I saw this film at its Italian premiere at the Fantafestival in Rome, where the filmmakers announced the upcoming theatrical release.
Well, IMHO, the film doesn't deserve the luxury of a theatrical distribution. It lacks everything a theatrical release should have, especially if you're expecting people to pay for it.
For horror-savvy viewers, the film is just a dull and cliched horror flick. The unoriginal story can't be redeemed by flat direction, performances and cinematography. Everything looks amateurish and cheap in "The Wicked Gift" even if you sort of want to give the movie a pass, since it's an indie, ultra low budget pic created by a group of passionate film lovers. Maybe horror isn't their thing.
The only decent performance here comes from co-star Annamaria Lorusso, even if it falls flat when the movie approaches its supposedly-exciting climax. As a lead, Roberto D'Antona overacts permanently, not having a strong supporting hand (being the director himself) to guide him properly. The rest of the cast is unmemorable to say the least, even if the "best-friend" character is pretty likeable.
Tech credits are less than stellar: flatly lit, washed-out digital photography gives the movie a cheap look; the art department work is pretty inconsistent. Sound design and music are ok, though.
As a horror film, the movie is not even scary. The demon look in the movie's climax has been seen before in better material and looks kinda ridiculous in such an amateourish environment.
Having inexplicably gotten the golden pass for a big-screen distribution, the filmmakers behind this film should hunker down for a better follow up.
Review of The Wicked Gift
