Marin Ireland, 2020. © RLJE Entertainment /Courtesy Everett Collection
Bryan Bertino makes dark horror movies. Sure, all horror movies are dark to some extent—but by the standards of mainstream horror, Bertino’s work stands out for its unrelenting bleakness. This is, after all, the filmmaker who gave us The Strangers.
Bertino’s latest feature, Vicious (now streaming on Paramount+), continues his fascination with suffering and fear. The film follows a woman (Dakota Fanning) who receives a mysterious box from a stranger—an object that quickly becomes a conduit for supernatural terror. It’s tense, emotionally devastating, and deeply unsettling. But believe it or not, Vicious isn’t even Bertino’s most brutal film. That title arguably belongs to his 2020 masterpiece, The Dark and the Wicked.
Set on a remote Texas farm, The Dark and the Wicked follows siblings Louise (Marin Ireland) and Michael (Michael Abbott Jr.) as they return home to care for their dying father. But grief isn’t the only force haunting their family. Something malevolent stalks the property—something, as the title promises, dark and wicked.
This is Bertino’s take on a possession story, steeped in despair and anchored by brutally human emotion. The supernatural force tormenting the family doesn’t just want to kill—it wants to destroy everything they hold dear. It’s a film about grief, guilt, and the terror of watching your family—and your sense of self—disintegrate.
What makes The Dark and the Wicked so haunting isn’t the metaphor of loss, but how tangible it all feels. Every frame drips with hopelessness. The isolation of the farm, the quiet agony of the characters, the suggestion that evil itself is simply part of living—it all builds into an experience that’s as devastating as it is unforgettable.
Even by Bertino’s standards, this is a pitch-black descent into despair—comparable to When Evil Lurks, Speak No Evil, or his own The Strangers. It’s also anchored by a career-best performance from Marin Ireland, whose work across Birth/Rebirth, The Empty Man, and Eileen has solidified her as one of the most compelling horror actors of the last decade.
When The Dark and the Wicked premiered at Fantasia Fest in 2020, Dread Central’s own Drew Tinnin called it a “near masterpiece.” It’s not for the faint of heart—but for those who can endure its horrors, it’s essential viewing.
The Dark and the Wicked is now streaming on several platforms, including Shudder.
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