Review: "It's Coming"

The subject of the paranormal, being able see ghosts, and similar encounters from the beyond tend to be dismissed as hoaxes or mental illness. A new documentary called It’s Coming may help change that stigma. Director Shannon Alexander brings the story of Ashley Roland-White, a day-trader and mom of five who has been haunted by malevolent spirits since she was eleven. Fear of being considered unstable or accused of making things up has kept Ashley from talking to anyone except her closest family members about the subject. When her children started talking about seeing spirits, Ashley decided to make her supernatural experiences public in the hopes of ridding the spirits from her life and protecting her children.

In the world of found footage and reality TV, it would be easy to say this documentary is fictional. Alexander manages to present this story through a sympathetic and understanding lens. Through interviews with Ashely and her children, we get a sense of authenticity from the family who genuinely believe they are haunted. Further solidifying that there is something truly supernatural going on with the family, there are moments during filming that are unexplained. A boom mic lunging at Ashley, odd behaviors of the electronics the filmmakers are using, and even the appearance of something on a piece of detection equipment. The creepiness of the situation really comes through when the children are interviewed. Javier is the seven year old who seems to have the strongest connection to the main entity. His matter of fact descriptions of the existence of “Mr. Kitty” when he talks about it feels like more than just a kid's imagination.  All of the children mention their experiences with honesty.  Everyone believes what they are seeing.

A number of expert mediums are brought in during the investigation to try and help the family. These people are also presented with seriousness. Whether it is a medium who tries to do a cleansing but appears to have failed to a psychic who helps Ashley communicate with the spirits to the Christian couple who bring in equipment to detect the entities. The same couple also try to help cleanse the home through the power of faith. No hidden agenda or statement about the legitimacy is made about any of these individuals. The audience are just observers of this sliver of his family’s life.

It’s Coming is not necessarily trying to change the audience’s mind that the paranormal exists so much as show how much this family believes in it. How this belief in the haunting has continued to affect their personal lives and what they do to still try to lead normal lives. There is a constant creepy atmosphere given to everything thanks to the sharp editing that keeps the story compelling. If you are into the paranormal or looking for a decent horror themed documentary, you will want to check out It’s Coming.  

It’s Coming comes to digital in the US November 8, 2024 and everywhere November 11, 2024. ​