My quick rating - 5.9/10. Ashley Roland, a wife and mother of five, has been dealing with supernatural disturbances since childhood. When she moves back into her family’s ancestral Brooklyn apartment, the strange events she’s lived with for decades begin to unfold again—but this time, her children are also pulled into the experience. It’s Coming follows Ashley and her family as they attempt to confront the malevolent presence in their home, supported by various paranormal “specialists” along the way.
I’ll admit upfront that I am especially critical of films like this. Having seen a ghost myself—and knowing exactly why it was there—I approach paranormal documentaries with a fair amount of skepticism. One day, I may get around to sharing my own story, but for now, the focus is on this film.
This isn’t a dramatization with CGI shadows and jump-scare sound design. Instead, director Shannon Alexander plays things straight, delivering a documentary-style narration about a family plagued by what they believe is a demon. That decision works in the film’s favor—it doesn’t feel like it’s trying to manipulate the audience with cheap tricks. Unfortunately, that restraint doesn’t apply to everyone involved.
Enter Soledad Haren, the medium who does a walk-through of the house. She never comes across as genuine or authoritative, and her scenes add little more than filler. When It's Coming sticks to the real, unnerving aspects of the haunting—the untraceable foul odor firefighters and maintenance couldn’t explain, or the constant small disturbances like things falling and unexplained banging—it’s much stronger. Paranormal or not, those events would be terrifying in anyone’s home.
But then come the less convincing methods. Using a piece of string to “communicate” with spirits? Too many variables could sway the outcome. And when the drag Hasbro's Ouija board into the mix (yes, the family briefly tries a toy for communication), it’s hard not to laugh. Thankfully, Alexander doesn’t lean on that too heavily. Some of the audio recordings they capture are unsettling, though the explanation that ghosts communicate on a frequency humans can’t hear—but microphones can—doesn’t hold much water scientifically.
Javier, one of the participants, does seem genuine in befriending a spirit named Katie, though scenes with him and mediums unfortunately drag down the credibility. Things really dip when podcasters and paranormal “gadgets” enter the picture. Chris DeFlorio’s segment, in particular, derails the tone, turning what had been a raw portrait of a haunted family into something closer to a low-budget reality show. I mentioned using toys, DeFlorio busts out his Xbox Kinect to track the ghouls. Oddly enough, the haunting doesn’t even stop after their intervention, which at least keeps the film from suggesting that the dog-and-pony show solved anything.
The strongest aspect of It's Coming is that it doesn’t push you to believe, nor does it sensationalize the family’s suffering. Alexander’s direction wisely avoids unnecessary spectacle, presenting the Rolands’ situation plainly and without shock tactics. This flick will likely disappoint you if you’re a fan of flashy paranormal investigation shows. But if you’re genuinely curious about what a “real” haunting might look like when stripped of Hollywood gloss, this documentary is worth a watch.
And finally, a thank-you to Shannon Alexander for getting in touch and allowing me to check this one out.
https://jackmeat.com/its-coming-2023/
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