Netflix's Insane Thriller Is a Sinister Cat-and-Mouse Game You Can't Look Away From

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Hugh Bonneville as Judge Hector Blake & Franc Ashman as Detective Ella Lloyd standing together in I Came By

Published May 24, 2026, 11:34 PM EDT

Jasneet Singh is a writer who finally has a platform to indulge in long rants about small moments on TV and film in overwhelming detail. With a literature background, she is drawn to the narrative aspect of cinema and will happily rave about her favorite characters. She is also waiting for the Ranger's Apprentice novels to be adapted... but the cycle of hope and disappointment every two years is getting too painful to bear.

Though Netflix has been churning out hit-or-miss thrillers over recent years, it delivered a particularly deadly cat-and-mouse chase in 2022. Except here, there are three different rugrat tabbies and a suit-donned mouse with secrets hidden in its basement. Director Babak Anvari follows up his raw Under the Shadows and jarring Wounds with a tense and unpredictable piece that keeps us gripping the edge of our seats. I Came By succeeds in its measured portrayal of a serial killer, cruising in the wake of Hugh Bonneville's stately grandeur and ominous twists as a well-respected judge, Hector Blake. While the film begins as a typical scurry into the theme of "not knowing what happens behind closed doors," it quickly turns its heel into a more interesting and thrilling social commentary on how powerful people can get away with anything.

'I Came By' Quickly Becomes Unpredictable

I Came By opens up in Toby's (George MacKay, known for his role in 1917) POV, a socially conscious graffiti artist who leaves his tag of "I Came By" in the houses of the elite. We can deduce that the reason for doing so is to make the residents feel like they are still vulnerable to the socioeconomic environment outside, and thus, the private location of these tags becomes ironically notorious in the newspapers. We spend some time watching Toby try to convince his partner, Jay (Percelle Ascott), to do one last mission together, with the target being Hector Blake, a judge renowned for his charitable work with immigrants but condemned by Toby for owning illegal ivory antiques. However, as a soon-to-be father, Jay is trying to clean up his act and refuses (he also believes owning ivory isn't a despicable enough of an act for him to potentially endanger his life), leaving Toby to creep into Hector's mansion alone, only to discover a terrible secret in the basement.

At this point in the film, we are lulled into a familiar rhythm, probably recognizing the hints that led us to the outrageous plot twist of Don't Breathe. As such, we immediately recognize Hector as someone we wouldn't want to mess with, but we aren't prepared for the first act twist. With Toby squarely placed in the forefront as the main character, we gradually empathize with his crusade for (sometimes petty) social injustice and identify with his contentious relationship with his mother, Lizzie (Kelly MacDonald). So, when he finds a bound and bruised prisoner in Blake's basement and returns to the house on another night to free him, we wonder how we are not even halfway through the film. I Came By quickly upends any expectations we had for the film, immediately ending Toby's life with a solid blow to the back of his head. The story continues to twist and turn, diving into unanticipated places and being merciless about who survives and who doesn't, leaving Hector looming over it all with a murderous gleam in his charitable eyes.

The Realism in 'I Came By' Creates a Tense Atmosphere

Hugh Bonneville as Judge Hector Blake standing by an open door in I Came By

Though the plot itself is not necessarily believable, there are undercurrents of chilling realism that become striking and effective. Between the pockets of calculating and succinct violence are slower-paced and almost mundane sequences of the reactions of loved ones. As soon as Toby disappears, Lizzie contacts Jay in hopes of discovering his whereabouts, only to resort to visiting the police station. The underrated MacDonald delivers a heartfelt and desperate performance here; her frustration about not being taken seriously and her concern for her son resonate with us. Though she and Toby have a typical teenage-mother relationship, there is still something troubling about watching Lizzie find secret compartments in her son's drawers, wondering if she ever knew him at all.

Once she does reach the police station, though the acts themselves aren't particularly realistic, we are met with a timeless story of the public feeling failed by the law. There is a well-worn display of initial police indifference, as Lizzie's complaints are dutifully filed, but she is immediately dismissed with placating remarks rather than any real concern. Though detective Ella (Franc Ashman) does connect the missing person report to the strange 911 call from Hector's house, it is the office's treatment of Lizzie that becomes realistically sullen, offering limited compassion or hope. It is what leads Lizzie to conduct her own investigation, as her resolve deepens and her concern for her son wins over any logical stream of thought. This depicts how a history of social injustice mixed with such callous treatment leads to people operating out of the bounds of legality, and thus resulting in devastating consequences in this particular case.

