As always, my Best Of list isn’t just of films that came out this last year, but ones that were first time viewings for me, because when it comes down to it, whether it came out in 2022 or 1952, if it is the first time I’m watching it, then it is a new movie. So, my Best Of lists usually tend to have more older titles than newer ones, which might have something to do with the lack of originality in modern day productions. That being said, I was amazed to see how many newer titles ended up on my list this year, with 7 out of the 10 coming out within the last three years. That was a very nice surprise and gives me hope for the future of the horror genre. Now let’s get to this year’s Best Viewings list.
Continue readingTag Archives: The Dark and the Wicked
Soundtrack Review: The Dark and the Wicked
The Dark and the Wicked (2020)
Released by Bandcamp
34 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 78 min.
Music by Tom Schraeder
As I mentioned in my review of the actual film, it’s a very strong and emotional draining ride, that constantly pulls at your emotions. And one of the things that helps with that is the score. This is not one with music per say, with melodies and such, but of sounds and emotions. And it works so well.
Schraeder uses a couple instruments, in very unusual ways, to create these amazing sounds that immediately put the viewer on edge. There are haunting piano notes given a slight echoing to them, or what sounds like metal slowly being dragged across another piece of metal, with different speeds and tones, but again, highly effective. A perfect example of that is track 8 – Not the Carrots, especially if you’ve seen the film which means you’ll probably remember the scene. It’s almost hard to watch and hear the music that Schraeder created for this, makes listening to it almost as effective as the visuals.
Continue readingMovie Review: The Dark and the Wicked
(2020)
Written and directed by Bryan Bertino
Starring Marin Ireland, Michael Abbott Jr., Julie Oliver-Touchstone, Lynn Andrews, Tom Nowicki, and Xander Berkeley
I had put this film in my “honorable mentions” in my Best Viewings writeup at the end of 2020, but I recently rewatched it again and felt I had to write up an actual review to maybe help others seek out this incredible film. But a bit of a warning, as good as this film is, it packs quite the punch, and will make you want to watch videos of cute puppies and such to bring you out from the darkness this film envelopes you with.
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