Night Shift (2024)

3 Stars (out of 4)

Fates Motel

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

It's not easy to switch up comedy and horror in a movie as if they both belong there, and they both work. Think of how many movies are as good as Fright Night, for example. Written and directed by the China Brothers (Paul and Benjamin), Night Shift is that good. Gwen (Phoebe Tonkin) takes a job filling in for the night shift at a creepy roadside motel. Owner Teddy (Lamorne Morris) shows her around. This is the funny part. The place is a dump, and Teddy's excuses for it are well-delivered quips. It's also amusing to absorb the comical foreshadowing, such as the room whose door must be propped open with a brick, or you'll be locked inside all night. There's also that pool; all the water is gone due to a sinkhole. Then Teddy leaves (he's got a hot date) and things get quiet... and spooky. Gwen discovers one person staying at the hotel, a runaway named Alice (Madison Hu), and a snooty couple (Patrick Fischler and Lauren Bowles) check in for some kinky sex. But Gwen also starts seeing things. The ghost stuff is standard but effective. The real punch comes when we start to learn a little more about Gwen, but to say more would give away too much. Otherwise, the brothers make fine use of their single location, and one-night timeline, making for a sturdy, entertaining late-night watch.