Human Review: A Night Alone on Her Phone Becomes a Blood-Soaked Supernatural Nightmare

Most horror films begin with a warning sign. Human begins with a phone. A tired woman alone at night picks up her phone, scrolls through her messages, and looks for a little distraction before going to sleep. It’s about as normal as an opening can get, and it’s exactly why what follows is so unsettling.

Directed by Matt Stuertz and written by David Neiss, Human played at FrightFest and Obscura Film Fest, where it earned a reputation as a wild, messy, and often disgusting horror ride. Dark Sky Films releases it on October 23, 2026, in select theaters and on VOD and digital platforms. The film runs 107 minutes.

The Story: One Night, One Phone, and a Knock at the Door

Dani Ferris, played by Jackie Kelly, is a production worker spending the night alone inside a film studio. She’s far from home, completely exhausted, and not in the mood for anything more than a quiet evening. So she does what a lot of people do when they can’t sleep. She goes online. She flirts through texts, trades photos, reconnects with an old flame, and makes plans with her best friend.

Then the night turns strange. Someone starts knocking at her door, and it won’t stop. Nobody knows who it is or what they want, and Dani doesn’t know whether to answer. As the mystery builds, the film shifts from a tense, realistic thriller into something stranger and far more violent. The official synopsis promises a night packed with friends, lovers, enemies, little guns, bigger guns, and “things a hell of a lot more super than natural.” By the time the sun comes up, everything Dani thought she knew about the night has changed.

The setup works because the film treats Dani’s phone life seriously. The film lingers on each text, each hesitation before she hits send, and each buzz of a notification, and somehow it’s gripping. In the opening stretch, you’re not just watching her. You’re reading over her shoulder, and that gives the film a voyeuristic charge that makes the later horror hit harder.

Jackie Kelly Carries the Film

Almost the entire movie rests on Kelly, and she’s a major reason it works. The role takes her from playful flirting to terror, physical struggle, and finally full-blown panic, and Kelly moves between those moods with confidence, and she keeps Dani relatable even as the situation becomes absurd. When she reacts to threats she can’t see, the audience reacts with her. That’s not easy in a film where much of the action depends on one person alone in a space.

The supporting cast, which includes Brock Russell, Cecily Dowd, Jeffrey Decker, and Mia Sydney, gets less attention, because the story stays so tightly focused on Dani. But Kelly gives the film an emotional anchor, and without her, the wilder moments could easily fly apart.

Gore, Humor, and a Wild Tonal Swing

The biggest surprise is how far the film is willing to go. After a patient, grounded beginning, it takes a hard turn into the supernatural, and from there it turns into a bizarre mix of horror, dark comedy, surrealism, and gore. The practical effects are a highlight. Blood sprays, wounds split open, and bodily fluids become a running gag, with some effects that balance disgust and laughter in a way that few horror films dare. If you want a film that tries hard to gross out its audience, this one delivers.

The craftsmanship is better than you might expect from such a chaotic movie. The cinematography and lighting stay strong from start to finish, and the editing is quick and energetic. Joseph Holiday’s synth-heavy score gives the film a retro, electronic mood. Even at its craziest, you can feel a director who knows exactly what he’s doing behind the camera.

Where It Overstays Its Welcome

The film’s biggest problem is momentum. For the first half, it uses mystery well. It holds back answers, keeps you guessing, and makes the unknown scary. But as the story escalates, the pace starts to wear down. The final act keeps piling on blood, noise, and weirdness long after the audience has seen where things are headed, and the emotional core gets lost in the mess.

The tone is another challenge. Some of the humor lands, but other jokes interrupt the tension the film has worked to build. The fixation on bodily functions sometimes feels more immature than inventive. And the early, grounded scenes are so effective that some viewers may wish the film had stayed closer to reality a little longer. At 107 minutes, the film would likely have been stronger with a tighter final stretch.

The Verdict

Human is an ambitious, creative, and frequently disturbing horror film with a standout lead performance from Jackie Kelly. It loses some of its focus as the madness escalates, but it never becomes boring, and its willingness to take big risks makes it stand out in a crowded October. If you like your horror weird, bloody, and unpredictable, it’s worth seeking out.

Rating: 3.5/5

Watch the Trailer

Quick Facts

• Title: Human
• Director: Matt Stuertz
• Writer: David Neiss
• Genre: Supernatural Horror, Dark Comedy
• Runtime: 1h 47m (107 minutes)
• Starring: Jackie Kelly, Brock Russell, Cecily Dowd, Jeffrey Decker, Mia Sydney
• Producers: Matt Stuertz, David Christopher Pitt
• Music: Joseph Holiday
• Festivals: FrightFest, Obscura Film Fest
• Distributor: Dark Sky Films
• Release date: October 23, 2026 (select theaters and VOD/digital)

Where to Watch

Human opens in select US theaters and on VOD and digital platforms on October 23, 2026, through Dark Sky Films.

Have you seen “Human”? Share your thoughts in the comments below.