Horror Movie Review: No One Gets Out Alive (2021)

No One Gets Out Alive is a 2021 British horror film directed by Santiago Menghini from a screenplay by Jon Croker and Fernanda Coppel, based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Adam Nevill.

Ambar, an undocumented migrant, moves to Cleveland after the death of her mother. She used to take care of her ailing mother and had paused her life to be with her during her deteriorating condition. Ambar tells her friend that she relocated to the United States to support her mother. She finds a dilapidated boarding house run by Red; he demands the first month’s rent up front. Ambar gives him from a reserve of cash she appears to have saved up for her move. Soon odd things start happening to her both at the new boarding house and outside. One night she sees a man banging his head against the door. Who she later learns is Red’s sick brother: Becker.

She gives a co-worker the remainder of her savings to obtain a fake ID that will allow her to continue working. But the co-worker betrays her, taking the money and quitting the next day. Ambar asks her boss for the co-worker’s address and then an advance on her next pay but is fired instead.

With no money, unable to receive help from Beto, a distant relative, and not wanting to return to the house after the visions, Ambar is forced to call Red. They meet at a nearby cafe and Red promises to refund her deposit, but only if she returns to the house as he claims to not have enough cash on him. When they arrive at the boarding house, Ambar confronts Red since the cash is not in her room as promised. Becker forces Ambar into her room and she locks herself inside, joined by two Romanian women who have also moved into the boarding house. The two women start singing a lullaby which prompts Ambar to sleep yet again.

Red and Becker burst in during the night and grab the women, readying them for a ritual. As Red and Becker are preparing the women to be taken down to the basement, Beto comes looking for Ambar but is incapacitated.

Is there still a chance for them to make it out alive? What’s in the basement? Watch and find out.

No One Gets Out Alive isn’t a very complex movie, but it does have enough mystery and intrigue to hold you throughout its runtime.

A well-acted movie, but Ambar as a character is frustratingly naïve. I understand her life experience has been limited due to staying by her mother’s side for a long time but it’s still annoying to witness. Additionally, she begins panicking and snooping way too soon. It definitely feels unwarranted for what she’s seen at that point.

Her relationship with Red was also lacking. They seemed to connect on some level, but there were no scenes showing why he would care even slightly more about her than any other person. They could have done more to do with Red in general and shown some backstory scenes instead of telling us.

Despite these few criticisms, No One Gets Out Alive is certainly a solid horror. Brutal, fantastic looking gore (as I’ve said before, always do more blood and gore). Its creepy vibes and shots are great. Plus, the creature in the box is worth the anticipation. Straight out of a Resident Evil game, its design are insanely unique and unnerving. It’s a massive shame they used CGI but it still looks fantastic.

Overall, a solid horror. Well worth the price of admission and will have you mistrusting your landlord in no time. I would have liked a more definitive ending or at least a small hint. It was very abrupt but that’s what we got, I guess.