User reviews

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.

Crack out the popcorn, set up the munches, have some drinks at the ready as once you engage this film fully you'll be engrossed, with such a wonderful slow burn that builds and builds to the point of no turning back, much like a good book if you hit that page you wish you could turn it back a page and stop there. So sit back and enjoy.

This one is a hard horror movie to watch and yet it is brim packed with everything that scares you; from the shadows on the wall to the dark figure in the corner of the room, to the gross out scene with the flock of goats and the slick symbolism with the devil and the goats on the farm. The director uses many horror techniques so well it is hard to fault even though the film is very slow and to be fair to the other reviewers it is somewhat boring and will not appeal to many people; even die hard horror fans will find this one hard going!

The film gives the viewer no easy ride with no explanations, no backstory, not much characterization and no simple ending but builds such a lugubrious atmosphere of dripping dread in the style of movies like Hereditary that you cannot but be chilled to the bone with its minimal but effective style.

I want to give it 4/10 but I have to give it credit for being "real horror" and not "Hollywood horror" so it gets an always fair and honest review from me with a solid above average 6 hatchets on the horror scale for this very different approach to horror movie making!

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

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 problem with the Horror Genre (as is the case with some other genres), is that it is pretty broad in terms of scope and definition; and that within the definitions which fit, there are too many variables. For example, can a truly well-made "horror" movie include comedic elements? Should it? How much gore should be employed? Do suspense or thrills or adventure add or take away from the genre? There is no clear-cut response to any of this, and so what appeals to one horror-fan, may not be as appealing to another.

FOR ME, what defines a horror flick - gory or not - is that it should make the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand up in fear. The Dark and The Wicked did that and more. I am in no way exaggerating when I say that 1. I FELT scared to the point of wondering if I was entertaining 'energies' I should not entertain by watching it; 2. I wondered if I should turn it off; and 3. I said a couple of prayers and rebuked the devil at one point near the ending. Even now, I just got goosebumps.

Now - will everyone find it as "scary"? By the reviews. It's obvious some people did not. Who knows. Maybe there was some subconscious or phycological trigger it touched on in my mind which just "worked". Regardless, in my opinion, it deserves a higher score than its current 6.1 IMDB rating.

The GOOD: The acting by the two leads who play brother and sister, is nothing short of FANTASTIC. The storyline too, is pretty great in that it is different enough to not immediately remind me of anything else like it. The cinematography deserves praise, and for the most part, the dialogue is in the category of good. As for the (jump) "scares", we've seen them before. I don't blame them for this, as what really in cinema today has not been DONE before? The pace however, is also good and it allows for the tension to build up between these 'scares' (for lack of a better word). In as far as realism (a big part of cinema for me), this film earns MOSTLY top marks. While there are instances where you second-guess the actions people take or do not take AND there is a major plot device to do with a country doctor, which fails (I will not give too much away in order to avoid a spoiler), it's all in the realm of believable and it makes you wonder what you would do in the same situation.

The BAD: Lamentably, the acting by a minor character is very plastic and felt forced and out of place.

The ending could have, and SHOULD have been done SO much better than it was. Gauging by the content of the film, it was apparent that the filmmakers had it in them, so the fact that no one seems to have pushed for a better conclusion is sloppy, disappointing and would be completely unforgivable if the rest of the film had not had the compelling moments it did.

A dreadful, disquieting & diabolical nightmare that reeks of death & foreboding from the first frame to the last, The Dark and the Wicked is one of those horror entries that relies on its silently brooding & gradually escalating atmosphere to crawl under the skin of its viewers, and is a haunting, unnerving & bone-chilling terror that more than lives up to its name.

Written & directed by Bryan Bertino (The Monster), the story begins on a highly promising note and the setup, location & stylistic choices only help magnify the bleak mood & sinister aura. There is a lurking & looming presence of an evil that lingers over the family and although Bertino touches on the themes of love, loss, grief & guilt, he doesn't dig deeper to aptly explore those topics.

While it would've helped to have the story journey inward into its characters and the characters themselves to be more fleshed out & exhibit more depth, the film still makes do with the given script, and conjures some genuinely effective scares with its eerie camerawork & ominous score. It doesn't quite stick the landing but the uneasy feeling is sustained throughout and the performances are convincing.

Overall, The Dark and the Wicked is one of the creepiest films to surface in recent years and is absolutely unforgiving & unrelenting in its intensity & uncomfortable aura it exudes. The uncanny cinematography & unsettling sound design are major contributors to its effectiveness but with a more refined script, this could've gone places. A cursed chiller with inescapable devilry brewing under the surface, Bryan Bertino's latest delivers on its title.

This one is not for those who don't like slow paced movies but this is truly a horrifying movie. I loved the slow pace and how it helps in building this fear in the viewers heart of the unknown evil lurking in the dark of ones mind. Truly a Classic American horror. Loved it.

The first 2 minutes got me so excited with it's dark atmosphere, crisp cinematography and great sound. As I watched, I got intrigued about where will it all lead..... Unfortunately, by 1 hour mark it was still going nowhere.

Yes the atmosphere is fantastic, the decorations are immersive but there is just no damn story which is such a shame. It could have been a gorgeous indie horror as it had decent creepiness that did get my heart beat up once or twice. Sadly, it felt like a cliche devil, priest blah blah blah...