Collider Exclusive · Horror Survival Quiz Which Horror Villain Do You Have the Best Chance of Surviving? Jason Voorhees · Michael Myers · Freddy Krueger · Pennywise · Chucky

Five killers. Five completely different ways to die — if you're not smart enough, fast enough, or self-aware enough to avoid it. Only one of them is the villain your particular set of instincts gives you a fighting chance against. Eight questions will figure out which one.

🏕️Jason

🔪Michael

💤Freddy

🎈Pennywise

🪆Chucky

TEST YOUR SURVIVAL →

Something feels wrong. You can't explain it — you just know. What do you do? First instincts are the difference between the survivor and the first act casualty.

ALeave immediately. I don't need to understand a threat to respect it. BStay quiet and observe. If I can see it, I can understand it. If I can understand it, I can avoid it. CStay awake. Whatever this is, I am not going to sleep until I feel safe again. DConfront it directly. Fear grows in the dark — I'd rather know what I'm dealing with. ECheck everything, trust nothing. The threat might be closer than I think — and smaller.

NEXT QUESTION →

Where are you most likely to find yourself when things go wrong? Setting is everything in horror. Where you are determines which rules apply.

ASomewhere remote — a cabin, a campsite, off the grid and away from people. BA quiet suburban neighbourhood where nothing ever happens. Except tonight. CIn my own head — the most dangerous place of all, depending on what's already in there. DWherever children are — because something about this place attracts the worst things. ESomewhere ordinary — a house, a toy store, a place where the last thing you'd expect is a threat.

NEXT QUESTION →

What is your most reliable survival asset? Every survivor has a quality the villain didn't account for. What's yours?

APhysical fitness — I can run, I can swim, I can outlast something that relies on brute persistence. BSpatial awareness — I always know the exits, the hiding spots, the fastest route out. CPsychological resilience — I've faced my worst fears before. They don't have the same power over me. DEmotional steadiness — I don't panic. Panic is what gets you caught. EScepticism — I don't underestimate threats because of how they look. Size is irrelevant.

NEXT QUESTION →

What kind of fear is hardest for you to fight through? Knowing your weakness is the first step to not dying because of it.

AThe unstoppable — something that will not stop, cannot be reasoned with, and is always getting closer. BThe invisible — a threat I can feel but can't locate, watching from somewhere I can't see. CThe psychological — something that uses my own mind and memories against me. DThe unknowable — something ancient, shapeless, that feeds on the fear itself. EThe mundane — a threat so ordinary-looking that no one will believe me until it's too late.

NEXT QUESTION →

You're with a group when things start going wrong. What's your role? Horror movies are brutally clear about who survives group situations and who doesn't.

AThe one who says "we need to leave" first — and means it, even when no one listens. BThe one who stays quiet, watches the others, and figures out the pattern before anyone else does. CThe one who holds the group together when panic sets in — because someone has to. DThe one who asks the questions nobody wants to ask — because ignoring them gets people killed. EThe one who takes the threat seriously when everyone else is laughing it off.

NEXT QUESTION →

What's the horror movie mistake you're most likely to make? Honest self-assessment is a survival skill. Denial is not.

AGoing back for someone — I know I shouldn't, but I can't leave them behind. BAssuming I'm safe once I've found a hiding spot. That's when it finds me. CFalling asleep when I absolutely cannot afford to. Exhaustion is its own enemy. DLetting my curiosity override my instincts — I always need to understand what I'm dealing with. EDismissing the threat because of how it looks. That's exactly what it wants.

NEXT QUESTION →

What's your best weapon against something that can't be stopped by conventional means? Every horror villain has a weakness. The survivors are always the ones who find it.

AThe environment itself — I use the terrain, the water, the geography against it. BPatience — I wait, I watch, and I strike at the one moment it doesn't expect. CLucidity — if I can stay in control of my own mind, it loses its primary weapon. DCourage — facing it directly, refusing to run, taking away the fear it feeds on. EImprovisation — I use whatever's at hand, however unconventional. Creativity over brute force.

