[FANTASIA 2019] ‘THE WRETCHED’ Review

Writer/director team Drew and Brett Pierce made a horror-comedy in 2011 called Deadheads. I’ve seen that movie, yet I remember absolutely nothing about that movie. I think I’m going to have to see it again, it’s on Amazon Prime. Anyway, their follow up eight years later, on the other hand, The Wretched, has a few images seared in my brain which I will never get rid of. The Dark Mother — made of root, rock, and tree, who devours the forgotten — is the witch at the center of the story, who has a fantastic design that is shot in such a way to make it an unforgettable visual, one that can single-handed carry the movie if it needs to. It almost does, actually. The physicality, popping and slithering inside, the long claws extended, is so creepy. I’m still haunted by this character almost two weeks after seeing the film, and I’m desensitized to no end at this point…so that takes some doing.

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Ben (John-Paul Howard) spends the summer with his dad, who’s on the verge of divorce. It’s a sleepy, harbor town and while he’s trying to get his mind off his parents he’s working at a marina during the day, and by night beginning to worry that the next-door neighbor Abbie (Zarah Mahler) isn’t really who she appears to be. Ben’s lets his co-worker/love interest Mallory (Piper Curda) into the investigation while, of course, no one else believes him.

The movie shares a lot in common in terms of concepts, most obviously the paranoid thrills of Rear Window, Disturbia, The ‘Burbs, and Fright Night. The Pierce brothers don’t try to hide this or pretend like they’re just developing these ideas, they’re just executing them very cleanly and effectively in their own way. The shape-shifting creature isn’t just an “insert villain here” type, there’s a full-on backstory developed to define it for us, and that’s what really drives this thing. It’s an amalgam of witch lore from around the globe, with the Pierce brothers taking aspect they felt worked well. Indeed the idea of a monster that destroys families is a good parallel to a story about a kid dealing with divorce. But honestly, the standard teenage angst characters and familiar storyline are only here as a vessel. The actors are generally good. But the goal is obviously to deliver a frightening experience that’s really beautifully designed on a visual level. Cinematographer Conor Murphy and the Pierce brothers developed a great, very cinematic aesthetic for a low-budget feature that doesn’t look it.

Some seriously creepy moments, great practical effects, a great look, visual dynamics, lots of atmosphere, and a solid mythology make The Wretched worth your time. In doing some research I discovered the Pierce brothers’ father Bart Pierce worked on the 1981 original Evil Dead, which is pretty damn cool. The shortcomings in terms of character and conceptual originality are more than made up for by a scary time, and The Wretched come recommended. It’ll truly get under your skin.

Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any word outside of playing at Fantasia 2019 of any distribution at the moment, but keep your eyes peeled! It’s worth the wait!