I had been hearing good things about The Dark and The Wicked ever since it was released. I didn’t really know much about it until I finally watched it. What made me finally watch was the movie account on Twitter replied to me mentioning that I needed to watch it with a line from the movie. The line was ominous by itself but is pretty terrifying after seeing the movie.
The Dark and The Wicked was written and directed by Bryan Bertino. This was the third movie of his that I’ve seen, and I think its his best movie. The way he tells this story hits you in the gut. The way the cinematography is used makes the movie feel incredibly stark and adds to the desolate feeling of the movie. Everything kind of works together with the performances of the cast to make the movie have a hopeless feel to it.
Marin Ireland, Michael Abbott Jr., Xander Berkeley, Lynn Andrews, Julie Oliver-Touchstone, Michael Zagst, Tom Nowicki, and Ella Ballentine have to do some heavy stuff in The Dark and The Wicked. Marin Ireland does amazing in this incredibly heavy role. Most of the emotional weight of the movie is placed on her shoulders. Michael Abbott Jr. also had to deal with some heavy stuff alongside Ireland. The rest of the cast is good but both Abbott Jr. and Ireland do the most in the movie.
I don’t know how much of the effects are practical or computer generated, which shows how good they are. The effects are so incredibly effective that I was amazed by them. The only effect that I’m pretty sure were practical was the one for the fingers getting chopped, which has always made me cringe ever since seeing Soldier. The music from Tom Schraeder adds that extra little bit to the movie. The score increases the dread and tension throughout the movie that its taken up an extra level.
The Dark and The Wicked was a tension filled movie that had me on the edge of my seat almost the entire time. This is another Shudder original movie that I enjoyed so much. This is another movie that lived up to what I had heard about it. The Dark and The Wicked is streaming on Shudder and AMC +. I give The Dark and The Wicked 9 pocketknives out of 10.
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