They Will Kill You Review: Kill Bill Meets Evil Dead in Satanic Cult Action Thriller
Zazie Beetz takes on an elite circle of satanists in this gory genre film produced by It director Andy Muschietti
by Alex Kaan 18 March 2026
© Warner Bros.
There are films that wear their influences on their sleeves, and then there is They Will Kill You. Fusing martial arts, practical effects, and a healthy amount of stylish needle drops, you wouldn’t be surprised if Uma Thurman walked into the frame. A Tarantino pastiche by way of Rosemary’s Baby, Kirill Sokolov’s first English-language feature is a gonzo action-horror mash-up filled with such eccentric delights as a talking pig, a disembodied murderous eyeball, and a devilish Patricia Arquette sporting an Irish accent.
When the desperate Asia (Zazie Beetz) takes a job at mysterious NYC high-rise The Virgil, “one of the most exclusive buildings in Manhattan”, she soon finds that its wealthy residents are a shadowy cult with one goal: to eliminate her. While superintendent Lily (Arquette) and bloodthirsty tenants Kevin (Tom Felton) and Sharon (Heather Graham) eye her as a sacrifice to Satan, Asia has secrets of her own: a) she hasn’t come to The Virgil to work, but rather to rescue her sister, Maria (Myha’la), and b) she can fight.
© Warner Bros.
As the lynchpin to the gory proceedings, a bloodied, samurai-sword-wielding Zazie Beetz is a force of nature. With a performance defined by relentless intensity, she makes for a formidable action hero and forms half of a ferocious sister duo with a captivating Myha’la. The rest of the ensemble are all evidently enjoying themselves in their zany roles, and when the film’s playful satanic lore makes one character momentarily reduced to a sentient eyeball, the SFX and VFX teams deliver the film’s biggest laughs as the detached body part still tries to stay in the hunt.
While the expertly choreographed, gleefully cartoonish violence never lets up, the social horror undermining They Will Kill You, an undercooked eat-the-rich narrative, doesn’t pack the same punch as its fellow SXSW headliner and satanic cult action horror comedy, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. There are limp gestures towards themes of racial injustice, and Asia’s righteous, splatter-filled quest would have benefited had any of the social narratives been more properly explored.
© Warner Bros.
If the commentary that ostensibly forms the film’s backbone isn’t the sharpest, where They Will Kill You does excel is in its world-building. Recently responsible for another apartment complex with his colourful work in Dust Bunny, production designer Jeremy Reed makes The Virgil a lavish yet seedy high-rise and the perfect playground for the light-hearted carnage.
An absurd, riotous bloodbath led by a fierce Zazie Beetz, They Will Kill You is a high-octane thriller with a charmingly vicious sense of humour.