Review: Wicked Little Things - A Satisfying Horror #FanFriday 20

Review: Wicked Little Things
A Satisfying Horror

I mentioned this film yesterday over on my Livejournal, but I enjoyed it so much I decided it was worth a full review, not just a recommendation. Now I usually start with the poster for the film when I do a review, but since the poster appears to have nothing whatsoever to do with the movie, I won't today :).

Title: Wicked Little Things (2006)
Cast:
Lori Heuring ... Karen
Scout Taylor-Compton ... Sarah
Chloë Grace Moretz ... Emma
Ben Cross ... Aaron Hanks
Summary:
Karen Tunney and her two daughters, Sarah and Emma are moving to Karen's late husband's old family home in the Pennsylvania mountains. In 1913 there was a mine accident in the area that buried many of the local children alive and local legend has it that the children still roam the woods at night. Problem is, it's not so much a legend.

I enjoyed this movie because it managed to be really creepy and not utterly disgusting. This is, in essence, a zombie movie, however, it's not like any zombie movie I have seen.

The children simply look like children. They are not decaying, or shuffling or supper fast, they are simply children. They hunt in packs and use their mine tools to take down their prey and to butcher it before ripping it apart.

One of the children has a midnight snack.

They are more frightening because the most supernatural thing about them is they're already dead, so you can't kill them. They just keep coming without saying a word.

The cast does a superb job too. Lori Heuring is great as Karen, trying to be strong for her daughters even as she still grieves for her dead husband. She holds it together, but only just, and then zombie children get thrown into the mix.

Scout Taylor-Compton is the right balance of annoying and concerned as teenage daughter Sarah.

Chloe Grace Mortez as Emma

Then we have Chloë Grace Moretz as Karen's youngest daughter Emma, who is brilliant as ever. Innocent and sweet and the perfect bridge between the living and the dead. Emma makes friends with Mary, one of the dead children from the mine, who also happens to be a relative.

As you can see, Mary's pretty adorable alive or dead.

I have seen Ben Cross play many things from an aristocrat to a nutty vampire, but I have never seen him play a wild around the edges mountain man before. He's very good at it. Aaron Hanks has lived on the mountain all his life and he knows exactly who and what the children are; he also does his best to make sure they don't kill people. He's a bit nuts, but knows what he's about.

It is beautifully shot too, using the dark forests of Bulgaria, where it was filmed, to build an atmosphere of fear and oppression. The house the family move into is the right amount of old and decrepit, but with possibilities.

This was a film where I enjoyed the plot, the characters and the filmography; it's the whole package.

It also has a very satisfying ending. Over and over again I watch a good horror movie only to be incredibly disappointed with the ending. Not this one. This one has it spot on.

I don't know if this film is available on Netflix, but it is definitely on DVD and Amazon Video in the US. You can pick up a used copy for $0.01+shipping on Amazon US and new for £4.46 on Amazon UK, so it's not going to break the bank :). Links are below in case anyone is interested.

Amazon UK | Amazon US

Have you seen Wicked Little Things? What did you think? What is your favourite zombie movie?