Dubbing the tagline “Evil Never Dies”, new supernatural horror film Way of the Wicked is not exactly what it seems. Upon first glance, the film cover and title hit viewers as another possession film in the over-saturated sub-genre of horror. However, director Kevin Carraway dares to be different and strike audiences with a different approach to a mystery force of evil that lurks behind the eyes of an unsuspecting human. Featuring a solid cast of young and veteran actors including Christian Slater (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 1991, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles 1994) as Father Henry, Vinnie Jones (Snatch, X-Men: The Last Stand 2006) as John Elliot, Emily Tennant (Juno 2007) as Heather, and Jake Croker as Robbie, Way of the Wicked has a nice balance to help bring Matthew Robert Kelly’s story to life.
- Way of the Wicked still
Opening with a young boy being questioned by Father Henry after the mysterious death of another boy which was bullying him, the sense that something is not right leads one to believe this is definitely not an average kid. Fast forward five years and the audience’s attention is immediately drawn to a generally innocent teenage girl named Heather Elliot and her protective detective father John. It is clear to see that Heather and her father have a strain in their relationship, and it is later discovered that her mother tragically passed away a year prior. Still putting the pieces of their life back together after the loss, a familiar face re-enters their lives with a teenage boy by the name of Robbie. Robbie happens to be the same boy shown being questioned in the opening segment but now is all grown up. Carrying an eerie, yet engaging vibe about him, Robbie starts to rub all of the kids at school the wrong way, with exception of Heather. Heather recalls her friendship with Robbie prior to the tragic events five years early and now finds herself strangely attracted to him. While speculation surrounding Robbie begins to mount around school, it remains constant he cares for Heather and wants to protect her from others.
As this romance develops so do some more unsolved murders around town which has all fingers pointing at Robbie. Heather’s father John is being steered by Father Henry to believe Robbie has an evil inside of him which will inevitable destroy everyone including his daughter. Confused yet determined to protect his daughter, John stops at nothing to keep Robbie away from her in his efforts to resolve the murder case. Building tension and what seems to be an obvious ending, Way of the Wicked throws a curve at audiences with an unforeseen twist one has to see to believe.
- Way of the Wicked still
While Way of the Wicked is not breaking any new ground in the sense of a supernatural thriller, it also does not do a terrible job either. The story is extremely solid, the acting is very well executed, and the pace is steady enough to keep viewers attention throughout. Relying more on the element of suspense rather than ghost, demons, and gore, the film entices audiences to want to stick around until the very end and see the outcome. While this does provide for an entertaining viewing experience, the only shortcoming for those who like all loose ends tied up with their films is the unresolved conclusion. Perhaps director Carraway did so to keep the element of the unknown twisting and turning in the mind of the audience for days after seeing the film. Either way, Way of the Wicked is an interesting little film worthy of any suspenseful horror film fan’s collection. CrypticRock give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.
- Image Entertainment
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