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[tab title="Movie Review"]

The Wretched

Poor Ben (John-Paul Howard).  No one believes him.  No one.  And he is seeing, as he has come in for the summer to work at his Dad’s marina, a lot of strange shit that defies easy explanation.  Unfortunately, no one believes in witches anymore.

"a very twisting and witchy horror flick"


The Wretched, now on blu-ray thanks to IFC Midnight, is another in a line of recent folk horror flicks that works incredibly well thanks to its tone, its steadfast approach to earnest horror, and a setting that is both atmospheric and memorable.  This one takes the young adult approach and provides a harrowing narrative in which a troubled youth, sent to get straightened out by his father, hits the panic button when friends, neighbors, and children go missing.

His father, Liam (Jamison Jones), and his lover, Sara (Azie Tesfai), are looking forward to his visit, but as trouble has a way of following him, they must first address the elephant in the room: the accident which resulted in his arm being bound in a cast.  Ben isn’t having any of their niceties, though.  

And there’s something about the neighbors which sets him on edge.  The mother, Abbie (Zarah Mahler), brings home a deer late one night and - surprise, surprise - something crawls out from within its carcass.  Soon enough, it is devouring souls and bodies in an effort to turn everyone against Ben. The Wretched

So he winds up spending most of his time with a co-worker, Mallory (Piper Curda) at the marina,  but manages to screw that up, too, and so he takes matters into his own hands and tackles his fears deep in the woods.  

The Wretched is unsettling because we see normal people behaving rather abnormally, but in a manner which suggests that everything with them is absolutely fine.  Except it isn’t.  Not by a longshot and when that tipping point comes, well, it’s far too late to do much of anything about it . . . unless you like to burn and kill things.

Much of The Wretched’s atmospheric “fun” comes from a crackling tone which suggests this is body horror tale in the spirit of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and it works just as well as that movie (and its many remakes), thanks to a solid handling from writers/directors The Pierce Brothers, who tackle the subject matter of a wood-bound (and VERY wicked) witch with a seriousness that puts the movie completely over the edge.

Thanks to the low budget and tasteful thrills of The Wretched, a very twisting and witchy horror flick arrives on blu-ray thanks to IFC Midnight.

4/5 beers

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

The Wretched

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: IFC Films
Available on Blu-ray
- August 11, 2020
Screen Formats: 2.39:1
Subtitles
:
Audio:
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Following his parents' separation, a rebellious teenage boy, Ben, is sent to live with his father for the summer and work at the local marina in order to gain some form of discipline. The idyllic tourist town offers little solace for him, however, as he is forced to deal with the local, privileged teens and his father's new girlfriend. Ben's problems grow increasingly disturbing when he makes a chilling discovery about the family renting the house next door. A malevolent spirit from the woods has taken a hold of the parents and starts playing a sinister game of house, preying upon the children and wiping away any trace of their existence. Ben's suspicions of the supernatural horrors go unheeded and he launches a perilous crusade in order to put an end to the skin-walking witch's reign of terror. Chilling and suspenseful, The Wretched offers a modern update to the retro young hero's mission like that of The Goonies, and promises to make viewers wary of every dark corner they encounter after witnessing its terrifying tale.

Video:

IFC Midnight presents The Wretched with a solid blu-ray release.  The film looks crisp and black levels are solid throughout.  The film is presented with a 1080p widescreen presentation (2.40:1 aspect ratio) and will rattle your senses with its deep shadows, bold colors, and rich depth.  Space is important here and the screen is filled with open backgrounds that make you feel ANYTHING is possible and everything is as it seems.

Audio:

Thanks to a rich DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, every groan, bone crunch, and scream is heard.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • Interestingly enough, there are two commentaries included with this release: one with The Pierce Brothers and another with Composer Devin Burrows.

Special Features:

  • None

Blu-ray Rating:

  Movie 4/5 stars
  Video  4/5 stars
  Audio 3/5 stars
  Extras 2/5 stars

Overall Blu-ray Experience

4.5/5 stars

 

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[tab title="Film Details"]

The Wretched

MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime:
95 mins
Director
: Brett Pierce, Drew T. Pierce
Writer:
Brett Pierce, Drew T. Pierce
Cast:
John-Paul Howard, Piper Curda, Jamison Jones
Genre
: Horror
Tagline:
Something wicked wants inside.
Memorable Movie Quote: "You see anything weird outside your house, you tell me."
Theatrical Distributor:
IFC Midnight
Official Site: https://www.facebook.com/THEWRETCHEDfilm/
Release Date:
May 1, 2020 Streaming
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
August 11, 2020
Synopsis:Following his parents’ separation, a rebellious teenage boy, Ben, is sent to live with his father for the summer and work at the local marina in order to gain some form of discipline. The idyllic tourist town offers little solace for him, however, as he is forced to deal with the local, privileged teens and his father’s new girlfriend. Ben’s problems grow increasingly disturbing when he makes a chilling discovery about the family renting the house next door. A malevolent spirit from the woods has taken a hold of the parents and starts playing a sinister game of house, preying upon the children and wiping away any trace of their existence. Ben’s suspicions of the supernatural horrors go unheeded and he launches a perilous crusade in order to put an end to the skin-walking witch’s reign of terror. Chilling and suspenseful, THE WRETCHED offers a modern update to the retro young hero’s mission like that of The Goonies, and promises to make viewers wary of every dark corner they encounter after witnessing its terrifying tale.

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[tab title="Art"]

The Wretched

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