NEXT QUESTION →

It's the final scene. You're the last one standing. How did you make it? The final survivor always has a reason. What's yours?

AI kept moving. I never stopped, never hid for too long, never let it corner me. BI figured out the pattern before anyone else did — and I used it against the thing following it. CI stayed awake, stayed lucid, and refused to give it the one thing it needed most. DI stopped being afraid of it. And the moment I did, everything changed. EI took it seriously from the start — and I never once made the mistake of underestimating it.

REVEAL MY VILLAIN →

Your Survival Odds Have Been Calculated Your Best Chance Is Against…

Your instincts, your strengths, and your particular way of thinking under pressure point to one villain you actually have a fighting chance against. Everyone else — good luck.

Jason Voorhees

Jason is relentless, but he is also predictable — and that is the gap you would exploit.

He moves in straight lines toward his target. He doesn't strategise, doesn't adapt, doesn't outsmart. He simply pursues.
Your ability to keep moving, use the environment, and resist the panic that freezes most victims gives you a genuine edge.
The Crystal Lake survivors were always the ones who stopped running in circles and started thinking about terrain, water, and distance.
You think like that. Which means Jason, for all his indestructibility, would face someone who simply refused to be where he expected.

Michael Myers

Michael watches before he moves. He is patient, methodical, and almost impossible to detect — until it's too late for anyone who isn't paying close enough attention.

But you are paying attention. You notice the shape in the window, the car parked slightly wrong, the silence where there should be sound.
Michael's power lies in the invisibility of ordinary suburbia — the fact that nothing ever looks wrong until it already is.
Your spatial awareness and instinct to map every room, every exit, and every shadow before you need them is precisely the quality Laurie Strode had.
You are not a victim waiting to happen. You are someone who already suspects something is wrong — and acts on it.

Freddy Krueger

Freddy wins by getting inside your head — using your own fears, your own memories, your own subconscious as weapons against you. That strategy requires a target who can be destabilised.

You are harder to destabilise than most. You've faced uncomfortable truths about yourself and you haven't looked away.
The survivors on Elm Street were always the ones who understood what was happening and chose to face it rather than flee from it.
Freddy's greatest weakness is that his power evaporates in the presence of someone who refuses to give him the fear he feeds on.
Your psychological resilience — the ability to stay grounded when reality itself becomes unreliable — is exactly the quality that keeps you alive here.

Pennywise

Pennywise is ancient, shapeshifting, and feeds on terror — but it has one critical vulnerability: it cannot function against someone who genuinely stops being afraid of it.

The Losers Club didn't survive because they were braver than everyone else. They survived because they faced their fears together, and faced them honestly.
You ask the questions others avoid. You look directly at what frightens you rather than turning away.
That directness — the refusal to let fear fester in the dark — is Pennywise's worst nightmare.
It chose the wrong target when it chose you. You are exactly the kind of person whose fear tastes like nothing at all.

Chucky

Chucky's greatest advantage is that nobody takes him seriously until it's already too late. He exploits the gap between how something looks and what it actually is.

You don't have that gap. You take threats seriously regardless of how they present — and you never make the mistake of underestimating something because of its size or appearance.
Chucky relies on surprise, on the delay between recognition and response. You close that delay faster than almost anyone.
Your instinct to treat every unfamiliar thing with appropriate scepticism — rather than dismissing it because it seems absurd — is the exact quality that keeps you breathing.
Against Chucky, not laughing is already winning. You are very good at not laughing.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

When Ella does meticulously scour over Hector's mansion, she incredulously finds no evidence of abduction or murder in Hector's basement, despite stumbling upon the secret rooms. When she tries to arrest him for having these hidden compartments and accusations, a mere phone call to his dear friend in high places hastily releases him. From having the foresight to sanitize and incinerate all evidence of his crime to being able to use his privilege as a get out of jail for free card, Hector becomes a slimy and unnerving possibility of how wealth can be used. The film becomes a hyperbole about how people in positions of power are able to skirt around the law, even with the public eye trained on them. The fact that his charities revolve around immigration, and his victims of choice are immigrants, is yet another exaggeration of hypocrisy frequently seen in elite circles. Alongside the unbearable tension of watching a realistic police investigation take place is the dramatic reiteration of political and social power that is seen in real life.

