‘They Will Kill You’ Based On A True Story, All About The Creepy Events That Inspired Zazie’s Film

They Will Kill You, originally released on March 27, 2026, has now officially made its OTT debut, and it wastes no time dropping its lead into chaos. The story revolves around Zazie Beetz as ‘Asia Reaves’, an ex-con trying to rebuild her life who takes a housekeeping job inside a Manhattan high-rise known as The Virgil. However, things take a turn when she finds herself trapped in a closed community where people do not stay dead. While the story itself has been addictive, did you know it was inspired by true events?

They Will Kill You is a genre mash-up that was born from a real-life experience

They Will Kill You is the story of a desperate woman who takes on the job as a housekeeper in a very mysterious-looking apartment. However, it’s not long before she realises that she is being targeted by a Satanic cult. While the film itself is gripping, its director, Kirill Sokolov, who co-wrote it with Alex Litvak, revealed to Den of Geek that it’s sort of a true story. He recalled how he and his wife rented an apartment on the 16th floor of a building, only to realise there were only two people in the building under 65. He was quoted as saying:

“I started renovating the kitchen, and behind a cabinet I found a huge hall leading into my neighbour’s apartment. My wife and I started a running joke: ‘We live in the middle of a cult, one night we’ll wake up, and they’ll be around our bed in cloaks and masks, and they’ll sacrifice us’ Then I watched Rosemary’s Baby and realised, ‘Oh my God, I was in that building! I was in that same situation.’ Okay, it wasn’t enough to bring the Antichrist into the world, but that’s how this movie appeared.”

image credit: WarnerBros/YT

How did an apartment experience turn into a script that had everyone hooked?

They Will Kill You shifts through several genres, tones and twists, which is exactly what drew the cast to the project. Zazie Beetz talked about the same and shared that she loved “whipping through this script,” and found the way it was written absolutely incredible. She revealed how she met Kirill via Zoom, whom she called a “bright and exuberant individual that I felt had passion and love for this story”. Patricia Arquette, on the other hand, revealed that she loved Kirill’s Why Don’t You Just Die? and thought he had an interesting voice as a filmmaker, which further excited her about joining the cast.

image credit: WarnerBros/YT

They Will Kill You’s unique vision was what attracted the producers

The story drew the attention of producers like Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti, solely based on the unique vision Kirill had for the film. They revealed that they were surprised by the script and wanted to see the film come to life. They revealed that they eventually talked to Kirill and called him an “atomic bomb of filmmaking”. Andy further lauded Kirill and was quoted as saying:

“The thing that really blew me away was the script. I then confirmed it by watching Why Don’t You Just Die? and then by meeting Kirill. He knows how to manage humour. He has this refined sense of visual sarcasm. Humour comes not from what’s being said, but from what’s being shown. There’s a grotesque slapstick to his work that I align very much with. You can see some of it in the script, but you see all of it in the movie. That’s something I really appreciate and wanted to see on screen.”

image credit: WarnerBros/YT

How did the writers manage to fit constant surprises into They Will Kill You?

Kirill Sokolov explained how he and Alex managed to mix tones into the script of They Will Kill You. He shared that they were sure they were making a horror film, but wanted to play with other genres as well. He revealed that they wanted the audience to be completely surprised by the plot, story, and the emotions they get from it, which is why they wrote the script so that “every 10 minutes, the movie takes a huge 180-degree turn to go in a different direction.” However, that was not their sole focus.

image credit: WarnerBros/YT

Kirill wanted to ensure they had quality collaborators and needed to make sure whoever they picked would be the right fit, as the film was as challenging as it was exciting. He revealed that he needed someone who would understand how easily they could fall out with the audience if the jokes didn’t land as intended. He further added: 

“I believe that if you have good characters on screen, you should hire really shitty people to play them. And, it’s the opposite too, so if you have bastards on screen, you bring in nice people to play them, because they immediately feel the conflict, and it’s like they won’t have to perform. And just our luck, we had to find all really nice people, because everyone’s an asshole in this movie.”

image credit: WarnerBros/YT

They Will Kill You was a quest for truth in the absurd

According to Zazie Beetz, “truth” is the watchword for They Will Kill You, no matter how over-the-top the action gets or how many genres it crosses. Which makes sense, given that the entire thing stems from the true story of a remodel in an apartment building full of elderly residents. 

image credit: WarnerBros/YT

What are your thoughts on the real experience that inspired They Will Kill You? 

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