# They Will Kill You
*They Will Kill You* is a 2026 horror action-comedy film directed by Kirill Sokolov, in which an ex-con takes a housekeeping job at an upscale New York City high-rise called the Virgil to find her estranged sister and discovers its residents belong to a satanic cult that has chosen her as its next human sacrifice victim.[1](https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz/find-a-rating/quick-takes/they-will-kill-you/) It was produced by [New Line Cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-line-cinema), Nocturna, Film Afrika Entertainment, and [Skydance Media](https://www.edgepedia.org/skydance-media) as a US/South African co-production, and released theatrically by Warner Bros. on March 27, 2026.[2](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/they-will-kill-you) • [3](https://www.fandango.com/they-will-kill-you-2026-244051/movie-overview)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writers | Kirill Sokolov, co-written with Alex Litvak[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/they-will-kill-you/) |
| Lead cast | Zazie Beetz as Asia Reaves; Myha'la as her sister Maria; Patricia Arquette, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, and Paterson Joseph[5](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/they-will-kill-you-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdm0ode0) |
| Premise | An ex-con takes a live-in housekeeping job at the Virgil, a New York high-rise with a history of disappearances, to rescue her estranged sister[2](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/they-will-kill-you) • [6](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/they-will-kill-you) |
| Release | March 27, 2026, in US theaters, a Warner Bros. release[3](https://www.fandango.com/they-will-kill-you-2026-244051/movie-overview) • [7](https://apnews.com/article/3c1a3ef73ca3f80c5f2c4e73b1a9f43e) |
| Runtime | 94 minutes per the Australian classification (BBFC lists 95 minutes)[2](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/they-will-kill-you) • [5](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/they-will-kill-you-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdm0ode0) |
| Ratings | R in the US (strong bloody violence, gore, language, brief sexual content/nudity); MA 15+ in Australia[7](https://apnews.com/article/3c1a3ef73ca3f80c5f2c4e73b1a9f43e) • [2](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/they-will-kill-you) |
| Reception | 65% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer and 76% from audiences; a Metascore of 50 from 28 critic reviews[8](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/m/they_will_kill_you) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/they-will-kill-you/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and premise
Asia Reaves, an ex-con played by [Zazie Beetz](https://www.edgepedia.org/zazie-beetz), answers an ad for a live-in housekeeper at the Virgil, a luxurious century-old hotel-condominium in New York City. She takes the job to find her estranged sister Maria (Myha'la), who had also taken a maid position there, and learns that residents have vanished without trace for decades amid whispers of a Satanic cult.[6](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/they-will-kill-you) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/they-will-kill-you/) The cult grants its inhabitants immortality in return for human sacrifice, drawing vulnerable women from the city with the promise of work and board.[9](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/they-will-kill-you-review-tom-felton-b2944330.html) Asia fights her way through the building, confronting cultists including Kevin ([Tom Felton](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-felton)) and Sharon ([Heather Graham](https://www.edgepedia.org/heather-graham)), and the building manager Lily Woodhouse (Patricia Arquette), whom the Associated Press review describes as prim, with what that critic called a terribly uneven Irish accent.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/they-will-kill-you/) • [7](https://apnews.com/article/3c1a3ef73ca3f80c5f2c4e73b1a9f43e)
## Production
**Credits and crew.** Sokolov, a Russian director previously known for *Why Don't You Just Die!*, wrote the script with Alex Litvak.[1](https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz/find-a-rating/quick-takes/they-will-kill-you/) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/they-will-kill-you/) The producers were Dan Kagan, Andy Muschietti, and Barbara Muschietti, the sibling filmmakers behind the *It* adaptations.[2](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/they-will-kill-you) Isaac Bauman was the director of photography and Carlos Rafael Rivera composed the score.[10](https://www.pharos.de/post-production/digital-cinema-distribution-services/projects/detail-projects/they-will-kill-you/) • [11](https://www.tanweer.gr/movies/they-will-kill-you/) The film was reportedly made on a production budget south of $10 million.[12](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/does-they-will-kill-you-ending-set-up-sequel-cast-filmmakers-thoughts)
**Beetz's preparation.** Beetz trained for four months for the role, which requires her character to fight through the building with blades, guns, and a flaming fire axe.[9](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/they-will-kill-you-review-tom-felton-b2944330.html) • [13](https://www.timeout.com/movies/they-will-kill-you-review-2026)
## Style and influences
The film is built around exaggerated, comedic violence: characters are stabbed, shot, set on fire, beheaded, or dismembered and then regenerate, with what the New Zealand Classification Office called ridiculously over-the-top and campy injuries and a great deal of blood.[1](https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz/find-a-rating/quick-takes/they-will-kill-you/) Reviewers and the studio's own synopsis place it at an intersection of reference points: Time Out described the brief as "The Raid meets Get Out, only more Looney Tunes," while critics repeatedly compared it to *Kill Bill*, *John Wick*, and *Ready or Not*.[13](https://www.timeout.com/movies/they-will-kill-you-review-2026) • [14](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/they-will-kill-you-zazie-beetz-film-review-2026) Christy Lemire of FilmWeek called it "John Wick by way of Looney Tunes."[8](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/m/they_will_kill_you) The Associated Press noted surreal touches such as eyeballs that bounce around with agency, and an ending faceoff with Satan himself.[7](https://apnews.com/article/3c1a3ef73ca3f80c5f2c4e73b1a9f43e)
