The Wretched

Folklore stories can be found worldwide, in many different shapes and told in different ways. In some countries they take folklore stories very seriously. Let´s bring up one example of Hungarian folklore, where they believe in ghosts of the forest in Middle World, where you can find female sellö ( mermaid ) who lives in water, and has a human torso with the tail of a fish. Sounds pretty interesting right ? The movie industry loves folklore stories, and have told several different stories from different countries. One of the films that i personally feel did a good job, telling a story based on a folklore, is the 2002 film known as The Mothman Prophecies. Directed by Mark Pellington ( who also directed the short film Destination Anywhere, inspired by the Jon Bon Jovi solo album of the same name ), this film tells the story of reporter John Klein ( played by legendary actor Richard Gere ), who researches the legend of the Mothman ( a West Virgina folklore, a creature that was reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area from November 12, 1966, to December 15, 1967 ). He is sent to cover a news piece and ends up in Point Pleasant, where there have been sightings of an unexplained phenomena. The Mothman Prophecies is actually one of my personal favourite Richard Gere films, since this is a very different film in his career, and he actually works well in a horror film. And as a horror film based on a folklore story, this film actually manage to combine this into the story. If you want to see Richard Gere in one of his better films from the early 2000´s, then i suggest you pick up The Mothman Prophecies on DVD or Blu Ray. Earlier this year i saw the trailer for the horror film The Wretched, that seemed to have folklore vibes. And this film also seemed to have practical effects, something that i really love. I finally got a chance to check out this film on Blu Ray, so is The Wretched better than i expected, or is this another horror release that you might as well avoid and see The Mothman Prophecies instead ?

in 1985, Megan ( Sydney Mikelle ) arrives at her home of the Gambels to babysit their daughter. In the basement, she finds a creature feeding on the little girl. Terrified, she tries to escape, but Mr. Gambel ( Tug Coker ) purposely shuts the door on her. A strange sign is shown on the door. In the present, Ben ( John-Paul Howard ) comes to live with his father Liam ( Jamison Jones ) as his parents are in the middle of a divorce. Liam gives Ben a jon working at the marina, where he befriends Mallory. He notices Liam kissing a co-worker Sara ( Azie Tesfai ). In the woods, Dillon ( Blane Crockarell ), the son of Liam´s neighbor Abbie ( Zarah Maller ) finds a tree with the same symbol seen at the Gambel house. Dillon hears a voice that sounds like Abby´s voice coming from a tree, Calling to him before Abbie appears. They bring a buck home that they hit, as Abbie try to butcher it. That night something crawls out of the buck, that no one have seen before....

There is especially one thing that i have to say to the film crew of The Wretched, and that is that they have done a wonderful job with this film, on a technical level. This film looks good considering the budget, and the creature is actually effective from a horror perspective. I have to say that the folklore connection in this film, is also one detail that i especially appreciate. It helps you understand the creature, and what it is that she wants. One thing that surprised me about The Wretched, is that i felt that this film might have been inspired by the 1985 horror classic Fright Night. Not that there are any vampires in The Wretched, but the scenes where the character Ben ( played by actor John-Paul Howard ) watch one of his neighbors known as Abbie ( played by actress Zarah Mahler ), definetely feels inspired by Tom Holland´s 1985 classic. I could be wrong, but i do appreciate the effort. Speaking of characters, i feel that there is a mixed bag here. The most interesting characters, are actually the female characters Mallory ( played by actress Piper Curda ) and Abbie ( who i mentioned earlier ). Especially the character of Abbie, who is one bad ass mother from the beginning, who clearly knows how to handle herself. Mallory is charming in her own way, as she helps kids in a sort of a sailing school. As the film starts to go deeper into the mystery, surrounding this creature, you get a bigger picture of the folklore story. The creepy sound effects, with the moving creature, is something that i actually felt worked better than i expected. Is this a perfect horror film ? No, but with everything that The Wretched have to offer, i feel that you can´t be dissappointed. If you are a fan of creature horror films, then you simply have to check this film out. Directors Brett Pierce and Drew T. Pierce, also known as The Pierce Brothers, delivers a horror film that not only looks good, but brings back the creature effects back on it´s feet, in a positive way. The Wretched is a great choice this autumn, if you are thinking about getting a DVD or Blu Ray, and i guarantee that you will have a cozy evening.

Rating: DDD