It’s the weekend again, and that means Film Focus. Here’s Mike Laidman with what’s new in local theaters.

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As luck would have it, a deluge of new movies this weekend, and not enough time to cover them all.

First, I Am Heath Ledger, a biography/documentary about the late actor, as well as Geostorm, which looks like The Day After Tomorrow on steroids.

But today, we take a closer look at It Comes at Night and Mother, two films to get you in the mood for Halloween.

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Mike Laidman

Welcome to another edition of Film Focus. I’m Mike Laidman.

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It Comes at Night (2017, Trey Edward Shults)
Inside a desolate home as a threat terrorizes the world.

Imagine the end of the world. Now imagine something worse. It Comes at Night is a horror film following a man as he learns that the evil stalking his family home may be only a prelude to horrors that come from within. Secure within a desolate home as an unnatural threat terrorizes the world, the tenuous domestic order he has established with his wife and son is put to the ultimate test with the arrival of a desperate young family seeking refuge. Despite the best intentions of both families, paranoia and mistrust boil over as the horrors outside creep ever-closer, awakening something hidden and monstrous within him as he learns that the protection of his family comes at the cost of his soul.

This looks at first like your typical post-apocalyptic story, although one centred firmly on human torment and conflict. This isn’t a thriller with zombies scratching and clawing their way in - the drama and conflict arises from the nuances of family dynamics and strangers getting to know each other under extreme circumstances.

Anchored by a minimalist performance by Joel Edgerton, It Comes at Night should be on your shortlist in you’re looking for a creepy way to spend your weekend.

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Mother (2017, Darren Aronofsky)
A couple’s relationship is tested as uninvited guests arrive.

And now, to Mother.

A couple's relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. From Darren Aronofsky, this is a psychological thriller about love, devotion, and sacrifice.

Mother has quite a divided audience, which really isn’t that uncommon for an Aronofsky film. He has divided audiences in the past, and he’s here to do it again.

At times horrifying, at times riveting, at times baffling, and at times like nothing you've ever seen before, Mother is a film that will not leave anyone indifferent, whether it leaves a good or bad impression. It’s thought-provoking and ambitious, although at times too unwieldy for a mainstream audience.

But don’t necessarily take this as a negative. It is, after all, one of the most marvelous elements of cinema.