In the new landscape of worldwide, pandemic-related movie house shutterings, the once nearly-completely (and literally) abandoned venue of the drive-in movie theater now seeing a rapid resurrection from near-extinction.
Film-famished fans are now flocking to the open-air (and relatively safer) screenings, in order to recapture some of the communal movie-going vibe they’ve been missing from streaming-platforms/home theaters.
Maverick distributors like IFC have bravely stepped up to the plate (at a time when the major studios are either delaying their major releases to late summer, or even next year) and knocked one out of the (car) park, gaining the top US box-office spot for 2019’s The Wretched, which has brought in an over a half-million dollars since its May 1st release over a smattering (but increasing in number) of drive-ins across the country.
The Wretched, written and directed by sibling duo, Brett and Drew T. Pierce (who also brought us 2011’s zombie-road-trip/buddy-movie/rom-com mashup, Deadheads), centers around Ben (John-Paul Howard), a teen coming to live with his divorcing father, Liam while working at the local marina (the film was shot on location in coastal northern lower-Michigan). Ben soon finds himself facing nothing less than an ancient, skin walking malevolent force that can possess people, and also seemingly erase others from existence completely.
The Pierce Brothers also have a deep connection to independent Horror films via their father, Bart Pierce, who did many of the beloved DIY FX on Sam Raimi’s original 1981 The Evil Dead (which also found huge initial success in drive-ins, since ”unrated” or “adults only” rated films were largely shunned by mainstream brick-and-mortar venues during those pre-“NC-17” days).
Will the Pierce Brothers follow the same hard-earned career arc into mainstream success as fellow Michigander Sam Raimi?
Find out more soon here, as The Movie Sleuth’s own Chris Jordan is currently hard at work on deep coverage/reviews about the key creatives behind this unique, tree-witch creepfest!!!
MR