The Wretched Witch 1998 is a fantasy novel written by Sarah Roberts. Set in the fictional land of Avendore, the story follows the life of Eliza, a young witch with a dark secret. Eliza is an outcast in her village due to her strange abilities and unusual appearance. She has always been drawn to dark magic and has been practicing forbidden spells in secret. However, one day, Eliza's secret is discovered when she accidentally causes a powerful curse to be unleashed on the village. The curse brings chaos and destruction, leaving the villagers terrified and desperate for a solution.
Ben has been “hyper aware” of the Wretched, and tells Dillon to find him if something happens. Cue the Wretched crawling into the baby’s window, killing the baby and also killing Abbie as she tries to save it. This becomes a new skin suit for the Wretched. Dillon runs to Ben’s house and hides, but the Wretched gets the kid back. A couple days later, Dillon misses his swimming lessons at Ben’s job and he is extremely worried about him. Ben runs to their house, and his dad asks “who is Dillon?” The Wretched can make people forget about their kids! This seems like a flawless plan for a murderous witch-monster-thing. Kill kids, make people forget about them. Except for Ben, who is our important main character who somehow remembers everything.
It just likes wearing humans when it needs to blend in, which makes for some unsettling moments when you don t know if who you re looking at is really who you re looking at. The Wretched is a reasonably well made horror movie, has all the typical makings of one - including a story that s pretty much put together of multiple familiarities, portions of Fright Night , The Witch , Rear Window or Disturbia , if You will , plus some body horror, and a kind of 80 s feeling that seems to have stayed more of a goal than an achievement.
The curse brings chaos and destruction, leaving the villagers terrified and desperate for a solution. In her quest to undo the curse, Eliza seeks the guidance of her mentor, Magda, a wise old witch who lives deep in the woods. Magda reveals to Eliza that her powers come from an ancient lineage of witches, known as the Wretched Witches.
The Wretched
H ow well do you know your neighbours? One of our most perturbing fears is that we never really do know these people we live alongside, and so, a slice of paranoia does no more harm than the occasional home-baked sugar treat.
Cinema has delighted in toying with our paranoia of the stranger posing as neighbour, from serial killers in The ‘Burbs (Joe Dante, 1989), Disturbia (DJ Caruso, 2007) and Summer of 84 (Francois Simmard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell, 2018), a Nazi in hiding in Apt Pupil (Bryan Singer, 1998), to those supernatural forces: witches in Rosemary’s Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968) and a vampire in Fright Night (Tom Holland, 1986). Brett and Drew Pierce’s The Wretched chooses the supernatural over the human, when teenager Ben (John-Paul Howard) learns that a witch is posing as his father’s next door neighbour.
Jerry Dandridge, first played by Chris Sarandon, then Colin Farrell in Fright Night is playful with this dynamic of the friendly neighbour one needs to be wary of, just as the helpful neighbours of Rosemary’s Baby have ominous intentions. The Wretched does not pursue this playful dynamic – following wife and mother Abbie’s (Zarah Mahler) possession, she functions as an ominous presence that terrifies her own son, and in one scene when she confronts Ben, the passive-aggressive playfulness between the pair is missing.
Knowledge of other genre works provokes the feeling that something has been lost here, that gives way to a conflict. A character who makes a strong impression, mixing the feminine maternal with the beer-drinking, hunting, buck-gutting masculine, the Pierce brothers and actress Mahler present a female character of note, wasted as a victim of possession, especially when her former self is exorcised entirely. While this is Ben’s story, there’s a regret that Abbie who is able to blur gender distinctions becomes a victim of the narrative intent, and whether unintentional subjugates woman to the adolescent male hero of the tale.
Ben essentially serves as a cog in the machine to drive the story forward – his alertness or being in the right place at the right time, along with his curiosity compelling him to discover and expose the truth. We connect with these protagonists because we see what he sees, his feelings of dismissal transferred through the screen to us. We become implicit in his determination, in spite of what the other characters believe. This is the joy of these films – a camaraderie that transcends the screen, countering the mundanity of our everyday lives, where neighbours may irritate one another, but no exciting call to action will be required.
