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Karen and her
two daughters, Emma and Sarah move to
a small town after inheriting an old house from her
husband who recently passed away. What they don't
know is that not far from their new home, a bunch of
kids got killed in a horrible mine accident in the
early 1900's. What's even worse is that they still
haven't found peace, and are now roaming around the
woods at night, eating anyone who happens to come
close to the old mine.
Is it just me or wasn't this movie once called "Tobe
Hooper's Zombies"? Even the poster looks identical
to the teaser poster that was released all over the
net about two years ago. What's even stranger is that
the plot is extremely similar to Tobe Hooper's horror
flick "Mortuary". If someone could please explain
all of this, I'd be very pleased.
Either way, Wicked Little Things is a far better
movie than Mortuary despite the similar plot which
revolves around Karen and her two daughters who move
to an old house in a small town in Pennsylvania
after inheriting it. The house is a dump, filled with
rats and other unpleasant things but the three quickly
adjust to their new lifestyles. What they don't know
is that there are a bunch of zombie kids roaming
around at night, killing anyone in their path, and
Emma has become friends with one of them.
The movie feels quite generic at first and seems
suited to DTV and it doesn't really kick off until
about an hour into it, until then, it was a fairly
mediocre, yet definitely watchable, horror flick.
The final half hour however takes the movie to a
whole new level where we get some kick-ass zombie
action, surprisingly gripping drama and a very
original and satisfying ending.
We also have a very solid cast in here and it's
impossible not to fall in love with everyone of
these girls. Emma is a sweetheart and Chloe Moretz
gives us a very convincing performance (just like
she did in the remake of The Amityville Horror).
Sarah is a refreshingly emotional teenage girl who
actually seems to have a genuine connection with
her mother. Lori Heuring, playing mother Karen also
gives us a brilliant performance and shows us just
how difficult it is to be a single mother to two
daughters. Perhaps this is why the ending got so
emotional and gripping.
Ultimately, Wicked Little Things is a solid zombie
flick, which thankfully doesn't resort to silly
gags and one-liners. Instead it focuses on creating
a great atmosphere and building up the characters,
something which very few zombie flicks these days
focus on. For once, it's not about the gore, it's
about the story. However, I wouldn't call it too
terrifying for the general public, but on the other
hand, none of the Afterdark Horror Fest movies were.
A couple of impalements and a lot of blood splatter,
it really was too dark to see what was going on for
most of the time anyway when it comes to the gore.
Typical horror movie score.
Well, the title doesn't lie, these little buggers
sure are wicked little things. This was a refreshingly
solid addition to the zombie genre which doesn't
resort to silly gags and instead focuses on creating
a great atmosphere as well as a captivating story.
Don't miss this one if you're a zombie-fan as it's
one of the better ones of this decade.
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