Image Courtesy of Fantasia Festival
A horror movie, no matter how big or small, can die on the strength of its monster/ghoul/masked killer you name it. If your central boogey figure just doesn’t leave a lasting impression, your flick can be pretty dead in the water. In the case of The Wretched, that chief nasty comes in the form of a witch, ready to feast on the on the souls of forgotten children. And thankfully for the film, she’s a creepy, gory success.
The film follows teenager Ben (John-Paul Howard), who is struggling with his parents impending divorce. When he goes to stay with his Dad in a sleepy harbour town, he soon begins to suspect that something may not be quite right with the neighbours. Sure enough, he finds himself facing off with an ancient witch who has inhabited the body of the woman next door, and is keen to satisfy her hunger for young kids.
The setup for The Wretched can often be a little clumsy, and often leans heavily in to generic genre cliches, particularly when it comes to the teenage drama that grounds the supernatural horror that we’ve all come to see. The young Howard is a likeable lead, and he strikes good chemistry with his co-star Piper Curda, but there’s no denying that a lot of the relationships on the screen are fairly thinly sketched.
And all that is okay, as it does just enough to wrap you in to the creepy proceedings. The Pierce Brothers put their faith in their monster and ensure that their witch is one that leaves a disturbing mark. The creature design is truly gnarly, and the Pierce Brothers prove a dab hand at using practical effects to some delightfully gory glory. The means in which they slowly drop bits and pieces of lore that colour the witch’s history and motive is also welcomingly subtle. The film rarely spews exposition as to how the monster operates, and that allows the witch to have a great sense of menace and mystery, like all the best movie monsters should.
There’s an air of an 80’s teen adventure to the initial setup that can often feel at odds when the going gets nasty. The young kids taking action over something sinister in their neighbourhood evokes the likes of Fright Night, with much of practical approach to effects feeling like a nod to its 80’s inspirations. The level of violence and gore is often quite shocking in places, but it is down with a dialled up style that allows it to feel fun rather than uncomfortable or exploitative in the wrong way.
You won’t win any prizes for guessing how all the action will unfold, as it is certainly a horror adventure that you’ve gone on before. But along the way, the Pierce Brothers make sure to have fun, with a nice couple of little twists here and there that may feel a little rushed and excitable in the moment, but there is rarely a dull moment in the approach.
The Wretched proves to be a pleasantly nasty surprise, with some inventive gore and a refreshingly practical approach to its frights. The dressings may feel a little familiar, but there is no doubt that the supernatural threat at its centre is an imaginative and aptly terrifying creation that allows The Wretched to stand apart as a throwback horror trip worth taking.
The Wretched was reviewed at Fantasia Festival 2019.
