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Movies: Vicious (2025) by Bryan Bertino: The Horrors Contained in a Haunted Gift

  • Writer: dailyentertainment95
    dailyentertainment95
  • 2 hours ago
  • 5 min read

A Contained Supernatural Horror Thriller Vicious is an American supernatural horror film with a runtime of 1 hour and 38 minutes and an R rating for strong bloody violence, grisly images, and language. Written and directed by Bryan Bertino (known for The Strangers), the film follows Polly (Dakota Fanning), a woman who is thrust into a terrifying, night-long battle for her existence. The catalyst is a mysterious gift—a haunted object—delivered by a late-night visitor, leading Polly down a "rabbit hole" of paranoia, terror, and self-mutilation.

Why to watch this movie: The Return of a Horror Auteur

  • The Director's Pedigree: Bryan Bertino is the director of the modern horror classic The Strangers. Fans of his minimalist, dread-inducing style will be drawn to this new work, which promises the same slow-burn, atmospheric terror.

  • Atmospheric, Contained Horror: The film uses a contained setting (mostly one woman in one night) to generate intense, claustrophobic dread. It relies on atmosphere and psychological tension rather than excessive jump scares, creating an unnerving experience.

  • Dakota Fanning's Intense Performance: Dakota Fanning takes on a demanding, central role as the terrorized protagonist. Her committed performance, despite some critical debate about the character's relentless distress, is crucial in selling the film's high-stakes horror.

  • A New "Haunted Object" Trope: The film attempts to put a fresh, disturbing spin on the "haunted object" subgenre, using a mysterious gift to drive its escalating demands for sacrifice and pain.

What Trend is followed?: The Elevated Body Horror Thriller Vicious aligns with the "elevated body horror thriller" trend. This subgenre uses supernatural threats not just for scares, but to inflict psychological and physical torment that is often self-inflicted or focused on the violation of the human body.

  • Psychological and Physical Torture: The plot—where the haunted object demands self-mutilation (cutting off fingers and toes)—is a clear hallmark of the body horror trend, focusing on the character's desperation and physical compromise.

  • Emphasis on Mood and Sound: Like other "elevated" horror films, the director prioritizes a lingering sense of dread and atmosphere over action. The sound design is crucial, although, in this case, critics noted the protagonist's "gasp-cry" sounds were sometimes overwhelming.

  • The Monstrous as Metaphor: The film uses the mysterious "rabbit hole" and the haunted gift as a metaphor for trauma, guilt, or addiction, where the horror is internal and deeply personal.

Director's Vision: Minimalist, Sustained Terror

  • Concept Stretched Thin: Director Bryan Bertino's vision is to take a simple, terrifying concept—a woman alone battling a haunted box—and sustain that terror over a full feature length. His goal is to create a sense of relentless, escalating dread.

  • Ambiguity and the Unknown: The director deliberately leaves the source and nature of the haunted box unexplained. This creative choice is part of Bertino's signature minimalist approach, aiming to make the monster scarier by keeping it mysterious and focusing only on its effect on the protagonist.

  • Focus on Practical Elements: The film's R-rating for strong bloody violence and "grisly images" suggests a focus on effective practical effects to make the body horror moments feel grounded and truly disturbing.

Themes: Sacrifice, The Unknown, and Existential Struggle

  • Sacrifice and Self-Mutilation: The film's core theme revolves around the demands of the haunted object: "Give it something you hate, something you need, something you love." This explores the terrifying moral calculus of what a person will sacrifice for their existence.

  • The Unexplained Terror: The film embraces the theme of the unexplained and existential dread. The mystery of the box and the old woman who delivers it is left unsolved, making the horror feel like a sudden, irrational intrusion of cosmic or supernatural malice.

  • Contained Survival: The narrative is a pure survival story contained within a single night and a single space, focusing on the desperate, moment-by-moment struggle for life against an unseen enemy.

Key success factors: Director's Style and Lead Actress

  • Dakota Fanning’s Central Role: Fanning carries the entire emotional weight of the film, and her sustained performance of fear and desperation is a major factor in the film’s intensity.

  • The Haunted Object Trope: The film capitalizes on the enduring popularity of the "haunted object" horror subgenre, which has a loyal following from franchises like Hellraiser and The Conjuring.

  • Bryan Bertino's Reputation: Despite mixed reviews, the director's track record ensures the film is a major event for horror fans who appreciate his specific style of slow-burn, realistic terror.

Awards and Nominations: No Awards or Nominations Available As of now, the film has no listed awards or nominations.

Critics reception: Respectful of Craft, Mixed on Effectiveness Vicious has received a mixed critical reception, with a Metascore of 56 out of 100. Critics are generally respectful of the craft and director's intent but are divided on whether the minimalist concept is sustained effectively over the film's runtime.

Reviews: Highly Polarized and Divisive User reviews are highly polarized and divisive, indicating a strong difference of opinion among horror fans.

  • Negative User Reviews: Critics slammed the film for being "Not Good," a "waste of time," and consisting of little more than "Dakota Fanning cry for an hour." Many felt the concept was "stretched too thin" and lacked clear answers.

  • Positive User Reviews: Supporters found it to be a "Much better than expected" and "Above average 'haunted object' movie." They praised the "good acting, art direction, and tight pacing" that created an atmosphere worthy of a watch.

What Movie Trend film is following: The Minimalist Terror Narrative The film follows the trend of the "minimalist terror narrative," where a single, simple, and often domestic setting is used to generate maximum psychological horror. This trend prioritizes character reaction and the atmosphere of dread over sprawling plots or complex lore, finding the most intense horror in the home.

What Big Social Trend is following: The Fear of Unexplained Malevolence The film taps into the social trend of the fear of unexplained malevolence—the modern anxiety that terror can strike without reason, logic, or clear origin. The mysterious, unexplained nature of the haunted gift reflects a broader societal anxiety about threats that cannot be identified, understood, or rationally fought.

Final Verdict: A Test of Endurance for Horror Fans Vicious is a highly polarizing film. It will appeal intensely to fans of Bryan Bertino's signature minimalist, slow-burn horror who appreciate ambiguity and atmosphere over plot explanation. However, general audiences and fans of conventional horror may find its relentless focus on a single character's psychological breakdown and its lack of clear resolution to be frustrating. It is a bold, challenging horror entry that is ultimately a test of endurance and taste.


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