Genre: Thriller
Director: David Robert Mitchell
Writer: John Malone
Based on the 1974 film by Bob Clark
Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Kyle Chandler, Diane Lane, David Morse, Norbert Leo Butz, Ellie Bamber, Angourie Rice, KJ Apa, Will Poulter
Plot: A blackhawk helicopter is shot down by an enemy RPG over the mountains of Afghanistan. Andy Woodward (Alden Ehrenreich) crawls out of the wreckage. He pulls out the only other two survivors. One of them, Lewis Nevins (Will Poulter), helps him carry the other more wounded survivor away from the crash site. Suddenly the wounded soldier's head is blown off by enemy sniper fire. Andy pulls Nevins into a nearby cave and radios for an airstrike to take out the sniper and RPG. Inside the cave, they find a room entirely filled with corpses. They hear noises coming from the darkness. Footsteps get closer. Andy stabs a figure in the skull, only to find out it is a young boy. Shots are fired in the darkness of the cave. Andy dives for cover, but Lewis is shot in the head. Voices begin to surround Andy. He returns fire, but eventually runs out of ammo. He lights a flare and lunges toward the enemies with just his knife. Andy emerges from the cave, completely drenched in blood, and collapses.
In the smalltown Youngtown, Indiana, USA, Andy's parents Edgar (Kyle Chandler) and Carol (Diane Lane), and Andy's sister Heather (Angourie Rice) are eating dinner in the dining room when they here the doorbell ring. Two military men regretfully inform the Woodward family that Andy has been killed in combat. Carol completely breaks down crying as Edgar holds her. In the middle of the night, Carol prays to God to bring Andy back home to her.
A soldier in full military dress garb walks down Main Street in Youngtown. He walks past town hall and past the high school, where Danielle (Ellie Bamber) recognizes the soldier as her boyfriend Andy. Edgar and Carol go out in front of their house and see Andy standing across the street looking at the house. Carol runs straight toward, almost getting hit by a car containing Danielle driven by her classmate Rich (K.J. Apa) that comes sliding to a stop in front of the house. Danielle runs over to Andy. Edgar and Heather stand in front of the house in disbelief. Andy doesn't say anything, but sheds a tear. Edgar gives his son a hug as a drop of blood drips down from Andy's nose.
News of Andy's return has spread throughout the town. Friends and neighbors fill the living room of the Woodward home. The town mayor wants to throw a parade. While everyone else is inside, Andy sits on the front porch with Heather. Andy spots the next door neighbor, Gerald (David Morse), watching them through a window.
Sheriff Brighton (Norbert Leo Butz) investigates the murder of a truck driver at a local rest area. The trucker was killed with a hunting knife. He receives word that a waitress at a local diner reported that the trucker mentioned a hitchhiker shortly before he was killed.
Carol has cooked Andy's favorite meal, pork chops and mashed potatoes, for dinner. Andy takes a bite, but eventually pulls the half-chewed pork chop out of his throat. That night, Edgar goes up to Andy's room to talk to him. He finds Andy sitting in a rocking chair with the lights off. Edgar tells his son that he is glad he's home and that he was worried every day he was gone. Edgar then notices that Andy is gripping the arms of the chair so hard that the wood is beginning to splinter. Edgar backs out of the room.
Edgar, Carol and Andy are sitting on the front porch when their neighbor Gerald comes over and asks Edgar if he'd like a beer. Edgar goes next door to Gerald's house. Edgar tells Gerald about how the Army thought Andy was dead, that his whole unit was blown to pieces. Gerald tells Edgar that the Army should have contacted them and told them what to expect when Andy came back. Gerald, a war veteran himself, gives Edgar tips on how to not disturb Andy: be quiet, don't touch him, so on and so forth. Edgar is offended by the conversation and leaves.
Meanwhile, a group of neighborhood kids and their dog start asking Andy questions about the war. One of the kids makes finger guns at Andy, and Andy snatches the kid by the wrist. The dog lunges at Andy, who grabs the dog by the neck. Andy starts twisting the dog's neck until it snaps. Gerald steps outside and watches. Edgar runs for Andy, who finally drops the now lifeless dog. Andy goes inside with Edgar following right behind him. Edgar calls for Andy to stop, but he doesn't. Edgar puts a hand on Andy's shoulder. Andy swings around, violently pushing his father down the stairs. Carol appears in the doorway. She tells Edgar to leave Andy alone.
That night, Andy goes to the cemetery. He heads to the veterans' section and finds his own gracestone. He grabs it and tries to pull it from the ground, but it won't budge. He tries harder, and harder, and then his right arm splits open under the strain. There's a sudden pop, and the other arm rips out of its socket. his right arm then snaps in half. He screams and falls to the ground. When he stands back up his arms are intact.
Andy stands in the woods next to Danielle's house. Rich's car pulls up in front of the house. Rich knocks on the door and Danielle lets him in. Andy watches them argue through the window for a moment, but then they get naked and have sex. Andy disappears into the woods. Later, Rich goes home. When he enters his house he is attacked and thrown through a window. He is then stabbed several times in the chest.
Sheriff Brighton interviews a waitress at the diner the trucker went to before he was murdered. The waitress said the hitchhiker who was with him was a soldier. On his way back to the station, Brighton sees a large photo of Andy in his uniform and a banner that reads "Welcome Home!" from the preparation of the parade the mayor has decided to throw.
At school, Heather asks Danielle to not tell Andy about her relationship with Rich. Later, at the Woodward home, Danielle knocks at the front door. Andy slowly walks to the door and opens it. They head out to the lake where they sit on a blanket by the edge of the water. She says he looks tired, and Andy tells her that he can't sleep. She notices the promise ring she gave him before she shipped out still on his finger.
