Vicious

"Vicious" is one of those films that completely misleads you. The premise is great, genuinely intriguing: a woman receives a mysterious box from an old lady, in which she must place three things: something she hates, something she needs, and something she loves. It's an idea full of potential, perfect for a psychological thriller that could have pulled us right in. The problem is that everything the movie promises simply never happens.

The execution is a mess. The editing is honestly one of the worst I've seen in a long time. There's a moment where the protagonist vomits a key, faints, and suddenly we cut to her in a completely different house talking to a random woman, with zero explanation or context. For several minutes, you're left wondering if it's a flashback, a hallucination, or a continuation of the previous scene. That's the perfect example of the movie's problems: terrible editing, poor directing, and a story with absolutely no direction. It feels like a film stitched together without any real sense of logic or continuity.

Technically, it's not much better. The CGI is weak, the gore looks ridiculous, and it's painfully obvious that everything was done digitally without care. The third act is hollow and meaningless. You spend the entire movie waiting for some kind of resolution or impactful climax that never arrives, which only makes the experience even more frustrating.

The only thing that barely holds this movie together is Dakota Fanning. She gives a genuinely good performance and clearly tries her best, but the script gives her nothing to work with. Her character is poorly written, and while the film teases some interesting hints about her past and possible traumas, none of it ever gets explored. Everything is left hanging, as if the director himself wasn't sure what message he wanted to deliver.

In the end, "Vicious" is a complete waste of a good idea. It had potential but ends up being poorly directed, terribly edited, and visually uninspired. It feels like it could have been something interesting, but instead it's just another mediocre film, honestly, one of the worst I've seen this year. A project so messy that even I could've edited it better.

I wanted to love this. I had high hopes especially with Dakota in it. However, if you want to see Dakota Fanning cry for an hour and nothing really significant happen, then this is the movie for you. No jump scares and really just a bunch of "gross" moments that lead to more boringness. I won't recommend to my friends.

Where do you start with this film? The wee old lady with a strange box, who knocks on the door? The voices from beyond and on the phone? The wee old lady who shows up later?

Who was she? Where did the box come from? Who really cares?

That's the best I can say about it.

Except to say, I wouldn't bother wasting your time.

There's something fascinating about horror films that don't rely on cheap jump scares, but instead on a slow-building tension-a breath held just before the scream. *Vicious*, though not a masterpiece of the genre, belongs firmly to that tradition. It's a film that understands the power of silence, of shadow, of solitude-and that's precisely where its strength lies.

The director (with a restrained, almost clinical gaze) offers a kind of horror that doesn't need flamboyant monsters or noisy special effects. Its weapon is discomfort. Each dimly lit corridor, each distant sound, feels like an invitation for the viewer to step into a psychological space where fear comes not from what's outside, but from within.

Visually, the film succeeds. The cold cinematography and meticulous sound design create a subtle claustrophobia reminiscent of works like *The Babadook* or *The Others*. There are truly unsettling moments-particularly when the narrative strips itself of explanations and dives into pure instinctive fear. These are scenes that linger, not because of their violence, but because of what they suggest-a rare merit in contemporary horror.

However, *Vicious* stumbles on what separates the good from the unforgettable: narrative cohesion. The screenplay, while functional, lacks boldness. The characters' motivations are sometimes shallow, and the structure leans on predictable choices, preventing the film from achieving the psychological depth it initially promises.

Even so, it would be unfair to dismiss it. Because *Vicious* doesn't just aim to scare-it aims to draw you in. Alone, in the stillness of night, the viewer feels that tension grow like a premonition. The film doesn't reinvent the genre, but it accomplishes something essential: it restores to horror that atmosphere of vulnerability, where true fear lies not in what's seen, but in what's heard when you thought you were alone.

A psychological thriller with moments of genuine horror, more effective in atmosphere than in storytelling. A must-watch for those who value fear crafted with elegance and restraint.

Rating - 4.9: Overall, a horror movie with well-executed horror sequences and a pretty good performance from Dakota Fanning, but Vicious makes you wonder why you are watching this movie because there is no story and no reason to care about the conflict.

Direction - Decent: The direction on a macroscale is pretty good at instilling supernatural horror and fear; The direction on a microscale is pretty good as you can see the struggle coming out of the protagonist and the other characters; Storytelling is not good at all because they do not do a good job explaining what the story is, why it is significant, and why we should care; Tension is developed well as it uses a lot of elements you see from a supernatural movie, though it can be cheap at times with the jump scares

Story - Bad: The concept is barely explained, you have to piece things together, and this makes you not really care about the conflict; The concept was so poorly explained that I left the theater wondering what the point of this movie was; The plot structure is just rising action and climax, the resolution is there but drags out a bit; Character writing is alright but could have been better because you know this character's struggle but you do not really know that much about them besides what is on the surface

Screenplay - Pretty Bad: The dialogue is pretty forced; The symbolism is there in terms of the conflict and its "supposed" reason, but is not really the best besides that; The foreshadowing is decent and helps set up the conflict, even though it could have been better

Acting - Pretty Good Dakota Fanning - Pretty Good (Really a one-woman show, as the entire movie is just her acting by herself, and she does a solid job portraying the emotions and fear the character is experiencing, despite being given no material to work with), Rest of the cast - Decent to Pretty Good (Really is just a Dakota Fanning one-woman performance, but all the performances are solid and help with uplifting Fanning)

Score - Decent: Helps with building tension

Cinematography - Decent to Pretty Good: Does some cool things with its unique shots and in the horror moments, but is pretty generic besides that

Editing - Decent: Typical low-budget supernatural editing

Sound - Decent: Feels obsessively loud, but besides that, it is what you would expect from a supernatural horror movie trying to raise the tension

Visual Effects - Pretty Good: Pretty good low-budget supernatural horror; it definitely brings out the scares and the cringe when watching the gory scenes

Makeup - Decent to Pretty Good: Help show the gore

Pacing - Pacing is pretty slow because the story is kind of nonexistent, so it just feels like a supernatural compilation for an hour

Climax - Climax is decent, the resolution kind of holds the movie back

Tone - Tone is your typical supernatural horror movie;

Final Notes - Saw the world premiere at Fantastic Fest.