Jackals (2017)

Jackals is the kind of lean, mean siege thriller that doesn’t waste time getting its claws in: an ’80s-set nightmare where family wounds and cult paranoia fuse into one long, tightening vice. Director Kevin Greutert stages the cabin-in-the-woods scenario with crisp, muscular tension, letting the silence outside feel as threatening as the violence that erupts, and giving the actors room to sell the desperation beneath the genre mechanics. It’s grim and occasionally devastating, but that human edge is what makes the jolts land harder—you’re not just watching bodies in danger, you’re watching a family trying to pull itself back from the brink. Fair warning: the gore is severe and the tone is relentlessly dark, so it’s best for horror fans who like their thrills sharp, mean, and emotionally bruising.

Jackals wants to be a grimy ’80s throwback: a cult-deprogramming drama that turns into a tense cabin siege, with masks, silence, and escalating brutality doing the heavy lifting. The problem is it rarely feels like it’s bringing anything new to the home-invasion/cult playbook, so the shocks can land as loud rather than genuinely suspenseful, and the characters often feel like pieces being moved into the next nasty beat. It’s also pretty bleak and mean-spirited, the kind of movie that seems more interested in punishing its cast than exploring the family trauma it sets up, which can leave you feeling empty instead of thrilled. If you’re in it for harsh gore, a relentless tone, and a straightforward siege setup, it delivers some crunchy effects and a committed, gritty vibe—but if you want originality, emotional payoff, or a smarter cult story, this probably isn’t worth your time.