# Night Shift (2023 film)
**Night Shift** is a 2023 American horror-thriller film written and directed by Benjamin China and Paul China, credited together as The China Brothers, in their feature directorial debut. It follows [Gwen Taylor](https://www.edgepedia.org/gwen-taylor) ([Phoebe Tonkin](https://www.edgepedia.org/phoebe-tonkin)), a woman working her first overnight shift at a remote motel, who comes to suspect she is being followed by a dangerous figure from her past and that the motel may be haunted.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13380324/) • [2](https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-3f829f80-ec52-4e5d-bc29-b926ecc54022)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Directors and writers | Benjamin China and Paul China, credited as The China Brothers; their first feature film[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13380324/fullcredits/) |
| Premiere | March 3, 2023, at the Mammoth Film Festival[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13380324/releaseinfo/) |
| Festival award | Best Genre Film (Feature) at the Mammoth Film Festival 2023[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13380324/awards/) |
| General release | March 8, 2024, limited theatrical and digital/on-demand, via Quiver Distribution[6](https://www.assignmentx.com/2024/movie-review-night-shift/) |
| Runtime and rating | 1 hour 22 minutes; not rated[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13380324/) • [6](https://www.assignmentx.com/2024/movie-review-night-shift/) |
| Lead cast | Phoebe Tonkin (Gwen Taylor), Madison Hu (Alice Marsh), Lamorne Morris (Teddy Miles)[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13380324/) |
| Reception | 78% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (23 reviews); 81% Popcornmeter (250+ ratings); 5.5/10 on IMDb from about 4,500 votes[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/night_shift_2024) • [8](https://www.netflixmovies.com/night-shift-2023) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Gwen Taylor arrives at night at the All Tucked Inn, a remote and rundown motel, to work her first overnight shift as the desk clerk, having answered an ad for a temporary position after the regular clerk quit in a hurry. The owner, Teddy Miles, shows her around, tells her the night can feel long and lonely, and assures her the place is harmless before leaving for the evening.[8](https://www.netflixmovies.com/night-shift-2023) • [6](https://www.assignmentx.com/2024/movie-review-night-shift/)
As the night progresses, unsettling events accumulate: lights flicker, doors open on their own, faint noises come from empty hallways, and Gwen receives phone calls from supposedly unoccupied rooms. A teenage guest named [Alice Marsh](https://www.edgepedia.org/alice-marsh), who had fled from her mother, tells Gwen that figures appear in the corridors but disappear whenever anyone comes near. A shadowy man in a car seems to be following Gwen, resembling a figure from her past, and Teddy avoids her questions about the motel's history. Alice grows frightened and insists the motel is haunted.[8](https://www.netflixmovies.com/night-shift-2023) • [2](https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-3f829f80-ec52-4e5d-bc29-b926ecc54022)
The film keeps several threats in play for most of its runtime, including a television news report of a deranged convict on the loose, before a late twist reframes what has been happening and the story moves into a more direct, violent final act.[9](https://inreviewonline.com/2024/03/07/night-shift/) • [10](https://www.nerdly.co.uk/2024/03/19/night-shift-review/)
## Cast and production
Phoebe Tonkin plays Gwen Taylor, with Madison Hu as Alice Marsh and [Lamorne Morris](https://www.edgepedia.org/lamorne-morris) as Teddy Miles. The supporting cast includes [Patrick Fischler](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-fischler) as Warner, Lauren Bowles as Birdie, Christopher Denham as Walton Grey, and Connor Price as Cole.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13380324/) • [8](https://www.netflixmovies.com/night-shift-2023) Mac Fisken served as cinematographer, Bec China as editor, and the score was composed by Blitz//Berlin.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13380324/fullcredits/)
The film is a single-location thriller, set almost entirely at the motel over one night. Reviewers noted the production design of the decrepit, taxidermy-adorned establishment, including a drained swimming pool with a growing sinkhole, as central to its atmosphere.[6](https://www.assignmentx.com/2024/movie-review-night-shift/) • [11](https://horrorfacts.com/night-shift-review-dread-soaked-haunted-motel-horror-is-a-creepy-delight/)
