Review: Wicked Little Things (2006)

Director: J.S. Cardone | 94 minutes | horror | Actors: Lori Heuring, Scout Taylor-Compton, Chloe Moretz, Geoffrey Lewis, Ben Cross, Craig Vye, Chris Jamba, Julie Rogers, Martin McDougall, Micheal McCoy, Velizar Binev, Helia Grekova, George Zlatarev, Atanas Srebev, Vladimir Mihailov

Zombies and other undead scum have been the source of inspiration for countless horror films of widely varying quality. In ‘Zombies’ – also known under the title ‘Wicked Little Things’ – it is undead children who indulge their devilish and cannibalistic lusts on various animal and human victims. The children were killed in a mine explosion at the beginning of the twentieth century and in the present they roamed the vast forests that surround the now-closed mine shaft. After the death of her husband, a woman inherits a house in this area and decides to take up residence in this house together with her two daughters. However, they soon discover that after sunset, something is wrong in the dark and mysterious forests that surround their new home.

This film is certainly not an all too original product. This has of course mainly to do with the now largely worn-out theme, but this problem is also partly due to the elaboration. The somewhat slow start is not even that bad and creates room for some character deepening and the necessary restrained tension building. The last part, in which the zombies first come into the spotlight prominently, on the other hand, has a more gruesome and action-packed character. The problem with ‘Zombies’ is that the film seems to be in two minds. The first part seems to suggest that we are dealing with a psychological thriller / horror film, while the second part, on the other hand, seems more in the direction of a classic slasher film. The annoying thing is that both parts do not come out completely satisfactory. Many of the scares in the first part are rather obligatory and predictable. In the second part, the undead children chop hard with pickaxes, axes and other unconventional weapons, but the direct consequences of these acts largely play out outside the viewer’s field of view. As a result, the ‘gorehounds’ among us will not be too much at home when watching this film. The logic of the story is sometimes noticeable here and there, but fortunately the illogicalities hardly ever become really poignant. The protagonists generally do their job quite well and make sure that the acting for a horror movie is certainly acceptable. Many of the scares in the first part are rather obligatory and predictable. In the second part, the undead children chop hard with pickaxes, axes and other unconventional weapons, but the direct consequences of these acts largely play out outside the viewer’s field of view. As a result, the ‘gorehounds’ among us will not be too much at home when watching this film. The logic of the story is sometimes noticeable here and there, but fortunately the illogicalities hardly ever become really poignant. The protagonists generally do their job quite well and make sure that the acting for a horror movie is certainly acceptable. Many of the scares in the first part are rather obligatory and predictable. In the second part, the undead children chop hard with pickaxes, axes and other unconventional weapons, but the direct consequences of these acts largely play out outside the viewer’s field of view. As a result, the ‘gorehounds’ among us will not be too much at home when watching this film. The logic of the story is sometimes noticeable here and there, but fortunately, the illogicalities hardly ever become really poignant. The protagonists generally do their job quite well and make sure that the acting for a horror movie is certainly acceptable. axes and other unconventional weapons, but the direct consequences of these acts are largely out of sight of the viewer. As a result, the ‘gorehounds’ among us will not be too much at home when watching this film. The logic of the story is sometimes noticeable here and there, but fortunately the illogicalities hardly ever become really poignant. The protagonists generally do their job quite well and make sure that the acting for a horror movie is certainly acceptable. axes and other unconventional weapons, but the direct consequences of these acts are largely out of sight of the viewer. As a result, the ‘gorehounds’ among us will not be too much at home when watching this film. The logic of the story is sometimes noticeable here and there, but fortunately the illogicalities hardly ever become really poignant. The protagonists generally do their job quite well and make sure that the acting for a horror movie is certainly acceptable. The logic of the story is sometimes noticeable here and there, but fortunately the illogicalities hardly ever become really poignant. The protagonists generally do their job quite well and make sure that the acting for a horror movie is certainly acceptable. The logic of the story is sometimes noticeable here and there, but fortunately the illogicalities hardly ever become really poignant. The protagonists generally do their job quite well and make sure that the acting for a horror movie is certainly acceptable.

‘Zombies’ is certainly not a very bad movie. The film has quite a few nice moments and is certainly digestible for fans of the genre. The predictability of the story, the lack of originality and the somewhat hesitant nature of this work, however, ensure that this film does not or barely exceed the level of the average horror film.

[imdb]tt0470000[/imdb]