Gone in the Night
Vertical Entertainment | Release Date: July 15, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
52
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
9
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Film ThreatMichael Talbot-HaynesMar 17, 2022
The Cow is a powerhouse creeper where one of the great actresses of her generation shows us how it’s done. Read full review
80
TheWrapMar 16, 2022
Part unlikely friendship tale and part potpourri of genre tropes orchestrated as a parade of red herrings, this debut feature takes on modern culture’s blatant disdain of aging and veneration of youth. ... Greatly entertaining. Read full review
75
The PlaylistMarya E. GatesMar 16, 2022
The blended tones and mixing of rom-com tropes with wry humor and mystery mostly work well until the film makes a hard pivot to biotech horror. By the last act the script begins to resemble "The X-Files," however the same implausibility that made that show a hoot, here unfortunately undermines the spell the film had successfully cast. Read full review
70
The New York TimesLisa KennedyAug 4, 2022
Twists galore follow, the torque of which surprises again and again. Read full review
65
Paste MagazineAurora AmidonMar 16, 2022
The Cow goes in a number of unexpected directions that, on paper, look like fodder for a perfect missing-persons mystery à la Gone Girl or Prisoners. The problem is, Horowitz doesn’t quite seem sure how to tell the story in a way that keeps the viewer engaged. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJul 15, 2022
There’s just not enough gristle and gore on the bone of this story to make for a memorably haunting viewer experience. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreJul 11, 2022
Director and co-writer Eli Horowitz, a veteran of TV’s “Homecoming,” throws in just enough curveballs to keep us guessing and just enough generational jabs to make the script kind of funny and kind of mean-spirited. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineWes GreeneJul 11, 2022
The film’s ominous atmosphere derives less from the mystery of a disappearance and more from the scary business of getting older. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayAug 7, 2022
Even when the story doesn’t pop, Ryder is terrific. Read full review
60
We Got This CoveredMartin CarrMar 25, 2022
With a little less preamble and a lot more momentum, The Cow might have been something special. Read full review
58
The Film StageJohn FinkMar 21, 2022
The film’s final revelations are underdeveloped and underwhelming, wrapping up events neatly in a way that lacked the humor of earlier scenes. Read full review
58
IndieWireKate ErblandMar 16, 2022
As “The Cow” sinks deeper into increasingly limp twists, turns, and choices, Ryder keeps hold of Kath, offering the film’s most genuine surprise: a real, lived-in, fully fleshed out performance. No one else can match her, but who could even try? Read full review
50
ColliderRoss BonaimeApr 6, 2022
In the end, The Cow ends up a collection of tonal blunders and performances that are too big for this smaller-scale thriller. Read full review
50
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiMar 25, 2022
At the very least, The Cow offers some food for thought and has a strong setup, even if it doesn't fully deliver a satisfying conclusion. Read full review
50
Screen DailyTim GriersonMar 16, 2022
Despite some resonant themes, this playful thriller grows increasingly implausible, relying on twists that neither shock nor deepen the film’s exploration of unhappiness and regret. Read full review
40
VarietyDennis HarveyJul 27, 2022
What at first looks like a standard missing-person suspense tale turns out to have a more complicated agenda — but it is so haphazardly advanced and clumsily articulated, the film itself seems to be fumbling around for a cohering structure or mood. Read full review
40
SlashfilmChris EvangelistaMar 16, 2022
Ryder is honestly the only shining light here. ... But she deserves better than the murky slog that is "The Cow." Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsJul 15, 2022
For better and worse, Gone in the Night feels like the directorial debut of a podcaster, somebody who knows the value of storytelling novelty and has a gift for narrative economy, but also suggests more by the grace of good casting than their own singular talents. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJul 13, 2022
Unfortunately, stiff acting, an increasingly hard-to-swallow storyline, and an atrociously bad ending torpedo Eli Horowitz’s Gone in the Night, making it unworthy of even a streamed view. When the movie started, I wanted to like it. 90 minutes later, I just wanted it to end. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterJon FroschMar 16, 2022
The Cow is depressingly slack and indecisive, neither leaning hard enough into its B-movie preposterousness nor taking the time to build any real, sustained suspense. Read full review
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