A lean, high-concept home-invasion horror with a strong central premise and a few genuinely effective scares, but it leans hard on volume, repetition, and jump-scare mechanics. The setup is intriguing enough to hold attention, especially for viewers who like pressure-cooker supernatural horror, though the execution… Read more
6% ☆☆☆☆☆ (36,386)
Vicious
Where to watch: Paramount
Movie · Horror · Thriller · R
2025 · 1h 38m · ★ 6% (36.4K)
Give it something you hate, something you need, something you love.
Director: Bryan Bertino
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Kathryn Hunter, Mary McCormack
Overview
When Polly receives a mysterious box, it comes with one rule: place inside something she needs, something she hates, and something she loves. If she doesn’t obey, it will consume everything—and everyone—she’s ever known.
Director
Bryan Bertino
Production
Atlas Independent, Paramount Pictures
Cast
Dakota Fanning, Kathryn Hunter, Mary McCormack, Rachel Blanchard, Devyn Nekoda, Klea Scott, Emily Mitchell, Karen Cliche, Bauston Camilleri, Drew Moore, Michael Abbott Jr.
Where to watch
fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
Curator Review
Verdict
A lean, high-concept home-invasion horror with a strong central premise and a few genuinely effective scares, but it leans hard on volume, repetition, and jump-scare mechanics. The setup is intriguing enough to hold attention, especially for viewers who like pressure-cooker supernatural horror, though the execution seems uneven and can feel thin over a full feature.
Best for
fans of contained, single-location horror
viewers who enjoy mystery-box premises
people who like loud, jump-scare-driven horror
audiences drawn to psychological dread and domestic unease
Skip if
you dislike movies that rely on sudden blasts and repeated scare cues
you want rich character development over premise mechanics
you are sensitive to loud sound design
you prefer slow-burn horror with more atmosphere than shocks
Overview
Vicious is built around a simple, nasty idea: a mysterious box, a cruel set of rules, and a protagonist forced to bargain with her own life. That kind of stripped-down premise can be a great engine for horror, and the film seems to understand the appeal of making an ordinary home feel like a trap. When it works, it taps into the primal fear of answering the door to something you should have ignored.
Worth noting
The response suggests a movie that gets by on moments more than momentum. There are effective jolts, and Kathryn Hunter sounds like the kind of presence that can turn a thin setup into something memorable. But the complaints about volume, repetition, and not enough substance are hard to ignore; this sounds less like a fully developed nightmare than a well-packaged scare machine.
Bottom line
For horror fans, that may still be enough if you’re in the mood for a compact, mean little thriller. For everyone else, it may feel like a promising concept stretched past its limits. It’s the kind of film that earns attention for the premise, then asks you to decide whether the execution is strong enough to justify the ride.
Top Letterboxd reviews
allain♡ · 634 likes
another hypothetical scenario avoided just because i dont let anyone into my home, let alone literal strangers
joj66 (2.5★) · 603 likes
Watched this with the volume on 4 and it’s still the loudest movie ever
B E R T (2.5★) · 512 likes
I love Dakota Fanning’s commitment to always choosing the worst possible horror movies to star in.
Dawson (1★) · 338 likes
did she get the job?
theo (3★) · 309 likes
another pro for having social anxiety because i would’ve never even opened the door