Wasted potential

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!

Been a while since I've seen a new flick with all those covid situations. But hey, slowly they do appear here and there let this be one of those new ones.

Why I picked this one was the fact I was told it was gory. Can't agree on that part but what it did do was the fact that it was creepy as hell.

The score, the darkness, slowly gets you by the throat. And it's a slow mover that is in fact a horror but not for everyone. Can't say a thing about the story except the devil, I think, was involved.

When things go wrong it is bloody and maybe somethings are a bit gory for those not used to see a flick from the horror genre.

One to watch alone, in the dark, and just wait until the wicked comes in.

Gore 1/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

Cool poster , the first turn off possessive horror had me intrigued..sadly the film loses anyway of plot. Shame as i think there was certain symbolisms and eeriness to make something it just didn't come through.

To begin with, the visual style and background score are amazing. I love how it started; slow but slowly burning into your skins like Hereditary did. But once you reach somewhere at two-third of the movie, you realize you already know how it is going to end and you hate it. So I am, particularly, not a fan of how it ended, like on a cliffhanger and not explaining things.

'The Dark and the Wicked' is foreboding from the very start - indeed dark and rather wicked!

A Mother, Virginia, is looking after her terminally ill husband at home, refusing to let him go to hospital. Her daughter, Louise, and son, Michael, are called upon to pay their last respects before he dies. Virginia is still taking care of the chores around the house and and its starting to take its toll on her. Louise and Michael notices this, but also find it difficult having a conversation with their mother. With things not ok between the siblings, things get even worse after a tragic incident.

'The Dark and the Wicked' doesn't make use of all the regular haunted house/evil cliches; it creates new ones - and they're really creepy! This film is a tense nail-biter that keeps the viewer glued to the screen, wondering what's going to happen next. The suspense is relentless. The acting - especially Marin Ireland as Louise - is very good. Unfortunately, though, the sound wasn't that great and I couldn't always clearly hear what some of the characters were saying.

Nevertheless, if you're a genre fan, you should definitely watch 'The Dark and the Wicked'. The film certainly saved the horror and disturbing moments for the finale. I guarantee you won't be satisfied with the ending, but it's still all good. Evil comes in many shapes and sizes...

This movie is true horror, and honestly left me pretty scared for hours. If you're a horror lover that finds it hard to be scared anymore, this movie is for you. Unfortunately, it's a movie to watch once and not again. Besides being genuinely terrifying, there's just not much there. The plot and characters are just minimal enough to string something together that isn't full of distracting plot holes. However, it lacks any sort of substance to warrant watching a second time. That said, it's a truly frightening and enjoyable first watch. It will leave you scared and turning on your lights at night. Highly recommend for horror enthusiasts or if you're looking for something guaranteed to freak you out.

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.

There were some really awesome aspects to this film. You look up atmospheric in the dictionary and this film is the first thing you see. It wastes no time creating a spooky, tense air that proceeds throughout the entirety of the film. The jump scares got just a tad irksome from someone who hates them but only because I wanted to watch intently without them. However, I didn't totally mind them because the movie did not rely on them to be scary or anxiety inducing, it managed that it many other ways. The acting was also pretty stellar from everyone involved which made the whole thing that much more relatable, amping up the scary nature of the film.

I wished there was a bit more to the storyline when all was said and done. I was entertained and engaged throughout, but I don't feel like all THAT much happened. I also wasn't super crazy about the ending, felt lack luster and a bit of a cop out. Despite these two things I really enjoyed this movie and it was without a doubt creepy. Ending almost knocked it down but I give this a 6.5 rounding up to a 7. Would recommend.

IG - howlingatthemoonreviews.

Really need to be into some dark things to really get a kick out of this film. There are creepy parts but mostly just unexpected deaths and killings that dont really seem to attract the average horror film fanatic. The approach was great but the ending just didn't feel satisfying. I'd recommend to all the dark and eerie movie fans overall.

I don't normally review many movies, but this one was worth it. Its a great movie if you need to stay up late, especially if you live alone in the country like me. Loved it.

This movie is pretty devastating to be completely honest....literally nothing good comes to any of the characters so strap in for a dark, unsettling watch.

It is well acted with a few jump scares followed by true moments of terror followed by a lot of staring and standing around. I know that doesnt sound super engaging but it actually is.

Objectively speaking, its a pretty good movie (albeit derivative at times) with some decent cinematography, legit scary imagery, and a very isolated and lonely feeling throughout.

To be honest, there isnt much story here and there is pretty much no background or context to the things happening, but thats ok. Im here for the scaries and this one delivers.

Avoid if you tend to need a solid story/rationale, but if you want a dark, "paint-by-numbers" horror (but not necessarily in a bad way) movie, this one checks the boxes.

Terrible movie ending leads nowhere. Starts fine but has no turning point in the movie. Just dark

It's very hard to make a good horror movie. It's hard to scare someone when they expect to be scared. This one came really close to being fantastic. The plot itself is disturbing, and the acting is superb. The direction is good as is the pace. I just wish the plot has been somewhat more coherent and that the ending hadn't left so many loose ends to be tied. Overall, it was a very good attempt and came close to hitting a homerun. I'm not familiar with this director, but I will be looking up his films to see if there's any more movies to watch as he showed tremendous potential in this one. By the way, it's fantastic title for a horror movie!