## Release
Night Shift first screened at the Mammoth Film Festival on March 3, 2023, where it won the Best Genre Film award for a feature.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13380324/releaseinfo/) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13380324/awards/) It received a general release on March 8, 2024, in limited theaters and on digital and on-demand platforms through Quiver Distribution.[6](https://www.assignmentx.com/2024/movie-review-night-shift/) It later streamed on services including Prime Video, Disney+, and Hulu.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/night_shift_2024)
## Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 78% Tomatometer from 23 critics and an 81% Popcornmeter audience score from more than 250 ratings; on IMDb it averages 5.5/10 from about 4,500 votes.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/night_shift_2024) • [8](https://www.netflixmovies.com/night-shift-2023)
Critics generally praised the atmosphere and Tonkin's lead performance while faulting the final act. Brian Eggert of Deep Focus Review called it a diverting late-night watch that kept him engaged for its brief runtime and produced a few jolts, rating it 3 out of 4.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/night_shift_2024) Jeffrey M. Anderson of Combustible Celluloid also gave it 3 out of 4, writing that the China Brothers switch between comedy and horror as if both belong there.[12](https://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/2024/night_shift24.shtml) Jim Morazzini of Nerdly gave it 3.5 out of 5, crediting cinematographer Mac Fisken with the film's atmosphere but arguing that a twist at the hour mark comes out of nowhere and that the more straightforward final act is not on the level of the first hour.[10](https://www.nerdly.co.uk/2024/03/19/night-shift-review/) Mark Dujsik of Mark Reviews Movies was more negative, giving 1.5 out of 4 stars and arguing that the script delays vital information until the last possible minute, making the reveal feel like a cheat.[13](https://www.markreviewsmovies.com/reviews/N/nightshift-2024.htm) Jeffrey Lyles of Lyles' Movie Files called the final act the only thing holding the film back, citing plot holes created for its payoff.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/night_shift_2024)
## Title confusion
Several unrelated works share the name. The 1982 comedy *Night Shift*, directed by [Ron Howard](https://www.edgepedia.org/ron-howard) and starring [Henry Winkler](https://www.edgepedia.org/henry-winkler), Michael Keaton, and [Shelley Long](https://www.edgepedia.org/shelley-long), is about two morgue workers who become pimps.[14](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/night-shift) A separate horror film titled *Night Shift*, distributed by Sony Pictures with a 2018 copyright notice, follows a woman named Amy at a hotel with a mass-murder legend; it is a different production from the 2023 China Brothers film.[15](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/nightshift) Other 2023 shorts titled Night Shift include a Taiwanese student film by Jia Yu Chiang about a night-shift nurse.[16](https://tiranafilmfest.org/films/night-shift/)
## References
1. [Night Shift (2023) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13380324/)
2. [Night Shift, Disney+](https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-3f829f80-ec52-4e5d-bc29-b926ecc54022)
3. [Night Shift (2023) full cast and crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13380324/fullcredits/)
4. [Night Shift (2023) release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13380324/releaseinfo/)
5. [Night Shift (2023) awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13380324/awards/)
6. [Movie Review: NIGHT SHIFT, Assignment X (2024)](https://www.assignmentx.com/2024/movie-review-night-shift/)
7. [Night Shift, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/night_shift_2024)
8. [Night Shift (2023) on Netflix, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/night-shift-2023)
9. [Night Shift — The China Brothers [Review], In Review Online (2024)](https://inreviewonline.com/2024/03/07/night-shift/)
10. [Night Shift Review, Nerdly (2024)](https://www.nerdly.co.uk/2024/03/19/night-shift-review/)
11. [Night Shift Review: Dread-Soaked Haunted Motel Horror is a Creepy Delight, Horror Facts (2024)](https://horrorfacts.com/night-shift-review-dread-soaked-haunted-motel-horror-is-a-creepy-delight/)
12. [Night Shift review, Combustible Celluloid (2024)](https://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/2024/night_shift24.shtml)
13. [NIGHT SHIFT (2024), Mark Reviews Movies](https://www.markreviewsmovies.com/reviews/N/nightshift-2024.htm)
14. [Parents' Guide to Night Shift (1982), Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/night-shift)
15. [NIGHT SHIFT, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/nightshift)
16. [Night Shift, Tehran International Film Festival program](https://tiranafilmfest.org/films/night-shift/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Horror films (individual works) › Horror thriller films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license