The Dark and the Wicked

Last updated

The Dark and the Wicked
The Dark and the Wicked.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Bryan Bertino
Written byBryan Bertino
Produced by
  • Bryan Bertino
  • Adrienne Biddle
  • Sonny Mallhi
  • Kevin Matusow
Starring
CinematographyTristan Nyby
Edited by
  • William Boodell
  • Zachary Weintraub
Music byTom Schraeder
Production
companies
  • Unbroken Pictures
  • The Traveling Picture Show Company
  • Inwood Road Films
Distributed by RLJE Films
Release dates
  • August 28, 2020 (2020-08-28)(Fantasia)
  • November 6, 2020 (2020-11-06)(United States)
Running time
95 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$422,174 [2] [3]

The Dark and the Wicked is a 2020 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Bryan Bertino, starring Marin Ireland, Michael Abbott Jr., and Xander Berkeley. It follows two siblings who encounter a demonic entity at their familial farm after the suicide of their mother, who had long been caring for their infirm father.

Contents

The film had its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival on August 28, 2020. It was released on November 6, 2020, by RLJE Films.

Plot

Siblings Louise and Michael return to their family farm in Texas when their father's chronic illness seems to be reaching its last stages. Their mother seems disturbed at their arrival, and expresses a desire for the children to leave. That night, she hangs herself in the barn after (apparently involuntarily) cutting off her own fingers in the kitchen.

As time goes on, Louise and Michael start to understand what happened to their mother. Their father’s nurse confides in them that she heard their mother whispering to their father, but it seemed as if she was speaking not to him, but some other presence. Michael finds their mother's diary, which describes her fears of an unnamed and possibly demonic presence preying on her husband.

At their mother's burial, Louise and Michael meet Father Thorne, a priest who claims to have known their mother. Later that night, Father Thorne appears at the farm, beckoning them from outside, before vanishing before their eyes. Meanwhile, Charlie, a ranch hand who lives on a nearby plot of land in his RV, witnesses a vision of what appears to be Louise, speaking indistinctly and cutting herself repeatedly with a kitchen knife. The entity drives a distraught Charlie to shoot himself in the head with his shotgun.

Louise is subsequently unable to reach Charlie by phone, unaware that he is dead. Louise calls the phone number that Father Thorne gave her to ask why he visited the farm the night prior. The man who answers claims to have never met her, and says that he lives in Chicago and has never been to Texas. Worried for their father's safety, the siblings summon a doctor for a house call and request that he be moved to a hospital. The doctor determines that their father's health is grave, and that he is on his deathbed. He tells the siblings he cannot relocate him to a hospital, as moving him could result in him dying en route.

On the farm, Louise and Michael find that their large herd of goats have all been brutally killed. The two start a bonfire to dispose of the numerous animal carcasses. That night, Michael is approached in the barn by an apparition of his nude mother, who disappears as she approaches him. Later, while Louise lies in bed beside her father, she has a nightmare in which the entity attempts to possess her, but she manages to resist it, before witnessing her father levitating against the ceiling.

In the morning, Charlie's granddaughter arrives at the farm and informs Louise that he killed himself two days prior. The girl's forlorn demeanor soon turns malevolent, and Louise realizes it is in fact the entity taking the shape of Charlie's granddaughter. She too disappears before Louise's eyes. The nurse arrives moments later to care for Louise and Michael's father. Meanwhile, Louise finds that Michael has fled the farm to return to his wife and daughters, leaving her behind. Michael calls Louise from his cell phone, and tells her she too should leave. Moments later, the nurse, possessed by the entity, begins stabbing herself with a pair of knitting needles, attacking Louise in the process, before stabbing herself in the eyes, killing herself.

Michael arrives at his home and finds the dead bodies of his daughters and wife in the kitchen, in what appears to have been a murder–suicide. A distraught Michael cuts his own throat, and moments after, observes that the bodies of his wife and daughters have disappeared. He realizes the entity has tricked him when his wife and daughters enter the house moments later, and find him bleeding to death.

Back at the farm, Louise regains consciousness at nightfall and finds that her father is dying. Moments after he dies, the demon in turn attacks and claims her.

Cast

Production

Filming of The Dark and the Wicked took place in Texas at the actual farm owned by writer-director Bryan Bertino's parents. [4]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival on August 28, 2020. [5] [6] RLJE Films had acquired distribution rights to the film and set it for a November 6, 2020 theatrical release. [7] It was originally scheduled to have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2020, however, the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [8] [9]

Reception

Box office

The film earned $410,787 at the global box office. [2]

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 91% based on 107 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "The Dark and the Wicked delivers on its title with an unsettling horror story whose deep dread and bleak outlook further compound its effective jolts." [10] Metacritic reports a score of 72 out of 100 based on 14 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [11]

Cath Clarke of The Guardian gave the film a score of 3 out of 5 stars, describing it as "a nastily effective, lo-fi, psychological haunted house horror", and added: "There is possibly not a single scary moment here that will be new to horror fans, but Bertino directs with such technical flair that I yelped at most of them – and half-missed the others, eyes squeezed tight shut." [12] Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com gave the film a score of 3 out of 4 stars, writing that it "has enough jump scares to satisfy the 'Yes, but it is scary?' contingent of horror fans. But for the most part, this film ... focuses on atmosphere and creeping dread, channeling 20th century classics like Don't Look Now , The Tenant , the original Alien and The Sixth Sense ." [13]

