Bryan

Have you seen: The Witch (2015), Hereditary (2018) and The Lodge (2019) I'm reading all the reviews for this movie and I am in disbelief that there are real life people who actually enjoy these films. I get it--different strokes for different folks--but still, If you have seen at least one of these movies, you've pretty much seen all of them. They're slow, boring and, ultimately, unfulfilling by the time the credits roll. TLDR: Your time is better spent elsewhere. My Suggestions: The Babadook (2014) I Saw the Devil (2010) We Need to talk about Kevin (2011) You're Next (2011) The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) Don't Breathe (2016) I See You (2019) The Empty Man (2020) My family and I love watching horror/thriller films. I don't get a lot of time to watch movies with my family but, when I do, I expect that they are entertaining or thought provoking enough to warrant further discussion after the film. We decided to go and see the film because of all the advertisements and hype (from pretty much every facet of media you can imagine) that swear on their momma that this is one of the scariest films ever! Yeah, yeah, I hear that all the time...it's the #1 New York Times Bestseller dilemma. Shame on me for falling for it...again. The Dark and the Wicked shares the very same [A24] elements that encompass this "higher class, thought-provoking and cerebral" genre of horror films; which, unless you're into nihilism and gratuitous self-mutilation, you're better off avoiding this one AND the rest of the films mentioned previously. The following list will indicate the ingredients chosen to create the perfect little girl: A theme: (paranoia, family mental illness, isolation) A hopeless ending Bleak, but "beautiful" Cinematography Dragged out panning scenes of something unsettling And, most notably, SLOW BURNS This film is the latest entry of these A24-like films that centers itself around a single family and hospice care. None of these family members keep in regular contact with one another, which is indicated in the earlier scenes of the movie. As the film progresses, the film is attempting to tell the story of how a family can further be drifted apart when taking care of a sick family member which is a real thing for a lot of families, including my own. All of this is pretty much under the guise of your typical "and bad things happen" when ghosts and demons arrive. I'll admit, the scenes can be tense and unsettling. That's pretty much it. You just feel uncomfortable for a few seconds before it jump cuts into the next day. It's sad to say that some of the "scares" were outright laughable. The story is being told in a timeline of a typical week with nothing but black screen and white letters that tell you what day it is. Another common positive that I have heard ad nauseam about this film and these types of films is the cinematography. I'm not a movie critic or a film student. Chances are: neither are you. Beautiful cinematography, beautiful set pieces...these terms don't mean jack to the typical audience especially when that's all that's going for it. If you want to get off to a movie with beautiful cinematography, watch The Revenant (2015). At least with this movie you can see how hard Leonardo DeCaprio fought for his first ever Oscar win. I don't want to bash this film any further because I'm not one to beat a dead lamb. The musical score was the one unique thing of this film. The actors do their job, but the pacing department needs a little work. Don't believe the hype. Your time is more valuable than this.