Funny, tense, and violent; the filmmakers behind The Wretched have certainly taken what they have learned from classics of the genre and applied it with great effectiveness to their own film. The film is littered with typical horror film traits, some of which many would consider clichéd, but uses them to superb effect. Some of your fondest memories of 70s and 80s horror movies will be reinvigorated after a viewing of Daniel B. Iske’s The Wretched. There’s the classic campfire ghost story, the suspenseful shower scene, and many bloody deaths; in fact, we could all have easily have been watching a film from the 70s or 80s.
Amidst a slur of zombie films, typical teen-slashers, and torture porn, The Wretched comes as a breath of fresh air. The plot revolves around a group of students who have gone to an abandoned farm to do soil studies. What they don’t know is that the land that they’re on is cursed, though this comes to their attention soon enough when one of their own starts offing the rest of the group. The tension builds up beautifully as we are slowly made aware of the secrets of the curse as each one of the group is savagely killed off. The films strongest aspect is the cast, who share great chemistry and bounce off of each other genuinely well. Their characters are effectively built through humourous, fast-paced dialogue, and are easily identifiable. The writing is spot on, and each character’s reaction to the events of the film comes across as very realistic. This all helps the film to move along effortlessly.
Rather than relying on the usual ‘jump’ scares that have taken over modern horror, The Wretched instead focuses more on atmosphere, and the slow build-up of tension. This is made better by a harrowing score that is very reminiscent of genre classics such as Halloween and Nightmare On Elm Street. It all feels very intense and hardly lets up throughout.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Considering its budget, The Wretched is a very well made movie and a worthwhile viewing experience. Ultimately, as is often the case with horror films, it won’t be to everyone’s taste, but in a sub-genre that shows no sign of improving in terms of Hollywood releases, Indie flicks seem to be the way forward and this is certainly amongst the better ones in recent years.
