L'âme des Ténèbres

Roger Ebert once said, "It's not what a film is about, but how it is about it." I had to take that into consideration when rating and reviewing 'The Dark and the Wicked'. This is admittedly not my type of horror movie. I struggle with supernatural horror, because I have zero belief in it and thus it does nothing to unsettle me. However, I have to admit that this film was done very well, and that if I were unsettled by those types of films then this one would have done the trick for me. This film is going up some people's alleys big time.

This is such a beautifully shot film. Director Bryan Bertino is so good at framing what is on screen, he doesn't even need what's on screen to be all that impressive for it to look good. I also love the inventive camera angles he comes up with. They don't always work to heighten the scares or even the tension, but they add a touch of class to the mix which is so often missing in the horror genre.

My biggest gripe with the film would be all the jump-scares and the scenes where the demon is basically just trying to scare the characters rather than harm them. I understand why they have to be there to pad the runtime to 90 minutes, but they are still very frustrating to watch. I also didn't really connect with either of the two lead characters. They were very flat (understandable in their situation to be fair) and that made it difficult for me to care all that much about their fate. The final 20-30 minutes of this film is an absolute blast though I'd have to say. The pacing rockets to life and there are some fun and pretty messed up scenes. 'The Dark and the Wicked' is worth a watch.

Enjoyable horror that sets the tension from the start and then slowly builds on it. Well shot and solid acting. Nice subtle scares carry you along till the end. I don't understand why so many bad reviews, as I've said it's an enjoyable indie-horror.

The horror genre doesn't frighten me anymore, because I've already tried all kinds of films in the genre, but sometimes I'm taken by surprise. The Dark and the Wicked scared me, gave me goosebumps and gave me some good scares! He didn't promise anything, but he delivered everything and then some, hahah!

Although her driving is slower, she is always progressive! The terror, the bizarre and the dense atmosphere is getting stronger and stronger, where we are taken by surprise with each scene. In addition, the sound is extremely present, with sounds of voices, wind or bells, letting fear circulate throughout the film.

However, the movie is not 100% amazing! The text is weak, does not deepen the characters, making their attitudes and motivations too shallow. There is no well-established relationship! It is shown with looks and conversations, very subtly, how close the family is, but that alone is not enough.

Despite the problem, nothing detracts from what good this movie did! An excellent horror! It's been a while since I was scared or felt my heart beat fast, I don't know how I went to watch it just today, but this movie has already entered the list of the best horror, for sure!

Acting: actually very, very good. Cinematography: again, A+. Special effects: that all depends on your taste of blood and gore. Personally, I thought it had some gruesome parts, but not over the top. Here's why I only rated it an 8 out of 10: scare factor. In the beginning of the movie, the mystery of the entity is definitely malevolent and seems to enjoy taking its time before a kill. Cool concept. But as the movie moves along, the scares become more predictable and the main characters, as seemingly level headed as they are, don't act rationally, in my opinion, and then the movie becomes a house of cards at the end and collapses without a proper ending. I'm trying not to give too much away because I don't want you to think it's a bad movie. Just could have been better, and that was disappointing. I would, however, recommend it as there are not many options for good movies period right now. Compared to some of the other junk I've had to endure lately, this is like the Hope Diamond.

Well worth the watch, in the dark, with the sound cranked. Oscar nod for sound editing - my ****!!! Dont believe any hate...

LONG time since a movie invoked unbridled, white knuckle terror.

Solid 7.5/10 from this guy. Whew