Hugh Bonneville Is a Chilling Serial Killer in 'I Came By'

Of course, none of this could be conveyed if it weren't for the stellar performance by Bonneville, who steals the show with his daring charisma that fluidly shifts into something more sinister. Bonneville would feel particularly at home in this high-class role after his major role in the Downton Abbey period drama as Robert Crawley. As Robert, he is protective of his family and adheres to tradition, which translates to his role in I Came By, albeit in a twisted way. Hector is naturally fiercely protective of his secrets and his reputation, which allows him to work freely, and on top of this, he embodies the traditional picture of the elite exploiting his resources and the masses for the worse. Beneath his stately grandeur, which Bonneville inherently borrows from his previous character, he also has the opportunity to imbue malevolence into his performance.

Every time he interacts with someone, Hector seems so painfully normal; it is jarring to reconcile him with the depravity he engages with. From news broadcasts where his charming smile and charitable words capture everyone's attention to his disarming conversations with the police officers, where he manages to placate their suspicions with an innocent eye, there is something markedly winning about Hector. His split in demeanor is particularly highlighted in his monologue when he tries to entrap another asylum seeker. He talks about how his father abandoned him and his mother to pursue a relationship with someone who was an immigrant, starting the story in a charming and wistful way that gradually devolved into an unsettling spite. Undertones of bitter rage and sadism sweep beneath his words, booming throughout the room in a wicked symphony of pomp and psychopathy.

Though it could be said that Bonneville's acting prowess overshadows the rest of the cast, his dominant presence actually adds to the social exploration of I Came By. Compared to Hector, Toby is reduced to a naive and one-dimensional character, touting the tired personality trait of enacting social justice in order to stifle his own insecurities. However, this adds to the effect of his simplistic and wide-eyed world view, suggesting that though he dealt in kneading out the vulnerabilities of the privileged, he himself didn't necessarily comprehend just how powerful the world he antagonized was. His tags are suddenly rendered fleeting and obsolete, simply hollow gestures that cannot stand up against the deep roots the elite has in society. As such, with Hector's shadow domineering over the film, it offers a bleak portrayal of meaningless attempts to alleviate social inequalities.

The ensemble cast of I Came By on a cropped poster

Apart from Bonnevile, the most memorable and distinct aspect of I Came By is its shifting POVs, as each character is out-manoeuvered and expelled by Hector, forcing another character to take the former's place. The film strips us of the comfort of a "hero" or a "chosen one," and instead reflects the pitiless reality of how many serial killers manage to evade detection for so long. Characters become disposable in I Came By, though each gets us closer to Hector's retribution before becoming his next victim. It adds to the chess-like feel of the movie, as strategies and valiant impulses pick away at the impenetrable barrier surrounding Hector, but sacrifices are necessary in the larger raging war against him. So the next protagonist takes up the mantle and uses their own methods to face-off against the culpable judge, accomplishing as much as they can until their inevitable doom (which they don't expect, since no one really anticipates their own death).

With the protagonist of the film becoming so flexible, it becomes even more damning that Hector remains standing for so long, simply because he has the resources to back his activities and the willingness and capacity to cross lines without facing dire consequences. Realism pours into this aspect of the story as it doesn't use the narrative devices of "punishing" and "rewarding" certain behaviors and ethics. Instead, it is a bleak outlook on how unfair advantages that are generally out of people's control chalk up the wins and losses of a battle. Hector has the home advantage, the cash backing him, a vice-like grip on the law and an overarching disdain for human life that allows him to essentially operate with impunity -- picking off his trifling enemies one-by-one almost contemptuously. Once again, the film exhibits a dramatic re-enactment of the exploitation of the masses, as they become a replaceable part of an overarching system, with elite figures like Hector pulling the strings.

Social injustice pervades every corner of this deliberately paced film, from the violent outbursts to the tantalizing pressure that continually builds. Even when the three cats try and hunt down the mouse, the tension and stress caves-in around them, unable to infiltrate the suave stronghold of wealth surrounding the mouse. Building in intensity, Anvari finally rewards our patience when the cathartic final act rolls around. Yet however gratifying the ending is, with all the lives lost, we are left with the haunting question of who the real winner here is. Which matters more: taking down the enemy or the losses along the way? As such, I Came By uses distinctive strokes of realism and unpredictability to create a captivating mural of social injustice, further criticizing how privilege becomes the perfect cover.