Kate Erbland of IndieWire was more critical of the film, giving it a grade of C. She praised Ireland's performance, but wrote that the film "despite a strong start ... never coalesces into anything more than a collection of chilling images and a paper-thin logic." [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>A Tale of Two Sisters</i> 2003 South Korean film

A Tale of Two Sisters is a 2003 South Korean psychological horror film written and directed by Kim Jee-woon. The film is inspired by a Joseon dynasty-era folktale entitled "Janghwa Hongryeon jeon", which has been adapted to film several times. The plot focuses on a recently released patient from a mental institution who returns home with her sister, only to face disturbing events.

<i>A Wicked Tale</i> 2005 Singaporean film

A Wicked Tale is a 2005 Singaporean experimental short film written and directed by Tzang Merwyn Tong. The film premiered to at the 34th Rotterdam International Film Festival.

<i>The Strangers</i> (2008 film) 2008 film by Bryan Bertino

The Strangers is a 2008 American psychological horror film written and directed by Bryan Bertino. The film follows a couple whose stay at a vacation home is disrupted by three masked intruders who infiltrate the home one night. It is the first installment in The Strangers film series. The screenplay was inspired by two real-life events: the multiple-homicide Manson family Tate murders and a series of break-ins that occurred in Bertino's neighborhood as a child. Some journalists noted similarities between the film and the Keddie cabin murders that occurred in Keddie, California, in 1981, though Bertino did not cite this as a reference.

<i>The Pack</i> (2010 film) 2010 French film

The Pack is a 2010 horror film directed, written and co-produced by Franck Richard. It stars Yolande Moreau, Philippe Nahon, Émilie Dequenne and Benjamin Biolay. The film is about Charlotte and Max who come across a restaurant. After Max disappears, Charlotte returns later to find him and gets herself trapped in a cage by the restaurant owner, who has a pack of cannibals with her. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2010 and was first shown in North America at the Fantasia Festival. The film has received generally mixed reviews.

<i>Marianne</i> (2011 film) 2011 Swedish horror film

Marianne is a 2011 Swedish horror film, written and directed by Filip Tegstedt, that premiered at the 2011 Fantasia International Film Festival on 2 August 2011. Thomas Hedengran plays a father who is plagued by guilt over the death of his wife.

<i>Curse of Chucky</i> 2013 American slasher film by Don Mancini

Curse of Chucky is a 2013 American slasher film and the sixth installment of the Child's Play franchise. The film was written and directed by Don Mancini, who created the franchise and wrote the first six films. It stars Fiona Dourif, Danielle Bisutti, Brennan Elliott, Maitland McConnell, Chantal Quesnelle, Summer Howell, A Martinez, and Brad Dourif. The film grossed $3.8 million in DVD sales.

<i>Ilsa, the Wicked Warden</i> 1977 film

Ilsa, the Wicked Warden is a 1977 Canadian sexploitation film directed by Jess Franco, written by Ric Meyers, and starring Dyanne Thorne. The plot follows Greta, a warden at a psychiatric hospital for young women, and a girl who feigns illness in order to investigate the disappearance of her sister, a former patient.

<i>The Midnight Swim</i> 2014 American film

The Midnight Swim is a 2014 POV drama-mystery and the feature film directorial debut of Sarah Adina Smith. The film had its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 27, 2014, and stars Lindsay Burdge, Jennifer Lafleur, and Aleksa Palladino as three half-sisters trying to put their missing mother's affairs in order.

<i>The Harvest</i> (2013 film) 2013 American film

The Harvest is a 2013 American horror thriller film released by IFC Films that was directed by John McNaughton. It is the first feature film he has directed in over a decade and his first horror venture since Haeckel's Tale, a 2006 episode of the horror anthology series Masters of Horror. The movie had its world premiere on October 19, 2013, at the Chicago International Film Festival. The movie follows a young girl who befriends a seemingly lonely and confined boy her own age, only to fall afoul of his mother. In a 2017 interview McNaughton said about the film: "It has the bones of a fairy tale. It’s about growing up and having to break free from your parents. Your parents want your heart and you can’t let them take it. You have to break away and make your own life."

<i>It Follows</i> 2014 horror film by David Robert Mitchell

It Follows is a 2014 American horror film written and directed by David Robert Mitchell. It stars Maika Monroe as a young woman who is pursued by a supernatural entity after a sexual encounter. Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, and Lili Sepe appear in supporting roles. It Follows debuted at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and was later purchased by Radius-TWC for distribution. After a successful limited release, the film had a wide release two weeks later on March 27, 2015.

<i>The Monster</i> (2016 film) 2016 film by Bryan Bertino

The Monster is a 2016 American monster horror film written and directed by Bryan Bertino, and starring Zoe Kazan and Ella Ballentine. The film was released through DirecTV Cinema on October 6, 2016, before opening in a limited release on November 11, 2016, via A24. Its plot follows a troubled mother and her adolescent daughter who find themselves stranded at night on a country road with a malicious creature hunting them.

