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.
7 Reviews
Horrible and pathetic
orionethe23 September 2018
This film is horrible and pathetic. Directed by some kind of a 12 years old kid with a strange idea of how a horror movie should be done. There is no tension or mystery. It is just awful. The real mystery is: why is everyone sleeping with the lights on? I don't know, I really can't save anything out of this garbage. Don't waste your time.
Cheap drama
Leofwine_draca7 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
THE WICKED GIFT is a dullish indie drama/horror from Italy, featuring a story about an insomniac plagued by nightmares which ruin his sleep every night. His insomnia badly effects his everyday life and his ability to be a part of society. Sadly, this cheap drama is glacially paced, with lots of emoting and would-be psychological dialogue which really doesn't do anything at all for the viewer.
Pretty scary and funny.
Leila_Missouri23 January 2018
The Wicked Gift it's a good Italian horror (thriller) movie low budget. This one have a good story and in some scene it really scared me. The acting is really good and some scenes are really funny. The SFX were brilliantly executed and same story for the OST. This is a very good movie presented by a great team of well renowned European actors and producers. I liked this creepy movie! Recommended!
Terrific(ante)
danieleskyline26 November 2018
An Average Supernatural Chiller From An Average Director
neener370718 January 2018
I'll be honest, I was not a fan of previous works by director/actor Roberto D'Antona, but I was surprised to see his newest film was not that bad and has some redeeming qualities, from some effective scares to some good acting. The keyword being SOME. The film follows Ethan D'Amico, played by director Roberto D'Antona, who is a man suffering from terrifying dreams. While he seeks help from a psychologist, after a couple of scary coincidences he begins to believe his dreams are more sinister than previously thought. He seeks help from a spiritual medium who reveals the true evil nature of his "dreams", and intends to help free him from it.
First off, the scares were hit and miss. Some were very creepy and definitely effective, but some fall flat and end up being rudimentary, something you would see in every other supernatural horror films. Don't get me wrong some scenes were frightening, but a couple were too average to generate fear. The acting is also good and bad. Director Roberto D'Antona and Francesco Emulo do a respectable job portraying their characters, but other actors were sub-par, average first time actors. One scene in particular is acted so well in my opinion that it makes the seen that more scary. The demon/ghost is scary but nothing new, a long black haired woman who walks in a contorted manor similar to films like The Ring, The Grudge, and any other J-Horror ghost.
In all, not really something I would recommend, but if you're bored and have nothing else to watch, you might get some good frights from this film.
First off, the scares were hit and miss. Some were very creepy and definitely effective, but some fall flat and end up being rudimentary, something you would see in every other supernatural horror films. Don't get me wrong some scenes were frightening, but a couple were too average to generate fear. The acting is also good and bad. Director Roberto D'Antona and Francesco Emulo do a respectable job portraying their characters, but other actors were sub-par, average first time actors. One scene in particular is acted so well in my opinion that it makes the seen that more scary. The demon/ghost is scary but nothing new, a long black haired woman who walks in a contorted manor similar to films like The Ring, The Grudge, and any other J-Horror ghost.
In all, not really something I would recommend, but if you're bored and have nothing else to watch, you might get some good frights from this film.
A likable horror comedy
Horror_Flick_Fanatic31 March 2021
This a likable italian horror comedy. I liked the buddy relationship between the two main characters. They rank on each other constantly like two good guy friends would and a lot of the dialogue is very funny. The acting performances weren't great and the film is on the low budget, but I didn't mind. I felt the jump scares were done pretty well. Also the demon backstory was pretty good too. Better than some higher budget films I've seen. Worth a watch.
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