Whether or not you believe in the spiritual realm, I think we can all agree that whatever process happens after we die, we don’t quite understand. There’s an old adage saying that magic is just science we haven’t learned yet. And I think that can be applied to a lot of things, including hauntings. Most people will probably never have a paranormal experience in their life. Some are plagued by them, having generations of issues that never go away, no matter the fix. It’s Coming is the true story of one of these family-bound hauntings.
Ashley Roland, a wife and mother of 5, has been beset by supernatural entities since the age of 11. After returning to her family’s ancestral Brooklyn apartment, she begins to witness strange events in her home and learns that her children are now experiencing the same. As the paranormal encounters begin to escalate, Ashley attempts to rid her house of malevolent spirits along with specialists in the field.
It’s Coming
One of the safest places you can be is your own home. The Rolands don’t even have that. Visions of a likely benevolent shadow entity named “Max” are one thing, but when other ill-intended spirits invade your space as they have the Roland’s apartment, it becomes more of a problem. A camera crew documents their stories from Ashley’s childhood experiences with Max, to her children’s current exposure to unseen beings that appear in dark corners, aggravate fire alarms with unholy smells, and become violent when talked about to outsiders. All caught on camera, recordings of previously-unheard sounds and unexplained chaos brings the Rolands to seek help via mediums and the Church.
It’s Coming has an unexpected level of world-building as tension grows stronger in the house. Ashley recounts frightening events that have seemingly been passed down to her children. Vivid descriptions from the kids — without corresponding animations — leave you to configure your own nightmare from your imagination. At first, you might be tempted to not believe this family, but the camera doesn’t lie. There is something going on inside this house. These occurrences pale in comparison to the scratches Ashley suffers, as well as the personality changes in her children.
It’s Coming blends the unknown with reality, making you rethink what you see with your own eyes. While these events are questionable to some (I must admit, I thought this might be a case of kids conflating stories they’ve heard told to them), the doubt is lessened when multiple people and professionals (i.e., city workers and firefighters) outside of the family sphere attest to the strange occurrences. Just looking at Ashley’s demeanor throughout the documentary confirms she is used to the antics, growing more afraid and beaten down the more she seeks help, almost as if at wits’ end trying to keep her children safe. Two separate occasions of ridding the home of the unwanted presence were needed to give the family some peace.
By the end of It’s Coming, we’re left in the same boat as the Rolands. We have seen things happen with our own eyes and heard them recorded for posterity. It seems the cleansing rituals have worked for the time being. But considering the amount of unanswered questions — Why did this all start? What was the purpose of the haunting? Can that portal to evil be opened again? — we can only hope for the best. It’s Coming takes the Hollywood version of demons and spirits and sheds a truthful light onto it. This is what it really looks like to have something attached to your soul. This is what darkness looks like. When something tells you it’s coming, believe it.
It’s Coming debuted at Hot Docs (Nightvision) in 2023. Still a non-believer? See for yourself on Amazon.
