I gave the Wretched a look and thought it was good but also felt like, damn that could have been really good if they did some things differently. Basic premise is a teen takes a summer job at his dad's marina which happens to be part of a town inhabited by a witch that targets children, including the teen's young neighbor. There's a lot to like here; the witch is established as a threat to anyone child, teenager or adult very early on. Her "powers" are established throughout the story, they aren't anything new but the combination of abilities she shows make her a threat and create a bit of paranoia about what's real, isn't real and who is or isn't what they seem. This is great for tension (my favorite aspect of horror). The threat feels real which makes the scary moments pop. It also helps that the witch design is legit (honestly creature designs have been money in a lot of recent films imo).
On the plot side, the main characters all of some background fed to you that makes them feel more real. Even some of the kid characters only get a few scenes but with pictures and references to them, we actually get a bit of investment. That said, I wouldn't say any of the performances really stood out except for the love interest Mallory, she did a good job but with an easily likeable role. Anyway, you take characters that we actually feel some familiarity with and you have this witch targeting them with abilities that we're only learning about as the plot unfolds...and that allows for you to be surprised at the twists and turns rather than annoyed by them. It works.
That's what made it good though, let's talk about why it wasn't great instead. The first half drags a bit as they build up certain characters. There are some side characters who don't get the deep development and barely serve a purpose to the plot. They're tropes too, the bully is just a bully and he stands out for having so little to do surrounded by characters with depth. There are just some unnecessary tidbits thrown in that stretch the story without helping it. Then for as dangerous as the witch is, the ways to best her are disappointingly basic. None of my favorite scares came in the big conclusion sans one nicely done special effect. So the conclusion has a bit of anticlimax to it.
Final thoughts: Good horror movie, nice creature and effects with a very solid story. But they could have cut some threads that don't go anywhere and used the spare time to explore some of the deeper issues that they flirt with by the end of the run time. This one's worth a look imo!
You left off Neve Campbell and Sarah Michelle Gellar, Eliza Dushku, Elisha Cuthbert!!! We need another list of not over 40 but older than 30. My generation of GOATS
