Update: Watch our half-hour interview with The Pierce Brothers about The Wretched here.
COVID-19 has made 2020 a pretty terrible year for most things, and movies are certainly no exception. With most upcoming films either pushed back or sent to streaming instead of theaters, with most in-production projects being delayed or shelved for the foreseeable future, and with both chain and indie theaters facing the possibility of bankruptcy, almost all of the movie-related news that we've been getting has been pretty bad. But in the midst of all that, there has been one genuinely awesome, inspiring success story, which has shown us that it is possible for a film to flourish and break new ground even in this strange new world. The Wretched, the new horror film from IFC Midnight, written and directed by The Pierce Brothers, has become the wildly unlikely #1 box-office champion in America for four weekends and counting; an unexpected underdog story of an indie genre film triumphing when Hollywood is down for the count.
With multiplexes closed until who knows when, and drive-in theaters clamoring for content after most studio movies have been pulled from the schedule, this horror film shot in and around Traverse City, Michigan has claimed its rightful place as the drive-in movie king, and in topping the American drive-in box-office, it has topped the American theatrical box-office at large. It is only appropriate: drive-ins are the natural habitat for independent horror, and they are where countless genre classics like Dawn of the Dead and The Evil Dead (on which the Pierce Brothers' dad was one of the special effects artists) first rose to fame. And of course, the success is very well-deserved because The Wretched is very good. It is a very creepy occult horror movie, a tense and well-crafted suspense film, and a well-told coming-of-age tale all in one, and Brett and Drew Pierce balance those tones and styles excellently. The film opens at drive-ins in Michigan this weekend, and is already playing at drive-ins in other states, as well as streaming on Amazon Prime. However you choose to see it, this is highly recommended viewing to get away from COVID for a while.
17-year-old
Ben (John-Paul Howard) is having a hard time with his parents'
divorce, and after getting into some trouble, he goes to spend the
summer with his dad in the Northern Michigan lakeside town he moved
to after the breakup. But amid the usual summer jobs, parties, and
awkward attempts at teenage romance, creepy things are happening, and
he starts to suspect that something strange and supernatural is going
on, and that his dad's next-door neighbor has been possessed by a
demon. A “dark mother” that feeds on children, and then erases
the memories of those children from the world to cover its tracks.
The premise draws inspiration from Rear Window
(only without the element of confinement) in a teen-focused-thriller
kind of way that recalls the very good, and quite underrated,
Disturbia, with a dash of Fright Night and an
occult-horror twist. The execution is equal parts horror and
thriller, relying more on well-built suspense and tension than
visceral scares, but providing some really good visceral scares too.
The opening scene packs a punch, and drops the viewer right in to
supernatural horror territory, before dialing things back, using most
of the first act to really develop the film's core characters, and
then ramping up the suspense and supernatural overtones in a way that
makes the horror feel really earned when it is unleashed.
The filmmakers have
created a very memorable supernatural world, developing enough
mythology and creepy occult iconography around their child-stealing
villain to really set it apart from horror cinema's other demonic
possessors. The marketing from IFC Midnight refers to the creature as
a witch, but that seems too reductive. The “dark mother,” as the
film calls it, feels like some combination of witch, evil fairy, and
skin-walker; very much its own beast, with elements of folklore and
dark fairytale mixed in with the straightforward horror. They bring
it to life with mostly practical effects, which are excellent. The
creature itself is very well-designed and creepy, and the filmmakers
make it even creepier by hiding it mostly in darkness, showing just
enough. The film also has a few moments of fairly outlandish, very
well-executed practical gore. The Pierce Brothers' father was one of
the special effects artists on the original Evil Dead, and the
filmmaker duo certainly make good on that legacy of impressive
practical horror effects here. But that said, this movie is
ultimately defined not by in-your-face effects work, but by
well-crafted suspense and atmosphere; the effects enhance the film
and provide strong payoffs, but they are not the reason the movie
exists, and it is ultimately a better movie for it.
The Wretched
is a very well-shot film which makes excellent use of its Traverse
City locations, capturing their picturesque beauty by day, and making
the dark woods, empty fields, and far-stretching waters ominous and
sinister by night. Brett and Drew Pierce craft the atmosphere and
build the tension with a sure hand, showing themselves to be very
impressive filmmakers. For plenty of viewers, this will be their
first exposure to the brothers from Royal Oak, Michigan (now based in
LA), since this is their first really big feature. But some,
particularly those from the Detroit-area cult film scene, may know
them from their two previous indies. 2002's micro-budget Dead/Undead
never actually got home media distribution in America (though it did
in Germany, oddly enough), but it got some attention at Detroit
screenings, including a positive (if very snarky) review from Bruce
Campbell that gave the brothers some cult film cred, which they built
on with their second feature. 2011's Deadheads saw them hone
their craft, and make a very impressive indie with a larger (though
still small) budget. A zombie buddy-road-trip-comedy, Deadheads is
a very funny, clever film which deserved a lot more attention than it
got, and introduced the Pierce Brothers as very promising filmmakers
to look out for. Nine years later, The Wretched has made good
on that promise. This film sees them truly come into their own as
directors, delivering a mature major-distributor debut that shows
what magic the brothers can work with a larger budget. Between how
good this film is, and how successful it has been, I think it is safe
to say that the Pierce Brothers have arrived as horror auteurs with a
name that genre fans will know from now on. It is well-deserved.
The Pierce Brothers
have said that with The Wretched, they wanted to make a
perfect summer horror movie, and between its setting and its drive-in
success, I would certainly say that they succeeded. It may start with
some familiar elements, but it blends them in a way that feels very
much like its own thing, and features a horror mythology and
otherworldly villain that are very unique and memorable. With the
movie opening on drive-in screens in its home state this weekend, and
available to rent on Prime for those who want to stay home, this is
highly recommended viewing for this most unusual summer season.
Score:
- Christopher S. Jordan
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