DVD Corner's blog

The Wretched Blu-ray Review

“The Wretched” isn’t quite wretched, but it certainly isn’t good either.

After his parents separate and he breaks his arm in an initially undisclosed incident, Ben stays with his father for the summer. While there, he works at a marina and begins to bond with a co-worker. Alas, this summer trip turns out to be anything but pleasant as strange things begin to happen with the next door neighbors. It seems an evil creature has infiltrated the family and is also preying upon others. What exactly is it and can Ben stop it?

Written and directed by the Pierce Brothers, the indie horror film “The Wretched” became a bit of a drive-in hit during the quarantine earlier this year, but now it has hit home video. I can see why the movie has had appeal as it is overly familiar horror fare that feels like a cross between “Stranger Things,” “Rear Window,” and “The Blair Witch Project.” Unfortunately, its familiarity is also precisely the reason why the movie doesn’t work as the entirety feels like a mix of ripoffs and cliches. Sure, it has a brisk pace, atmospheric shooting locations, and some jump scares that may appeal to horror junkies, but that’s not enough. Tonally, the movie is all over the place (the distracting score doesn’t help matters either) which makes the movie feel like it’s having an internal crisis. It’s never as scary as it could be or perhaps wants to be. Part of that is due to the fact that the creature’s mythology is not explored nearly enough. I get wanting to make it a bit mysterious, but there needed to be more history or background on it to make it even more unsettling.

The acting is largely suspect at best with no real names in the cast here. John Paul-Howard is miscast as Ben and is simply not leading man material. The best performances here come from Piper Curda (Mallory) and Zarah Maler (Abbie) who plays the neighbor that becomes compromised. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.40:1 1080p. How does it look? The print is pristine (especially for a horror film).

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? A perfectly effective audio track.

Extras include IFC Film trailers, a trailer for “The Wretched,” a commentary by the Pierce Brothers and another commentary by film composer Devin Burrows.

August 3, 2020 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Horror Movie, IFC Films, The Wretched Blu-ray Review, The Wretched Movie