The Wicked One

Director - Tory Jones (Angel, Wicked Ones)

Starring - Katie Stewart (Mom and Dad, Ambrosia), Dale Miller (Dead Moon Rising, Hell House), and Jack Norman (Blood Moon River, The Funhouse Massacre)

Release Date - 2017

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Evil exists"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I was brought on to Horror Society I soon became friends with filmmakers Ryan Stacy and Shawn Burkett.  That friendship was my introduction into what I would go on to call the indie film collective that feature several filmmakers that often work together and support each other's work.  Aside from Stacy and Burkett, the collective consists of Studio 605's Roman Jossart, Jack Norman, Brandon Prewitt and another frequent collaborator Tory Jones of Jonestown Films.  In the past I've reviewed Jones' slasher Angel and purchased his other slasher The Wicked One on blu.  I never got around to checking it out but that changed when Jones and producer Chris Gierowski asked me to review the film's follow up Wicked Ones.  I agreed but before I could I went ahead and tossed in The Wicked One.

     The film follows disgruntled siblings Trevor (Cheyenne Gordon) and Alex (Stewart) who visit their family farm for a weekend getaway.  The farm was once the site of a brutal killing but what they don't know is that the ruthless killer that went on to inspire the town's local legend has escaped the mental facility and is on his way home.

     The Wicked One is one of the movies that's been on my watch list for some time now but I never could make time for it.  It looked fun but constantly getting other movies in for review took up my movie time.  With that being said, I enjoyed it for what it is but there is several aspects that I would have done differently that would have give the movie that iconic slasher tone.  The acting in this one is decent but some of the scenes are a little forced and awkward.  The characters are not that likable so you expect them all to fall victim to the masked slasher in the film.  Their personalities are really hard for the viewer to get behind and their interactions with one another is awkward at times especially when it's the sibling pair fighting.  With that being said, I really enjoyed Norman's role as the masked killer.  This is not the first time he has donned a mask to kill people and I would argue that he has a knack for it.  The story for this one almost rides the coat tail of Rob Zombie's take on Halloween.  We follow the cliched killer who breaks out of the insane asylum only to make his way home while murdering everyone he crosses paths with.  He stumbles across a mask that he enjoys along the way and decides to wear it.  It doesn't really bring something new to the screen but what it does bring it delivers with force.  Finally, the film has several classic slasher kills.  We get some blood and solid practical effects but nothing really memorable about the kills.  They work for the story but for those looking for kills that will stick with us will be disappointed.  Overall, The Wicked One doesn't bring something new to the table but what it does bring it does effectively.  The slasher works and the cinematography has captures several amazing shots throughout the film.  It may be unoriginal but it is still fun and I highly recommend checking it out.