The Dark And The Wicked is a glumly creepy rural set horror film, which is shot through with moments of effectively jarring terror and sudden bloody brutality. The 2020 picture is the fourth film from writer/director Bryan Bertino- who is most known for his creepy and unsettling house invasion film The Strangers. Here from Acorn Media is a Blu Ray release of the film.

The Dark And The Wicked is certainly a wearily paced and hope sucking film- which is heady with stark intent, and nihilistic intensity. Once again Bertino wrote/ directed the film, and like with The Strangers he’s managed to capture a feeling of rural isolation. But it’s much deeper/ wider here, as he creates a stark and grey world of claustrophobic rundown rooms and large skied grimness, that is peopled by tired and troubled characters.
 
The film is largely set on a miles-from-anywhere American sheep farm. It’s run by an ageing and world-weary couple David Straker(Michael Zagst) who is bed-bound and slowly dying, and his troubled wife Virginia(Julie Oliver-Touchstone). The pair’s grown-up children, bearded and ragged Micheal (Michael Abbott Jr.), and hollowed eyed and washed-out Louise( Marin Ireland) , return to the homestead to see their father in his die days, and comfort their mother. From the off, it seems something has been visiting the farm affecting first the animals- then David and Virginia. We never formal see what it is- but Bertino creates a feeling of deep unsettlement and mental unhinged-ment each time the presence drifts in and out, like a doomed yet invisible sea.
 
I won’t detail the plots unfold more, as I guess like the film's tone it’s fairly stripped back. The films grim trudge is pittered by moments of jarring and nervy jangling terror, and brutally intense violence taking in a nasty finger chopping, throat slicing’s, etc. Though don’t come into the film expecting loads of fake jump scares or prolonged gore- as each scare/ moment of violence is skilful and well placed. The Dark And The Wicked is well made, though terminally bleak example of the horror genre- so certainly not for those looking blood laced popcorn fare, but if you're looking for a slow if compelling trudge into darkness and horror this film will be for you.
 
 
Moving on this Blu Ray release on Acorn Media, and this region two locked disc. On the extras side we get a Q&A with two leads, this last around thirty-eight minutes- and as you’d imagine with an interview of this length the two go into quite a lot of depth about how they got involved with the film, it’s filming/ on-set stories, etc.
 

The Dark And The Wicked will certainly appeal to those who enjoy slow burn and glum horror cinema. It’s very much a film that slowly but surely settles into your marrow, causing at first slight unsettlement, then real unease and dread- shot through with moments of sheer terror.