The Night Man: A Thriller That Twists Folklore Into Terror

Some stories don’t just creep under your skin; they take root, waiting for the right moment to pull you back into their grasp. The Night Man is one of those films. A slow-burning thriller steeped in folklore, unsettling encounters, and an eerie sense of inevitability.

But beneath the layers of myth and legend lies a personal horror, one that refuses to stay buried.

Unraveling the Story: Alice’s Nightmare Returns

Alice (lollipop in hand, floral jumper cozy but deceiving) sits across from a therapist, dredging up memories she never wanted to relive. Her mother’s murder, a moment frozen in time, distorted by the eyes of a child. She saw something. But what?

Years later, Alice and her husband Damien move to a dilapidated estate in Ireland, his childhood home. It’s a fresh start, a chance to move forward, but some places don’t let you forget. The ruins around them whisper tales of the past, and soon, a story surfaces. A voiceover speaks of twins once raised in this house. A banshee claimed dominion over the land, demanding a sacrifice. A mother was forced to choose one child to save, but was it the good one or the bad one?

Before Alice can make sense of the eerie folklore, the past starts bleeding into the present.

A Town That Knows More Than It Says

The moment Alice and Damien set foot in town, the tension tightens. A woman in a shop, stranger yet strangely familiar, recognizes Damien and asks if he’s been ‘good’. She tells him to send regards to his mother as if the past were never truly past. Alice isn’t just stepping into her husband’s world; she’s stepping into a story that already knows its ending.

Damien, too, is tangled in secrets he won’t speak aloud. He was raised in a boarding school, avoids eating meat (a detail that feels like it should mean something), and carries the weight of a history he doesn’t want to claim. There’s something wrong with this town. Something waiting.

The Nightman: A Villain in the Shadows

Not all monsters rage and roar; some watch quietly, waiting for the right moment to strike. The Nightman is a villain of careful restraint, a figure who simmers rather than erupts. He doesn’t need theatrics. His calm is his weapon, his violence is precise and detached, and that makes him far more terrifying than a monster that howls. You never know when he will break the stillness, and that unpredictability keeps the tension razor-sharp.

A Final Stand… Or a New Beginning?

The film boils over into a relentless final act.

Gunshots split the night.
A door left open signals an unwelcome visitor.
A potted plant topples over, the only proof that something moved in the dark.

Alice fights for a sliver of survival, but Nightman doesn’t hand out easy victories. Was the real monster ever truly vanquished? The final chilling moment suggests that perhaps the cycle is far from over.

Verdict: A Lingering Horror That Refuses to Fade

The Night Man doesn’t chase cheap jump scares or flashy horror tropes. It’s a film that builds unease like a slow poison, letting fear settle into your bones before striking. With its entrenched Irish folklore, its characters trapped by the past, and a villain who feels all too uncomfortably real, “The Night Man” lingers long after the credits roll.

The question isn’t if it will make you feel a little tight.
The question is when you’ll realize it already has.

⭐4 banshees wailing in the night out of 5 ⭐

Release Date: 2025, 13th February on Shudder. Before that, it did the rounds at a few film festivals in 2023.

Director: Mélanie Delloye.

Writer: (Include writer’s name)

Distributor: Shudder and AMC+, or check below for more streaming options.

Cast: Mark Huberman, Eoin Duffy, Zara Devlin, Áine Ní Laoghaire, Maeve Leonard.

Final Thoughts: Does Night Man Deserve a Spot on Your Watchlist?

If you’re a fan of horror that thrives on atmosphere, creeping unease, and stories where past sins refuse to stay buried, Night Man is a must-watch. But be warned, you may not sleep soundly after. For more films that feature people sleeping watch Sleep | Awake, or The Sleeping Beauty Trailer, and find a new reason to leave the lights on.

What do you think? Have you seen Nightman? Let’s talk theories in the comments of any of our social media platforms. MUBI Distributors have more information on their website, as well as The Night Man trailer to watch.

The Night Man

Director: Director Mélanie Delloye

Date Created: 2023-07-02 20:18