<i>Cam</i> (film) 2018 American film

Cam is a 2018 American psychological horror film directed by Daniel Goldhaber and written by Isa Mazzei from a story by Goldhaber, Mazzei and Isabelle Link-Levy. The story is partially drawn from writer Mazzei's own experience working as a camgirl. The film is the first feature film for both Goldhaber and Mazzei.

<i>Ready or Not</i> (2019 film) 2019 film by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

Ready or Not is a 2019 American dark comedy horror film directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and written by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy. It stars Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O'Brien, Elyse Levesque, Nicky Guadagni, Henry Czerny, and Andie MacDowell. It follows a young bride who is hunted by her spouse's wealthy family as part of a wedding night ritual to worship the Devil.

<i>Dual</i> (2022 film) 2022 American film by Riley Stearns

Dual is a 2022 American satirical science fiction thriller film written, directed, and produced by Riley Stearns. It stars Karen Gillan, Beulah Koale, Theo James, and Aaron Paul. The plot follows a woman who has to fight a clone of herself to the death after she unexpectedly recovers from a terminal illness. The film premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2022. It was released in the United States on April 15, 2022, by RLJE Films.

<i>Before the Fire</i> 2020 American film

Before the Fire is a 2020 American thriller drama film directed by Charlie Buhler. Before the Fire received acclaim as a frightening and timely look at how individual lives are turned upside down by a global crisis. The feature had its world premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival in March 2020.

<i>Come True</i> 2020 horror film

Come True is a Canadian science fiction horror film written and directed by Anthony Scott Burns. The film stars Julia Sarah Stone and Landon Liboiron. The film plot follows a teenage runaway who takes part in a sleep study that becomes a nightmarish descent into the depths of her mind and a frightening examination of the power of dreams.

<i>The Block Island Sound</i> 2020 American film

The Block Island Sound is a 2020 American science fiction horror thriller film written and directed by Kevin McManus and Matthew McManus and starring Chris Sheffield and Michaela McManus. The plot follows a fisherman who encounters horrors and dark truths when an ominous force off the coast of Block Island begins killing wildlife.

<i>Unearth</i> (film) 2020 American horror film

Unearth is a 2020 American horror film directed and edited by John C. Lyons and Dorota Swies, from a screenplay by Lyons and Kelsey Goldberg. It stars Adrienne Barbeau and Marc Blucas as the respective heads of two neighboring farm families in the rural United States. When one of the families leases their land to a natural gas company, the resulting fracking releases a force that threatens the lives of both families. Alongside Barbeau and Blucas, the film's cast includes P. J. Marshall, Allison McAtee, Rachel McKeon, Monica Wyche, and Brooke Sorenson.

<i>Shelby Oaks</i> 2024 American film by Chris Stuckmann

Shelby Oaks is a 2024 American supernatural horror mystery film produced, written, and directed by Chris Stuckmann in his feature directorial debut. It stars Camille Sullivan, Sarah Durn, Brendan Sexton III, Michael Beach, Robin Bartlett, Keith David, Charlie Talbert, and Emily Bennett. The film is also produced by Aaron B. Koontz, Cameron Burns, and Ashleigh Snead.

<i>What Josiah Saw</i> 2021 American film

What Josiah Saw is a 2021 American Southern Gothic psychological horror drama film directed by Vincent Grashaw. The film follows members of a damaged family before they reunite at their remote farmhouse, where they will confront long-buried secrets and sins of the past.

References

  1. Rife, Katie (November 5, 2020). "The Dark And The Wicked lives up to its title". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on October 22, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "The Dark and the Wicked". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  3. "The Dark and the Wicked". The Numbers. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  4. "The Dark and the Wicked". Gateway Film Center. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022.
  5. "The Dark and the Wicked". Fantasia International Film Festival . Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  6. Hazelton, John (July 9, 2020). "Fantasia festival adds 30 titles including eight world premieres". Screen International . Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  7. Del Rasio, Alexandria (August 25, 2020). "'The Dark And The Wicked': RLJE Films, Shudder Acquire Bryan Bertino's Family Horror Film". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  8. Goldsmith, Jill (March 3, 2020). "Tribeca Sets Feature Lineup Of Films For 2020 Fest". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  9. Beresford, Tribly; Lewis, Hilary (March 12, 2020). "Tribeca Film Festival Postponed Amid Coronavirus Fears". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  10. "The Dark and the Wicked (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  11. "The Dark and the Wicked Reviews". Metacritic . Red Ventures. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  12. Clarke, Cath (February 24, 2021). "The Dark and the Wicked review – devilishly directed farmhouse horror". The Guardian . Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  13. Seitz, Matt Zoller (November 6, 2020). "The Dark and the Wicked movie review (2020) | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com . Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  14. Erbland, Kate (August 29, 2020). "'The Dark and the Wicked' Review: Marin Ireland Gives Her All to a Grim Possession Tale". IndieWire . Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.