Synopsis
Bringing together the sun-drenched look of recent rave Midsommar with the blood-curdling gothic dread of The Turn of the Screw, acclaimed filmmaker Bryan Bertino (The Strangers, The Monster) returns to the home environment to mine more psychological terror and sophisticated scares in a film which goes straight to the heart of fractured family dynamics.
On a secluded farm, a man is bedridden and fighting through his final breaths while his wife (Julie Oliver-Touchstone, Preacher) slowly succumbs to overwhelming grief. Siblings Louise (Marin Ireland, Hell or High Water) and Michael (Michael Abbott Jr., The Death of Dick Long) return home to help, but it doesn’t take long for them to see that something’s wrong with mom—something more than her heavy sorrow. Gradually, they begin to suffer a darkness similar to their mother’s, marked by waking nightmares and a growing sense that an evil entity is taking over their family.
With startling use of sound and shattering lead performances, The Dark and The Wicked is a trip home you’ll never forget from one of the genre’s leading modern practitioners.
Review
So this is a story about a family on a country farm. But if you’re looking for a Little House On The Prairie or The Waltons style story then you couldn’t be further from what this film is. Being on Shudder is quite a good indication it won’t be all butterflies and rainbows, it most definitely isn’t a Sunday feel-good-flick, but it is a good dark portrayal of one family’s mental decline. The beginning part of the film is kind of a slow burner as it explains the family’s decent into darkness, although this part of the film seems longwinded it is essential as it lays the foundations for the overall story.
You spend the early part of the story feeling sorry for the mother of the family (Julie Oliver-Touchstone) as the grief of her dying husband takes grip and she slips into a deep depression. The way the film is written makes you question the storyline at different points as you see different situations where a mysterious dark force is taking control. Or is it all in the mothers mind? Is the grief actually affecting her mental well-being? With different scenes quite graphically showing you what she is going through, the “chop” scene is definitely an eye opener.
When siblings Michael and Louise turn up the story starts taking a turn with darker events taking place that can’t be explained and again making you wonder if the mother really is telling the truth and dark forces are in play. But as the story moves on you see different things happening to the siblings too so it makes you think that this maybe is actually happening and not something that is just part of the decline in the mental health of the family. Or is it? Is it really all in their minds?.
When the film enters the final act the meat really does go on the bones with the jump scares ramping up and the sheer horror unfolds as the dark force or “Devil” takes a harder and deeper grip on the family. With more events happening to all the family and more creepy characters turning up and causing the film to drift further into the darkness. As the story comes to its dark end with some heart-breaking scenes it really does wrap itself up and comes to a satisfying conclusion. I was gripped throughout the film not wanting to move my eyes from the screen as I didn’t want to miss anything the story is very well written in a way that will keep you gripped.
Bryan Bertino really gets the mix right with this film as the dramatic and atmospheric music partnered with dark and dramatic filming really gives a good overall look and feel to the film making it a true authentic horror with just enough jump scares to keep you interested and on the edge of your seat and focused on the story until the very end.
Verdict
I felt that although The Dark and The Wicked was slow to start it naturally picked up pace and turned into a gripping film that I would recommend to any horror fan.
7/10
And remember – She Told You Not to Come!!!
The Dark and The Wicked is available to stream exclusively on Shudder now.
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