kicks in.

The story constantly shifts direction, often prioritising spectacle over coherence, but that feels intentional. This is clearly a pulp action film that wears its influences on its sleeve, especially Kill Bill. The editing, lighting and framing all echo that style. What it lacks is the sharp dialogue and narrative precision that defines Tarantino’s work, but there is still enough here to keep things entertaining throughout its runtime.

The action itself is relentless and excessive. Limbs are chopped off with machetes, bodies are thrown across rooms with gravity-defying kicks, and blood sprays across walls in almost every sequence. At one point, a severed eye crawls through a ventilation pipe, tracking the main character, and later we are introduced to a talking pig head on a stick that meets a particularly brutal end. Whether that is a reference to Lord of the Flies or not is unclear, either way, it is irrelevant here.

What makes it work is the execution. The choreography is strong, the music is well timed, and there are genuine laugh-out-loud moments that come purely from the ridiculousness of what is happening on screen.

The cast clearly understands the assignment. Zazie Beetz leads the film with a fully committed physical performance, carrying much of the action on her shoulders. Patricia Arquette brings a commanding presence as the hotel’s matriarch, while Heather Graham leans into the absurdity of the role, including a moment where she quite literally loses her head and regrows another.

It is all completely over the top, but that is also where the enjoyment comes from. As long as you know what you are walking into, there is fun to be had here. Is it worth the cinema ticket price? Not quite. This feels much more suited to a streaming watch, where its chaotic energy and relentless pace can be enjoyed without expectation. It is loud, messy and entertaining, but it does not leave a lasting impression once it ends.

Still, for a night of pure, mindless fun, They Will Kill You delivers exactly what it promises.