The second instalment of Lionsgate’s reboot of The Strangers was released last week. It’s not great – and neither was the first. We’ve got a third one to look forward to (pah!) next year too. A large part of the reason why people are so cold on them is because they don’t stand up to the original. The Strangers (2008) is probably one of the most unnerving home invasion/slasher movies to be released since the turn of the millennium. Bertino had written the screenplay but was not first choice to direct and only got the job because both Justin Lin and Mark Romanek backed out. Bertino seized his opportunity. The film made a very healthy profit and marked him out as one of horrors hottest new directorial talents (he was only 32 when The Strangers was released). However, it took six years for Bertino to make another film. Found footage flick Mockingbird (2014), had a certain level of intrigue but is generally considered a bit of a flop but two years later, he directed The Monster, which is a bit of an underseen gem if you ask us. His upward trajectory continued with 2020’s The Dark and the Wicked, a quite oppressive (and very good) occult horror. Bertino was back, baby! A truly intriguing trailer for his newest feature Vicious, starring Dakota Fanning, suggested that his run of good form may be continuing. But as we all know, trailers can sometimes be deceiving…

 

Polly (Dakota Fanning) is going through a rough patch. In her thirties and living alone in her brother’s oversized spare house (seriously, it's far too big for one person), she’s struggling financially, unable to hold down a job, and still grieving the loss of her father. She has anxiety, a smoking habit she can’t seem to shake, and a mother who still insists on calling her “babydoll.” She’s facing something of a premature mid-life crisis. The only bright spots in her life are her niece and a flicker of ambition - she’s thinking of returning to school. As Polly navigates her malaise and deflects her mother’s anxious calls about an upcoming job interview, there’s a knock at the door. On the doorstep stands an elderly woman (Kathryn Hunter), seemingly lost and disoriented. With a snowstorm raging outside, Polly invites her in to make a phone call. She settles the woman by the fire with a glass of water. The woman sets an old box on the table and says, “I’m going to start now.” Polly’s concern shifts quickly from empathy to unease when her guest announces that Polly is going to die tonight and that she won’t be able to contact anyone for help. To survive, she’s told she must place three items into the box: something she loves, something she needs, and something she hates. Polly understandably shows her (and the box) to the door. But her night of horrors is only just beginning…

 

It’s a bit of a shame Vicious hasn’t secured a theatrical release (it’s streaming on Paramount+), especially while the inferior reboot of the film that first put Bertino on the map is currently in cinemas - albeit to pretty small crowds. That’s not to suggest Vicious is a standout in this year’s horror lineup, but it’s certainly a more compelling (and cinematic) watch than Renny Harlin’s hollow imitation(s). Granted, that’s a low bar.

 

The film opens confidently. Bertino excels at giving us just enough character detail to understand our protagonists without delving too deeply into backstory. He’s more interested in crafting mood and atmosphere, an approach that pairs well with his sparse - often emotionally detached - filmmaking style. The cinematography from Tristan Nyby, who worked with Bertino on The Dark and the Wicked, is characteristically muted and melancholic too. It almost feels as if we are operating in some kind shadowy version of reality. It’s in these first 30 minutes where Vicious shines. Polly’s character is established efficiently, if loosely, in the early scenes, leaving Bertino free to do what he does best: build tension. There’s a genuine sense of the uncanny in the first act. The visitor’s arrival is handled with precision, and as Polly (and the audience) begins to sense that something is off, the film hits its stride. This momentum continues for a period as Polly begins "playing" the game, discovering its rules the hard way.

 

However, about halfway through, Vicious begins to outstay its welcome a little. The mystery and ominous atmosphere are supplanted with a growing emphasis on gore and body horror. Although this switch itself isn’t an issue, the repetitive nature of it does become a tad wearisome and from a plot persepective, it feels as if we are going in circles for a while. The rules of the game become a little muddled and our grasp of the narrative falters. Through this all, Dakota Fanning goes through the absolute wringer as she is forced to dig deep within herself to try and survive the night. The film is a bit of an endurance test for both her character and the audience. Sure, she does a LOT of crying and screaming, but so would you if you had to go through what she does. She’s received a bit of criticism for her performance from some quarters but that feels harsh; between this and The Watched, she seems to be settling into the genre with increasing confidence.

 

Vicious rallies somewhat in its final act, regaining momentum after an hour of sustained brutality. The ending may not fully satisfy - some threads remain unresolved - but it leaves the door open for a sequel. And despite its flaws, we’d be curious to see more of this twisted world Bertino has conjured up.