Never After Dark

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Never After Dark

Sep 2026

1h 44m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

59 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

A wandering medium, Airi spends her life guiding restless spirits out of the world of the living. Summoned to an isolated country house, she comes face to face with a grotesque apparition with powers that defy Airi's experience. As she digs deeper into the house's past, a secret comes to light -- and Airi finds herself hunted by a far more unpredictable force. For the first time, her greatest adversary is not the supernatural, but the living.

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Critics Consensus

A chilling ghost story that deftly reimagines Japanese horror conventions, Never After Dark pairs Moeka Hoshi's compelling performance with elegant craftsmanship and slow-building, inexorable dread.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

Oct 9, 2026

3/4

The result is a superbly crafted freakout in the the spirit of classics such as “The Shining” and goose-pimply J-Horror films as “Ju-On: The Grudge.”

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Simon Abrams

RogerEbert.com

Sep 26, 2026

3/4

Boyle and his collaborators take a few jarring creative shortcuts and by-passes, but pull off most of what they attempt.

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David Ehrlich

IndieWire

Sep 26, 2026

B

There’s a real thrill to be found in how “Never After Dark” taps into the temporal dimensions of its timeless genre, its blithe spirit gradually stiffening into the stuff of a Kiyoshi Kurosawa chiller as it confronts the dangers of a broken clock.

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Dan Scully

ScullyVision

4 days ago

Boyle uses all of the tools at his command to generate creeping dread and shrieking scares in equal measure without telegraphing a thing, and it’s all in service of a novel and imaginative mythology that’s to good to spoil.

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Charles Mudede

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

Oct 15, 2026

Altogether, the film is expertly executed, and though a little slow, not without reason.

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Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

Oct 13, 2026

Stephen King’s stamp of approval is valid for this one.

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Lex

Oct 15, 2026

Fantastic movie! Would see it again but it was only on one night! Turned everything on its head with a very interesting take on haunted person haunted house stories.

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Neil

Oct 15, 2026

Atmosphere and mood 10/10. Suspense building was excellent along with the music. Shot impeccably. def a top movie for 2026

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JonatanandAlexa

Oct 14, 2026

This is another example of why Japanese films always deliver! We came into this film expecting a good movie based off previous reviews we had seen but we had no idea of what to expect. From the start of the film to the end we were hooked to the screen with the anticipation of knowing what was to come next. This film is definitely close to being as good as Parasite (2019), and is definitely a must watch.

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Jackson

Oct 14, 2026

This movie is really well made. The acting was great, the scares all got me, and the environment created was intense.

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Christine F

Oct 11, 2026

I liked most everything about this film. I honestly have no complaints. It well written, acted, and shot. The location felt timeless. The story felt like a new interpretation on old ideas.

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Mai

Oct 11, 2026

Unique, creative, fantastic twist on the "'medium in a haunted house" concept. Completely unpredictable. Compelling. Unsettling. I saw this movie on a whim after seeing a trailer on Instagram and bought tickets for the very next day. I had to drive an hour and a half out of my state to see it and got home at almost 1am. I'm so glad I saw this in theaters. It deserves the full theater experience. Completely worth it. I will be watching this every spooky season. I hope there's a DVD release. Phenomenal. Immaculate.

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Dave Boyle

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Never After Dark: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A wandering medium, Airi spends her life guiding restless spirits out of the world of the living. Summoned to an isolated country house, she comes face to face with a grotesque apparition with powers that defy Airi's experience. As she digs deeper into the house's past, a secret comes to light -- and Airi finds herself hunted by a far more unpredictable force. For the first time, her greatest adversary is not the supernatural, but the living.

Director: Dave Boyle
Producer: Dave Boyle, Kento Kaku, Kosuke Tsutsumi
Screenwriter: Dave Boyle
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Signal181
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 25, 2026, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 27, 2026
Box Office (Gross USA): $156.3K
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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