The Long Night (also known as The Coven) is a 2022 American horror film written by Robert Sheppe and Mark Young and directed Rich Ragsdale. It stars Scout Taylor-Compton, Nolan Gerard Funk, Jeff Fahey, Deborah Kara Unger. The film is about a couple whose quiet weekend takes a bizarre turn when a nightmarish cult and their maniacal leader come to fulfill an apocalyptic prophesy.
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Plot
A young couple from a big city, Grace and Jack, are on the verge of beginning the rest of their lives together. Two obstacles stand in their way: Grace meets Jack's wealthy, judgmental parents, and Jack accompanies Grace to her hometown in the deep south. There, she desperately wants to locate her biological parents and bring closure to her mysterious childhood past before embracing her bright future.
The meeting with Jack's parents causes a slight rift between the two lovers but is just a foreshadowed speed bump before a full-on collision with terror. Upon arriving at a large estate owned by a man who has reached out to Grace about her past, the couple discovers an empty house shrouded in secrets. Grace begins to mentally unravel as her dark destiny appears to hover over the vast farmhouse walls and seep into her psyche.
The town's welcoming committee arrives at dusk to greet the visitors. Instead of offering food and drink, the masked and cloaked group presents a dead kitten, burning pentagrams, and a symbol of death on a stick. Jack and Grace attempt to fight and flee as the ancient, dark history behind Grace's existence is revealed.
Cast
Scout Taylor-Compton as Grace
Nolan Gerard Funk as Jack
Jeff Fahey as Wayne
Deborah Kara Unger as The Master
Erika Stasiuleviciute as Master (flashback)
Scott Daniel as Torch Coven Member
Wendy Oates as Coveness
Kevin Ragsdale as Wade
Justin Paitsel as Coven Member
Bobby Davis as Coven Member
Russ Gladden as Coven Member
Release
It was released on February 4, 2022.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 35% of 26 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.8/10.
Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 44 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
Nadir Samara of Screen Rant give the film a mixed review and wrote: "When one thinks The Long Night is walking in circles, it breaks off from the beaten path just in time to give viewers exactly the movie that was sold."
Richard Whittaker of The Austin Chronicle give the film a positive review and wrote: "The Long Night may not be revolutionary, it's definitely got its own dark magic."
Peter Sobczynski of RogerEbert.com give the film a 1 and half star and wrote: "The Long Night wants to create a sense of encroaching fear and unease in viewers but cannot inspire much of anything other than boredom and apathy. "
Michael Pementel of Bloody Disgusting give the film a mixed to positive review and wrote: The Long Night still makes for a worthy watch. With its stellar atmosphere, grim violence, and chilling tone, The Long Night evokes a spell that’ll lure viewers into a gripping experience.