## Reception
**Critical response.** On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 65% Tomatometer from 179 reviews and a 76% Popcornmeter score from more than 1,000 verified ratings; the critics consensus says its cyclical structure can grow repetitive but that a fierce Zazie Beetz keeps the bloodletting infectiously fun.[8](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/m/they_will_kill_you) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 50 based on 28 critic reviews, with 8 positive, 18 mixed, and 2 negative, and a user score of 5.5 from 111 ratings.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/they-will-kill-you/) Reviews clustered around a common judgment: IGN gave it 8 out of 10 and praised Beetz's "knockout leading performance," while RogerEbert.com found it sporadically fun but repetitive, and The New York Times was sharply negative.[15](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/they-will-kill-you/critic-reviews/) • [14](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/they-will-kill-you-zazie-beetz-film-review-2026) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/they-will-kill-you/) Beetz's performance drew consistent praise across otherwise divided reviews.[15](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/they-will-kill-you/critic-reviews/)
**Sequel prospects.** In an interview, Sokolov teased a potential sequel, saying "I have a great idea," and producer Barbara Muschietti discussed the chances of *They Will Kill You 2*, noting that the film's low budget meant it would not need massive box office success to justify a follow-up.[16](https://comicbook.com/movies/feature/they-will-kill-you-director-teases-potential-sequel-i-have-a-great-idea-exclusive/) • [12](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/does-they-will-kill-you-ending-set-up-sequel-cast-filmmakers-thoughts)
## Censorship classifications
The film received adult-oriented ratings across English-speaking territories. In the United States the Motion Picture Association rated it R for "strong bloody violence, gore, language and brief sexual content/nudity."[7](https://apnews.com/article/3c1a3ef73ca3f80c5f2c4e73b1a9f43e) Australia classified it MA 15+ for strong violence, blood and gore on March 12, 2026, and New Zealand's Classification Office rated it on March 5, 2026, for graphic violence and offensive language, with a New Zealand release date of March 27, 2026.[2](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/they-will-kill-you) • [1](https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz/find-a-rating/quick-takes/they-will-kill-you/) The British Board of Film Classification listed it with the advice "strong bloody violence, gore, language, horror, sex, nudity."[5](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/they-will-kill-you-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdm0ode0)
## References
1. [They Will Kill You, New Zealand Classification Office](https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz/find-a-rating/quick-takes/they-will-kill-you/)
2. [They Will Kill You, Australian Classification](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/they-will-kill-you)
3. [They Will Kill You (2026) Showtimes, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/they-will-kill-you-2026-244051/movie-overview)
4. [They Will Kill You Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/they-will-kill-you/)
5. [They Will Kill You, BBFC](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/they-will-kill-you-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdm0ode0)
6. [They Will Kill You, Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/they-will-kill-you)
7. [Movie Review: 'They Will Kill You' is a failed attempt at satanic, supernatural horror pulp, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/3c1a3ef73ca3f80c5f2c4e73b1a9f43e)
8. [They Will Kill You, Rotten Tomatoes](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/m/they_will_kill_you)
9. [They Will Kill You review, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/they-will-kill-you-review-tom-felton-b2944330.html)
10. [They Will Kill You, PHAROS Digital Cinema Distribution Services](https://www.pharos.de/post-production/digital-cinema-distribution-services/projects/detail-projects/they-will-kill-you/)
11. [THEY WILL KILL YOU, Tanweer](https://www.tanweer.gr/movies/they-will-kill-you/)
12. [Does The They Will Kill You Ending Set Up A Sequel?, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/does-they-will-kill-you-ending-set-up-sequel-cast-filmmakers-thoughts)
13. [They Will Kill You review, Time Out](https://www.timeout.com/movies/they-will-kill-you-review-2026)
14. [They Will Kill You review, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/they-will-kill-you-zazie-beetz-film-review-2026)
15. [They Will Kill You critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/they-will-kill-you/critic-reviews/)
16. [They Will Kill You Director Teases Potential Sequel, ComicBook.com](https://comicbook.com/movies/feature/they-will-kill-you-director-teases-potential-sequel-i-have-a-great-idea-exclusive/)
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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) › Action and adventure horror 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*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license