10 Horror Movies That Don't Start As Horror Movies
5. Companion
Despite Companion letting the audience know in its very first scene that protagonist Iris (Sophie Thatcher) will kill her partner Josh (Jack Quaid) by the end, the opening 25 minutes are almost entirely about character work, as we're introduced to all the principal players at their isolated lake house retreat.
It isn't until Iris stabs Sergey (Rupert Friend) to death in self-defence and she's then revealed to be an android companion, that the film really leans into its horror elements at all.
Prior to that things do feel a tad off, for sure, but if you haven't seen the trailers and don't know Iris' big secret, then it certainly seems to be far more of a dark comedy/mystery thriller. The early scenes of Iris and Josh driving to the lake house and meeting up with his friends are a million miles away from the blood-soaked mayhem of Companion's latter two acts, and it's easy to get sucked into that initial hangout vibe.