Reviews
Vicious
When Vicious was suddenly pulled from the theatrical release calendar just three months before its premiere, with no new date in sight, I assumed it would vanish into the abyss, never to be seen again. When Paramount later announced in August that it would debut straight to streaming in October, I was curious to see what had become of it, though I feared the worst. Having now watched it, I have to admit that, despite not being particularly memorable, it might have deserved that theatrical release over several other horror movies this year.
Coming from writer and director Bryan Bertino, known for the 2008 film The Strangers, I had high hopes. Bertino has a way of creating terrifying atmospheres while embedding deeper themes of self-loathing, sacrifice, and the will to survive, a quality that runs throughout almost the entire movie.
At the beginning we are introduced to Polly, a woman in her thirties who, by all appearances, is portrayed as a bit of a loser. Alone in a ridiculously large house, she receives a knock at the door from an old lady played by Kathryn Hunter. Despite what looks like a freshly amputated finger and the creepy wooden box she carries, Polly invites her inside, and this is where the chaos begins. Hunter’s character explains that Polly must place into the box something she hates, something she needs, and something she loves, or she will not survive the night. It is an eerie warning to receive from a stranger who has just entered your home.
Once Polly casts the elderly visitor out, the real horror begins. The box appears to be possessed by a spirit that can take the form of anyone or anything it chooses, often appearing as Polly’s loved ones while she struggles to gather the required items. The spirit judges whether each object truly represents what she hates, needs, and loves, and increasingly obnoxious jump scares occur whenever her sacrifices fail to meet its mysterious standards.
The first two acts build on the intrigue of the premise, often creating moments of genuine tension and, at times, real fear. These are undoubtedly the strongest parts of the movie as Polly moves from stage to stage completing the task at hand. Be warned, there is more than enough in the first hour to make even the heartiest of viewers a little squirmish.
The final act, however, falls flat as the rules of the game suddenly become murky. The core messaging feels confused, losing sight of what made Polly the target in the first place. The conclusion undermines much of what came before and will likely be what the film is remembered for. It is somewhat ironic that the ending is such a letdown compared to the first two acts, as the same issue occurred in Dakota Fanning’s previous outing in the largely forgettable The Watchers.
Speaking of Fanning, in a movie where most of the runtime is spent with a single character confined to her home, the film succeeds or fails based on her performance. Once again, she rises to the occasion. If there is anything truly redeemable in Vicious, it is her performance, which proves she is more than capable of carrying a feature-length film and meeting the challenge head-on.
Ultimately, due to its loss of focus and the tension that had been carefully built beforehand, Vicious devolves into an exercise in self-harm and mutilation reminiscent of Saw, rather than offering anything particularly memorable or worth revisiting
