No One Gets Out Alive (2021) Review – A Generic Haunting with a Social Twist
No One Gets Out Alive: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: A technically proficient but narratively stagnant haunting that finds its only real strength in its gritty exploration of the illegal immigrant experience. No One Gets Out Alive (2021) succeeds when it functions as a bleak social drama, anchored by a powerful and emotive lead performance from Cristina Rodlo. However, the film frequently flounders when it leans into traditional horror tropes, offering up a series of predictable scares and cookie-cutter ghost sightings that feel entirely at odds with the grounded realism of the first act. While the final twist provides a visceral change of pace, the impact is severely undermined by some genuinely laughable CGI that breaks the immersion of its high-budget aesthetic. This 2.5 star effort is a middle-of-the-road affair that whispers at a deeper significance it never quite has the courage to fully explore. It is a solid, albeit generic, watch for those with a high tolerance for average horror. It is a stylish, but flawed, nightmare.
Details: Director: Santiago Menghini | Cast: Cristina Rodlo, Marc Menchaca, David Figlioli | Runtime: 1h 27m | Release Date: 2021
Best for: Fans of gritty social thrillers, viewers who enjoy high-production-value Netflix originals, and those looking for a short, atmospheric horror fix.
Worth noting: The film is based on the 2014 novel by Adam Nevill, who also wrote the source material for the critically acclaimed Netflix horror The Ritual.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
(A masterfully acted but narratively thin social horror that utilizes the immigrant experience as a fresh hook for an otherwise generic and predictable haunted house story.)
Welcome to Knockout Horror and to our review of Netflix movie No One Gets Out Alive from 2021.
Table of Contents
Haunted house horror… kind of
Before we start, No One Gets Out Alive has a pretty straightforward ending. There are a few things there that might need a little explaining, though. With this in mind, we have attempted to do just that in our No One Gets Out Alive Ending Explained article.
“The predicament of the main character, Ambar, is the only thing setting No One Gets Out Alive apart. You don’t see the illegal immigrant experience presented as a theme in horror all that often.”
No One Gets Out Alive is a haunted house horror movie with a twist. Directed by Santiago Menghini and based on a novel by British author Adam Nevill (The Ritual). It follows the story of Ambar (Cristina Rodlo). Ambar is a Mexican woman who has illegally entered Cleveland, Ohio in pursuit of the American dream. Ambar manages to find some accommodation in an old converted house run by a man called Red (Marc Menchaca). Little does she realise, she has entered a world where women mysteriously disappear and the reasons are far closer to home than she could have imagined.
For the most part, this is standard haunted house fare. It’s going to offer up a little twist later on though, to mix things up. Ambar, on her quest to obtain false identification documents so she can take a job with her uncle’s firm, suffers a number of setbacks. These lead to her becoming increasingly depressed and isolated. Added to this is the ever present grief from losing her mother.
Stuck at home in the wee hours of the morning, she begins to notice strange happenings in her new home. Ambar spots things out of the corner of her eye, experiences unsettling events, and hears unusual noises. Are the things she is seeing a result of her mental state or something more sinister? You know the formula here. It’s all very rote and par-for-the-course but likely satisfying to an audience that enjoys haunted house horror.
Pretty cookie cutter
The protagonist is the only thing setting No One Gets Out Alive apart from similar haunted house movies. On that basis, it may justify a watch. You really don’t see the illegal immigrant experience presented as theme in horror all that often. As far as lesser seen perspectives go, this one is up there.
I actually found myself more interested in Ambar’s struggles to fit in in a brutal world, along with having to deal with all the difficulties that come with being a female illegal immigrant, than what was happening in the house. Strangely enough, I would have preferred the horror element to be pushed to the side. This is a rare case where Ambar’s journey would have made for a better drama. Being an illegal immigrant in poverty-stricken parts of Cleveland is horrifying enough.
“The drama element is well constructed and very well acted. Cristina Rodlo is more than capable of carrying the bulk of the movie and conveys emotion through many silent scenes.”
The drama element of No One Gets Out Alive is well constructed and very well acted. Cristina Rodlo is more than capable of carrying the bulk of the movie. She does a decent job of conveying emotion through many scenes that feature no character interactions or dialogue. It is easy to become invested in her struggles and you genuinely want to see what will happen next.
And then the horror takes over
Unfortunately, a predictable horror element takes centre stage for much of the movie, diluting what is an otherwise interesting plot. Any horror fan will find themselves predicting what will happen scene by scene. Almost as if they were in the room when the movie was filmed and that isn’t a good thing. Take away the main character’s background and struggles and what you have left is a young woman living in a scary old house with a questionable landlord, some nutty housemates, and some random ghost sightings.
“Take away the main character’s struggles and what you have left is a young woman in a scary old house with a questionable landlord and some random ghost sightings.”
Things do ratchet up a bit towards the last 20 minutes although not in a particularly significant way. It’s worth mentioning that No One Gets Out Alive seems to really indulge in its violence towards women. This is nothing new with horror but it seems a bit extra here. The end scene leaves you wondering why the violence was directed purely to women. On top of that, there is at least one scene that felt a bit needless and pointless to the plot.
On the plus side, the movie is really well filmed. It looks fantastic for the most part, feeling fairly high budget despite its limited filming locations and lesser known cast. There is an overabundance of green tinting everything on screen but camera work is always top notch. This makes it all the more jarring when we are assaulted with horrendous CG towards the end of the movie. Holy shit we laughed hard. I really wish producers would find another way to do things rather than using CG. It looks awful in high budget Marvel movies. In low budget horror it looks pathetic.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- Cristina Rodlo: Delivers a nuanced and visceral performance that makes the protagonist’s survival struggle far more engaging than the actual haunting.
- Atmospheric Cinematography: The film looks fantastic, with high-quality camera work that effectively captures the oppressive grime of the setting.
- Unique Social Context: Using the plight of an illegal immigrant as a narrative engine provides a fresh and necessary perspective rarely seen in the genre.
The Bad
- Generic Scares: The supernatural elements are entirely predictable, relying on “blink and you’ll miss it” ghosts and rote jumps that any fan will see coming.
- Horrendous CGI: The creature effects in the final act are so poor they move the film from tension into unintentional comedy.
- Gratuitous Violence: The film seems to dwell excessively on violence toward women, occasionally feeling needlessly mean-spirited for the sake of shock value.
The Ugly: The “Box” Monster. A potentially terrifying ancient entity that is completely undermined by low-rent digital effects that wouldn’t look out of place on a PS2.
Should You Watch No One Gets Out Alive?
Yes, if you enjoy well-produced but standard Netflix horror. It is a 2.5 star film that works best when it’s exploring Ambar’s struggle for identity and documents. If you go in expecting a groundbreaking twist on the genre, you will likely be disappointed by the formulaic hauntings. However, the short runtime and strong lead performance make it a decent way to kill an evening. It’s an intelligent, technical curiosity that fails to escape the shadows of its own cliches.
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Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.
A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.
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