Film Review – Vicious

“Vicious” is the latest endeavor from writer/director Bryan Bertino, who made his helming debut with 2008’s “The Strangers,” but hasn’t managed to come near that success with any of his subsequent efforts. He often favors small-scale horror, keeping budgets down and claustrophobia increasing with modest tales of terror, and he remains committed to the cause with “Vicious,” which tracks the developing nightmare of a woman on her own, managing the presence of a curse that demands everything from her. The picture really isn’t all that different from “The Strangers,” keeping Bertino busy dealing with mysterious motivations and household violence. The feature doesn’t jump off the screen, missing a more invasive sense of fear, and the helmer’s ideas for suspense aren’t imaginative, once again offering the audience a night with a hyperventilating character and her battle with shadows and an aggressive sound design. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com