What also bonds us with Ben is for many of us, shared experiences – the travails with adolescent love and lust, the jostling for recognition and discontentment with our place on the social hierarchy. But these stories also exploit our sympathies – characters struggling with family drama. Here in The Wretched Ben’s parents have separated, and he has to accept his father’s new girlfriend – the meeting of the end with the beginning. In recent films of adolescents confronting sinister forces, Dead Shack (Peter Ricq, 2017) and Summer of 84 both see teenagers weighed down by family tensions. In this context what it creates for young hero or group of heroes is the opportunity to empower themselves and stride towards adulthood, escaping their dependency on their parents and inability to resolve adult problems that they have only been able to passively watch unfold.
The witch is effectively creepy and while not a detraction visually, how she fits into the narrative is troublesome. A brief scene of exposition offers an insight into the witch’s mythology that even as Ben learns about his foe is not developed. A lack of development of the mythology hinders the witch from becoming something more powerful, or even for us to engage in her malevolent intentions that Ben desperately tries to thwart. The commitment to myth and folklore that lie beyond the aim to evoke fear responses would bolster the impression one has of The Wretched, giving it more clout to stay in the cultural consciousness upon its release.
Struggling to sustain the suspense of the opening scene, and hampered towards the end by a suspiciously illogical twist, The Wretched following a strong first impression, is an experience in which hopes for a seminal film of the sub-genre are dashed.
The Wretched in out on VoD on Friday, May 8th.
And I will say that "The Wretched" was a rather enjoyable and entertaining horror movie. It had that old-school style of horror feel to it. You know, like the way they used to make horror movies back in the mid- to late 80s. And that was definitely something that appealed to me.
These witches were feared and banished from Avendore centuries ago, and their dark magic has been locked away ever since. Eliza learns that she is the last descendant of the Wretched Witches, and her destiny is to embrace her powers and right the wrongs of her ancestors. With Magda's help, Eliza embarks on a dangerous journey to unlock the secrets of the Wretched Witches and ultimately break the curse. Along the way, she encounters various mythical creatures, battles dark spirits, and discovers the true nature of her magical abilities. Eliza also faces internal struggles as she grapples with the morality of using dark magic to achieve her goals. As Eliza delves deeper into the world of the Wretched Witches, she uncovers a hidden history of betrayal, power struggles, and redemption. She learns that her ancestors' actions were fueled by fear and desperation, and she begins to understand the importance of balance and responsibility in wielding magic. Eliza's journey not only becomes a physical quest but also a journey of self-discovery and personal growth. The Wretched Witch 1998 is a gripping tale of magic, adventure, and forgiveness. It explores themes of identity, redemption, and the consequences of one's actions. Sarah Roberts' vivid storytelling and imaginative world-building captivate readers from start to finish. The novel serves as a reminder that sometimes the greatest power lies within ourselves, and that even the darkest secrets can be overcome with courage and compassion..
Reviews for "The Evolution of Female Characters in 'The Wretched Witch 1998"
- John - 2 stars - "I found 'The Wretched Witch 1998' to be a disappointing film. The storyline was confusing and lacked depth. The acting seemed forced and the characters were not relatable. Overall, it felt like a low-budget production that failed to captivate and entertain."
- Sarah - 1 star - "I regret wasting my time on 'The Wretched Witch 1998'. The plot was predictable and cliché, offering nothing new to the genre. The special effects were laughable and the dialogue was cringe-worthy. I struggled to stay engaged and found myself checking the time throughout. Definitely not worth watching."
- Emma - 2 stars - "I had high hopes for 'The Wretched Witch 1998', but it ultimately fell short. The pacing was inconsistent, making it difficult to stay invested in the story. The characters lacked development and their motivations were unclear. The overall execution felt rushed and left me feeling unsatisfied. I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone looking for a quality witch-themed movie."
- David - 1 star - "What a disappointment 'The Wretched Witch 1998' turned out to be! The film was poorly produced with glaring technical errors that distracted from the viewing experience. The acting was wooden and unconvincing, making it hard to care about the characters. The plot itself was convoluted and lacking coherence, leaving me feeling confused and unsatisfied. Save yourself the trouble and skip this one."