I was shocked that the movie was as good as it was, since I saw the IMDb grade and thought "should I waste my time watching this?" and I do not regret the choice I made! I've seen worse movies with higher grades. The story is kind of a cliché, but it is doable anyway. The actors are actually good compared to what I was expecting and some of the effects were actually well made. I cant say that everything was, but some. It gave me a few jumpscares, not much but little. The movie also made me laugh a few times with some of the punchlines.So, if you like me, are at home at a Saturday night, looking for a movie to watch just to pass the time, this is the one.

An odd opening sequence sets the tone for this yawn of a film when a child is seemingly sucked into another dimension, out the window, or into space (or something or other) and the mother looks perplexed, finally concerned enough to sort of scream. Then half of the $800,000 budget is displayed in some pretty creative graphics and photo montages. After that, it's all down hill fast, with a cast of obnoxious young characters played by obnoxious talentless actors doing what most of these types do during these kind of horror movies. There's running, agitation, and continued sub-par screaming. The story makes little sense if any and the dialog is tedious, often being completely unrelated to whatever the plot is and seemingly from another movie about teenage angst. Actually, some of these characters might be in their 20's or 30's and just behave like adolescents. That applies to the characters in their 40's - 80's as well. None of them have a lick of sense and that just ratchets-up the frustration level. One would hope for unrelenting suspense yet all that's unrelenting is the sleep-inducing imagery, the irritating conversations, and the film's refusal to end.

This is a typical teen slasher flick, pretty girls, handsome normal guys, a couple smart people, others rather dumb, enough likable characters to feel a bond. Only the producers actually bothered to interject an unusual take on the killer. I like that.For entertainment - meaning zoning out of the real world filled with professional liars running fake national news operations and nudging the country into humanist neo-communism for happy ignorant airheads - the plot, acting and pace pulled me in for the entire ride. Tons of movies get higher ratings from viewers though are far inferior to this product that is pulling in a 3.7 out of 10 overall at IMDb.On the flip side, I could easily have gotten the point in one part minus quite the level of visual bloodshed. Otherwise, no major complaints at all. I wrote this tiny blurb to help balance out the harsh comments by critics of a rather fine film.

Every town in America has their version of "The Wicked." They're the weird person, house, or other location kids whisper about amongst themselves in fear and parents use to threaten their children with. It's the old house on the hill everyone walks faster by on the way home from school or the old man or woman we're told not to talk to.Director Peter Winther and writer Michael Vickerman put together a fun little indie film that is only hindered by shoddy CGI and a wavering sense of who it was made for. "The Wicked" is an extended episode of R.L. Stine's "The Haunting Hour" until we get one or two sequences of sexuality and dialogue littered with bad language. Movies like this always leave me shaking my head in wonder. If they tone down those elements or omit them, they would have a PG-13 film that more people could enjoy.The title character (Cassie Keller) would make any person feel anxious or frightened. She's a witch who maintains her beauty through devouring children. The legend goes that if you visit her house in the woods and break one of its windows, she will come for you."The Wicked" is both a coming-of-age tale like "The Goonies" or "The Monster Squad" and a slasher flick like "Urban Legend" or "I Know What You Did Last Summer." There are two sets of main characters. First, we have two life-long teenage friends, Devon Werkheiser ("Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide") and Diana Hopper, in that awkward state where they start to have feelings for each other. Secondly, we have the hip sex-crazed high schoolers who are always looking for a new thrill.The CGI is at best on the same level as any number of fantasy shows from the late 1990s and early 2000s. They definitely don't blend seamlessly with their surroundings. I do want to give props to the practical effects supervisors. The Wicked's makeup and the gore effects look great and made me cringe a few times.Although it has its flaws, "The Wicked" is still an entertaining horror tale that many viewers will nostalgically identify with. If you can just get past the weak CGI and delve into the story, you'll enjoy yourself. They should do a PG-13 and an R-rated version of the movie to reach both age ranges. I could see this playing on Teen Nick and the Chiller Channel simultaneously.