Fear the Night has an exciting premise and finds a competent lead in the ever-dependable Maggie Q, who delivers both heart and action in this home invasion thriller. But the film just has too many loose ends to be taken seriously. The attackers’ motivations, when the film finally reveals them, are plain silly and render the entire thing limp. The attempt at gender commentary is equally flimsy, and so is every other bid to be believable. In the wake of a shootout, for instance, you can clearly see the actress breathing peacefully after being supposedly dead. Moments like this make the film more funny than frightening, and much more tiresome than any slasher should be. 

While it’s not the most elaborately choreographed thriller out there, Fear the Night proves that Q still has the chops to be one of the biggest action stars out there. Not that we need more convincing, but it is notable how overshadowed she’s been in the recent wave of Hollywood comebacks, which has graced actors like Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeoh but has yet to give Q her due. It’s coming soon, I’m sure, but Fear the Night won’t be her way in.