They Will Kill You had its world premiere at this year’s SXSW. Written by Kirill Sokolov (No Looking Back, Why Don’t You Just Die) and Alex Litvak (Predators, The Three Musketeers), with Sokolov also directing, the film is a blend of horror, comedy, and a ton of action. A maid is hired to work at a ritzy, exclusive high rise apartment building with a dark history. Once inside, she will have to fight for her life against a building full of Satan worshippers.

Based on the basic premise and the fact that both films are being released in March 2026, I was worried They Will Kill You was going to be too similar to Ready or Not 2: Here We Come. Luckily, despite some basic plot similarities, They Will Kill You is a very very different film. Asia is an ex-con looking for work. She ends up getting a maid job at the Virgil, a huge old high rise apartment building with a long history of mysterious disappearances. The night has barely begun when things turn violent. This Satanic cult has to make a sacrifice, and they have their sights set on Asia. Yet Asia isn’t just fighting for her life, she’s also fighting for the life of her sister who got left behind when Asia was thrown in jail. There are some interesting hints at race and class injustice throughout the film, but it’s only briefly mentioned, instead leaning more into the fun side of the story. It would have been nice to explore some of these issues more within the plot, incorporating a deeper message into the insanity. While They Will Kill You might be a bit light when it comes to the actual plot, they certainly make up for it with laughs and action. The film is non-stop, keeping the audience at the edge of their seats from start to finish. Each scene is dripping with blood, violence, and a ton of laughs. Audiences who want more story will likely be disappointed, and the direction of the film might be a bit predictable, but if you can sit back and enjoy the chaos, it’s definitely a wild and entertaining ride.

They Will Kill You has a great cast to bring these characters to life. Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2, Joker) stars as Asia. Beetz is a revelation in this role. She brings such strength and determination to the character, making Asia a new horror icon. She commands the screen and kicks ass proving she’s not just a great actor, but also has a powerful physical presence. Myha’la (Bodies Bodies Bodies, Leave the World Behind) plays Asia’s younger sister, Maria. Her story is more tragic than Asia’s, which makes Myha’la the heart of the film. She creates a nice balance of being willing to do anything for a sense of safety and security while also still having a deep connection to her long lost sister. Patricia Arquette (Stigmata, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors) plays Lilith, the superintendent in charge of the Virgil. Lilith has been around for a long time and has the building running like a well-oiled machine, which makes her more than a bit annoyed when Asia drives everything off course. Arquette is quite an imposing force in the film. She does put on an Irish accent to play Lilith that comes and goes a bit throughout the film. It might seem unnecessary, but as the audience learns more about the character, the accent begins to make more sense and her losing it at times also starts to make sense. Other hilarious performances come from Heather Graham (Suitable Flesh) and Tom Felton (Rise of the Planet of the Apes).

The real crowning achievements of They Will Kill You are the sights and sounds. The Virgil itself is a great setting with each floor having a different theme, lots of hidden corridors, and plenty of surprises around every corner. Then there’s the fight choreography. There are so many incredible action sequences of hand-to-hand combat, fights with all manner of weaponry, and chase scenes. The fight choreography was clearly vital to the film and well thought out to showcase Beetz’s skills while utilizing the entire space. Even the cinematography and editing is done in such a way to emphasize the fight scenes, placing the audience right in the thick of the action. They Will Kill You also has a ton of great practical effects, as well as a few goofier looking ones, some with slight CGI enhancement. From bloody wounds to a roving eyeball to a severed pig head, the effects team did an outstanding job of making the film as gory and campy* as possible.

The music in They Will Kill You also adds to the fun. The musical score was composed by Carlos Rafael Rivera (Hacks). It weaves together sounds of 80s synth, Samurai films, and old Westerns to match whatever is happening on screen. There are also multiple outstanding needle drops throughout the film. One of those needle drops is for a song by Dead Man’s Bones (Ryan Gosling’s alt-rock band that released one album in 2009), which was quite the surprise. It’s evident a lot of time and money went into the music of this film, and it most certainly paid off.

They Will Kill You is an adrenaline rush of action-packed fights, tons of blood and gore, and plenty of laugh out loud moments. Sokolov and Litvak have created a film that feels like Kill Bill meets Ready or Not 2: Here We Come, delivering a Samurai-cowboy fight aesthetic into a delicious horror story. The plot might be a bit thin, but the amazing fight choreography and visuals help make up for it. Not to mention the head-bopping musical choices throughout the film. Beetz is a wonderful leading lady and a killer action star, carrying much of the film on her badass shoulders. After its premiere at SXSW, They Will Kill You will hit theaters on Friday, March 27th. You won’t want to miss it.

OVERALL RATING: 7.5/10

*During the premiere Q&A Sokolov mentioned he didn’t want to make a campy horror film and he didn’t think They Will Kill You was campy. While he clearly has a negative idea of what camp is, They Will Kill You is definitely dripping with camp and that’s part of why it’s such a fun film.