Something Wicked

I must sadly warn my fellow horror/thriller fans to keep away from this release. If you are looking for a good and scary time filled with suspense you will be disappointed. It is actually impossible to even accept the basic setup for several reasons. While the cinematography is arguably one notch over a passable High School project, everything else pulls the movie down into an amateur ditch – it sinks even lower than many of the other unfortunate horror-releases of newer time. The direction is awful and the acting is really quite terrible. The script problems are obvious and nothing has been done to attempt to fix cringe-worthy plot holes. It really makes no sense. The movie is also full of hand-me-down elements from many previous horror movies, and it does a remarkably terrible job copying them. Something Wicked boils down to an unengaging experience due to the general poor quality, and it is not worth neither time nor money. It is particularly sad to see the last rolls of film of the late Brittany Murphy, which, without a doubt, was the only reason that this was ever released. Murphy looks tired, strung out – and it can be argued that it is in poor taste to publish this unfinished and confused nonsense in her wake. I think this movie is cursed. If this is the case it may be a good horror movie after all. But it is still a three... Stay clear of this release, friends!

I decided to see this film not because it was the last of Brittany Murphy's - unfortunately short - career, but rather because I was an appreciator of horror in general. However, I wasn't surprised by what I found: another cheap film, with all the faults of the genre, but at least capable of entertaining us for a while.

The film begins with a couple who try, after a terrible accident that kills her parents, to move their relationship forward and prepare for their wedding. It turns out that, as the date approaches and all the preparations are made, the bride begins to feel that she is being chased by something, or someone, and that she is in danger.

The film is unremarkable, has a very worn script and doesn't bring anything new. The feeling is that we've seen the same thing, much better, before. The most usual horror clichés are also very present. The ending is pretty good, but I'm not sure if it's really worth the effort to see the rest of the movie. It will never be a memorable film, but if we want a film that entertains us for a while without having to think too hard, I think it meets the requirements. Darin Scott's direction is erratic and boring, and the script by Joe Colleran and Joseph Mungra is basic and uninteresting.

Shantel VanSanten is the protagonist in the role of the young bride. She's beautiful, she's sexy, but she's not particularly remarkable or has shown any remarkable talent, just doing what really needs to be done. It may be little, but it was what she needed to shine in this movie. Brittany Murphy, far from the heyday of her career, hit rock bottom here, with a minor role in a forgettable movie. And while it's not a film cut out for male actors to stand out, I think John Robinson and James Patrick Stuart did a satisfying job and are good additions to the cast.

Technically, it's a film that has very little to present to us. Being a low-budget film, there are no great effects or cinematic gimmicks here, nor an amazing soundtrack. Nothing. Cinematography, which would perhaps be the technical aspect with the greatest propensity to stand out, is tiring, uninteresting and does not bring anything really good or worthy of note.

This is a bad movie. It took years to get released and there is a reason for this. It is truly bad. The acting is terrible. Everyone in it is truly bad. It is filmed like a cable movie. Both the direction and cinematography are amateurish. Even the editing looks like something out of "The Room," which is the movie this most reminded me of. But where "The Room" became a midnight movie laugh fest, one which its creator now insists was intended to be a dark comedy, "Something Wicked" takes itself very seriously. Which makes it all the worse when you are laughing out loud at how bad it is. The only thing redeeming is the ending - and it is not worth the trouble of sitting through this piece of junk.

Do you sometimes get thew feeling after a few scenes this is going to be a letdown of a movie?

Well this one is. The plot is predictable, the acting is so bad you can almost smell through the screen how rotten it is at moments, story not at all logical and connected. Like the movie was rushed for some reason.

You get quite many moments when you ask yourself "What????" and not in a good way. Nothing seems to fit although you know what will happen watching the first 30 minutes.

Not a tribute to Murphy... The rest of her movies were pretty watchable... well just not the way to go. Wish it did not make the movie theaters, honestly.

I am surprised that some of the reviews are so damning of this film.

OK - its not a classic, but it isn't absolutely dire either.

The storyline is excellent and you never know what the whole story is until right at the end - which was something I didn't really expect until the last 5 or 10 minutes.

It is worth watching provided you don't have any expectations.

The only thing I didn't like about the film was the casting of John Robinson in the key male role. He is too effeminate to be credible. The role needed someone who could play the age but also have something interesting about them. He was just bland from start to finish.