That night, Edgar wakes up from a nightmare. He goes downstairs and into the kitchen and gets a drink of water. Just as he's about to go back upstairs, he notices Andy sitting in the dark. Edgar goes next door to Gerald's house. Gerald tells Edgar how soldiers have to create an inner "Beast" if they wanted to survive, and that every soldier still has it inside of them. Gerald explains that's what Edgar sees in Andy. Edgar and Gerald head back to the Woodward home to find Carol standing at the front door. Edgar walks up the front steps, but Carol blocks Gerald from entering. Gerald walks around her and follows Edgar. The chair Andy had been sitting in is now empty. Edgar abd Gerald find Andy upstairs in his room. Gerald and Andy stare each other down. After a while, Gerald leaves, telling Edgar that he can't help Andy.
The next day at the parade Andy poses with the mayor for pictures for the newspaper. The mayor then brings Andy up on-stage and gives a speech about how Andy is a hero and asks him to say a few words for the crowd. When Andy does speak, he tells the crowd about how another young soldier from town was tortured to death to the audiences' shock.
Sheriff Brighton stops by the Woodward home and asks Carol if Andy is home. She immediately asks him if he was a warrant. Carol refuses to get Andy and tells Brighton he can't talk to Andy without one. Just as the sheriff is about to leave, Edgar invites him in. Brighton asks Edgar if anyone knows hoe Andy arrived back in town. Edgar quickly realizes the sheriff is asking because of the trucker's murder. Edgar goes upstairs to get Andy, but finds his room empty.
Gerald is pouring himself a drink when a hears a creak come from upstairs. He pulls out a gun and slides a hunting knife into his belt. He slowly heads up the stairs. Gerald warns Andy that he shouldn't have come back. Gerald searches the upstairs for Andy, who appears behind Gerald and wraps his hands around Gerald's neck. They hit the ground and the gun flies across the room. The two have a brutal fight. Eventually Gerald is able to throw Andy down the stairs, and crushes him against a wall. Andy hits Gerald in the windpipe, but Gerald has managed to stab Andy in through the shoulder, pinning him to the wall behind him. Andy frees himself from the wall and keeps going after Gerald. They completely destroy the living room as they fight. Andy rips Gerald's ear off. Gerald bites Andy in the neck. Andy pulls the knife out of his shoulder and slashes Gerald with it, cutting off some of Gerald's fingers. Andy keeps slashing until Gerald is on the ground in a pool of his own blood. They begin strangling each other. Gerald realizes that Andy isn't breathing, and is seemingly not affected. Andy pulls on Gerald's head, like he's trying to rip it off of his torso. There's a horrible snap and Andy lets go, dropping Gerald's dead body to the floor.
Edgar tells Carol that he is going to see Sheriff Brighton to tell him how Andy has been acting since he got back. Carol slaps him across the face. Danielle arrives and talks to Heather about how Rich has gone missing and his parent's house was robbed. At the police station Edgar tells Sheriff Brighton that Andy said he flew back home with another soldier and could provide a description if need be. When Edgar leaves, Brighton asks his deputy to call the judge to get a warrant right away.
Heather and Danielle go to a party. Heather gets into an argument with a classmate when he says Andy came back crazy. Suddenly, Andy shows up at the party. He has recently shaved his head, displaying a tattoo on the back of his head of hairless human head. Everybody just stares at him.
Edgar comes home and Carol immediately demands to know what he told the sheriff. He tells her that he lied to the sheriff. They get into a fight because Carol refuses to accept that Andy probably killed the trucker. He starts packing a bag. Carol tells Edgar that Andy and Heather are at a party. Edgar tells her to pack bags for everyone and that he'll be back soon. He grabs a gun and leaves, but Carol insists on coming along. They speed down the road toward the party, followed by a police car.
At the party, Danielle gives Andy back his promise ring. Blood starts coming out from Andy's eyes. He starts strangling her. She starts gripping at his arms to break free, but his skin suddenly slides up his arm like a sleeve, revealing bloody muscle and sinew underneath. She pushes his head to the side. He moves his head back, but the skin stays where it is like a mask. Other party guests notice the commotion and yell for Andy to stop. He throws Danielle aside and stares at them, pulling the skin on his face back where it belongs.
Edgar and Carol arrive at the party. Edgar gets out of the car with his gun, telling Carol to stay in the car. Edgar heads into the house and the first thing he sees is blood all over the floor and walls. Andy is in the process of beating one of the partiers to a bloody pulp. Andy notices his father and stops. Edgar raises the gun at him. Andy starts moving toward his father, and Edgar fires, shooting Andy in the neck. Andy stands there confused by the hole in his neck. Heather and Danielle scream. Sheriff Brighton enters the house and tells Edgar to put the gun down. Andy begins coughing up blood, but starts moving toward the sheriff. The sheriff and his deputy start shooting at Andy, who runs away. The sheriff and his deputy chase after him. They search the outside for Andy. Edgar raises the gun to his own temple and pulls the trigger.
Andy stumbles out to his parents' car. Carol helps him inside the car and speeds off. He tells her to take him into town and to the cemetery. As soon as the car stops, Andy stumbles out. The police cars stop at the entrance. Andy stumbles through the graveyard with Carol following behind him, pleading with him to stop. Andy hits his leg on a gravestone, snapping his leg at a horrific angle. Andy is forced to drag himself along the ground, pulling himself toward his own grave. Andy's body finally gives out once he reaches his destination, and he dies. The police surround his body as Carol holds her dead son.
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