I’ve always been a huge fan of horror movies that take simple premises and add unique twists to make them more compelling and terrifying. Some of my favorite horror movies of 2025 have done this, from the enthralling presentation of It Feeds to the unorthodox storyline in Best Wishes to All. Adding to these unique approaches to terrifying stories, we have Push, written and directed by David Charbonier and Justin Powell.

The movie begins with a real estate agent named Natalie (Alicia Sanz) hosting an open house for a large mansion with a past that’s made it tricky to sell. She’s also dealing with her own demons, on top of being eight months pregnant. As the open house nears its end, Natalie becomes trapped in the house as a determined killer (Raúl Castillo) begins chasing her. It doesn’t take long before she goes into labor, the stress of the situation heightening. And, for a time, I was entranced by just how nail-biting this uniquely crafted horror movie was.

Push’s Biggest Strength Is The Buildup To Its Terrifying Premise

When The Payoff Arrives, The Time Spent Building Is More Than Justified

What makes Push so engaging at first is how well the movie spends its time building up to its more intense moments. While other home invasion movies often begin where the scares start, this film allows some breathing room to understand Natalie before her world is turned upside down. It helps that Charbonier and Powell’s writing is compelling, showcasing how much she’s struggling with clarity and simplicity. As more small events build into the larger premise of the movie, her situation becomes more sympathetic and, thereby, scary.

It’s elevated by a captivating lead performance from Sanz, whose terror when events start ramping up feels very realistic. Castillo’s character is somewhat generic in contrast, but the pair craft a compelling dynamic that fulfills everything the movie’s premise promised. It’s made all the more intense once Natalie actually goes into labor, with the consequences adding an even brighter dramatic flair to the story as it unfolds. It’s complimented by a script that, while foreshadowing in some blatant ways at times, makes every aspect of the movie feel central to how things play out.

The initial payoff is, undeniably, the strongest stretch of this movie. The house’s isolated location, Sanz’s incapacity due to her ongoing labor, and Castillo’s killer growing even more persistent as the film progresses bolsters an already terrifying premise to new heights. I especially liked how the movie creatively utilized the house’s structure to its advantage, the sheer size and scope of the location being a key part of the presentation. It wrapped everything into a tidy, compelling idea that only continued to excel as the tension built with each harrowing moment.

Despite Its Compelling Premise, Push Falters Where It Should Hit Its Stride

The Horror Movie Has Its Terrors Disappointingly Dampened

Unfortunately, these tense moments that make expert use of Push‘s premise don’t consтιтute the entire movie. After a certain point, the film loses sight of what makes its premise so unique. While it maintains its central themes and ideas, especially surrounding how Natalie progresses as a character, the promising qualities of the first two acts slowly start to evaporate as it begins wrapping up. This is especially apparent after a scene that feels almost masterfully conclusive, only to reveal there’s still nearly a half hour of movie left.

While the horror movie’s creative premise is still a focal attribute of the film, it slowly starts to blur as the movie attempts to one-up its simple, effective ideas. This, in turn, makes the last part of the film feel like a shoddy afterthought, especially given how strong the rest of the movie had been up to that point. While it still allows its two leads to showcase their talent, the writing just doesn’t have the same horrifying factors it does when the movie’s in the throes of its most intense sequences.

Although I really enjoyed most of Push for adding another unique horror movie premise to 2025’s releases, the film failed to stick the landing by the end. While it doesn’t invalidate what came before, it does make for a somewhat soured experience because of just how well-crafted everything leading up to the final stretch was. Even so, the initial ideas that make the movie so much stronger do elevate the disappointing approach to its finale, even if it doesn’t stay that way for the entirety of the runtime.

Push arrives Friday, July 11 on Shudder.