The Wretched

The Wretched is a 2019 American supernatural horror film written and directed by the Pierce Brothers. It stars John-Paul Howard, Piper Curda, Zarah Mahler, Kevin Bigley, Gabriela Quezada Bloomgarden, Richard Ellis, Blane Crockarell, Jamison Jones, and Azie Tesfai. The film follows a defiant teenage boy who faces off with an evil witch posing as the neighbor next door. The Wretched had its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 19, 2019, and was released in drive-in theaters and through Premium VOD on May 1, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic limiting the amount of films in theaters, it became the first film since Avatar (2009) to top the box office for six consecutive weekends. Plot In 1985, Megan arrives at the home of the Gambels to babysit their daughter, Ashley. As she enters the basement, she finds Ashley being eaten by an inhuman creature in the form of Mrs. Gambel. Terrified, she attempts to escape, but Mr. Gambel shuts the door on her, trapping her down there with the creature. A strange sign is then shown to be etched on the door. In the present, 17-year-old Ben Shaw comes to live with his father, Liam, as his parents are in the middle of a divorce. Liam gives Ben a job working at the marina, where he befriends a fellow employee named Mallory. During his shift, he notices Liam kissing his co-worker, Sara, and gets angry. During a hike in the woods, Dillon, the son of Liam's neighbor, Abbie, finds a tree with the same symbol seen as that at the Gambel house. He hears what sounds like Abbie's voice coming from the tree, calling to him before the real Abbie appears behind him. As they return home, they hit a buck, and Abbie decides to bring it home with them. When Abbie attempts to gut it, putrid, black entrails spill out. Later that night, something crawls out of the buck's corpse.