Now Stream a Hidden Horror Gem From the Director of ‘The Strangers’ Called “The scariest movie in decades”
With The Strangers: Chapter 1 out in theaters, you might be looking for something to scratch the same itch as Bryan Bertino’s original home invasion classic. If Mary Beth McAndrews’ review is anything to go by, Chapter 1, “a generic and boring slasher with a fundamental misunderstanding of its source material,” probably isn’t it.
Instead, you might consider Bertino’s 2020 shocker The Dark and the Wicked, a haunted house movie that retains the austere and stripped-down terror of The Strangers. You can catch it streaming now on Shudder. Check out a trailer and synopsis below:
Per Shudder: On a secluded farm, a man is bedridden and fighting through his final breaths while his wife slowly succumbs to overwhelming grief. Siblings Louise and Michael return home to help, but it doesn’t take long for them to see that something’s wrong with Mom—something more than her heavy sorrow. Gradually, they begin to suffer a darkness similar to their mother’s, marked by waking nightmares and a growing sense that an evil entity is taking over their family.
In our review out of the 2020 Fantasia Fest, we said, “The horror is unrelenting but in that wide-eyed, mouth agape sort of way,” and I can’t think of a better way to conceptualize the onslaught of truly disturbing scares Bertino delivers with The Dark and the Wicked. He gamely matches the palpable terror of The Strangers’ axe through the door or killer in the kitchen beats throughout. Bertino, one of my favorite horror directors working today (check out The Monster if you haven’t yet), knows how to get under an audience’s skin. The Dark and the Wicked is subtle yet effective.
In fact, it was one of my favorite horror movies of 2020. At the time, I wrote, “Bryan Bertino’s The Dark and the Wicked, in terms of sheer visceral thrills, is undoubtedly the scariest movie of the year.” It really is as scary as The Strangers, maybe even more so. Don’t just take my word for it, however. Check out what some fans have had to say over the years:
What do you think? Are you a fan of The Dark and the Wicked? How does it measure up to The Strangers for you? Let me know over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
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