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Pyewacket

Play trailer 1:37 Poster for Pyewacket Released Mar 23, 2018 1h 30m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 35 Reviews 51% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
A frustrated, angst-ridden teenage girl awakens something in the woods when she naively performs an occult ritual to evoke a witch to kill her mother.
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Pyewacket

Pyewacket

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Critics Consensus

Pyewacket builds its atmospheric, patiently encroaching chills on a well-told story concerned more with emotional trauma than supernatural threats.

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Critics Reviews

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Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com The director is out for blood, and while this is a slow-burn affair that craftily bides its time until just the proper moment to unleash a flurry of dexterously ominous thrills, the craven wickedness of it all is portentously intoxicating. Rated: 3/4 Mar 30, 2018 Full Review Dennis Harvey Variety It's the rare horror film that's actually more effective in psychological terms than in suspense ones. Mar 24, 2018 Full Review Noel Murray Los Angeles Times As a psychodrama about a troubled mother and daughter, this movie is gripping from start to finish. Mar 22, 2018 Full Review Dev Shea Boom Howdy Aside from the issues, I did enjoy the Pyewacket. It had a nice found footage feel without actually being found footage. Would I watch it again? I’m not sure but I definitely recommend giving this movie at least a once over. Sep 15, 2022 Full Review Emma Wolfe SpookyAstronauts It actually takes itself very seriously... I felt the terror between the characters and the teen. Rated: 7/10 Apr 14, 2021 Full Review Drew Tinnin Dread Central Part family drama and part supernatural horror, Adam MacDonald's second feature, Pyewacket, shows what happens when a morbid curiosity with the occult becomes a terrifying pact that can't be undone. Rated: 4.0 Jul 30, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Daddy D This movie was very uninspired. Lots of common horror themes that have already been done very well, this movie felt like a retelling of twenty movies I've already seen. "Pyewacket" was clearly a made for TV film, with pretty predictable acting from the two main characters (who worked on The Walking Dead) that the director (who worked on The Walking Dead) seemingly, intentionally put into this film. Pretty much a total waste of time, don't bother. Go watch one of the many films that inspired this Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 08/29/24 Full Review Craig B Pyewack is a decent horror movie. The film’s strength really comes from the solid performances of the two main leads, Laurie Holden and Nicole Munoz. It’s not too long, slowly builds the tension and certainly gets to the pointy end pretty quickly, whilst doing enough to set up some necessary background for the characters. You will certainly still be wondering what really happened as the end crawl credits come up. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/31/24 Full Review Logan D A moody goth girl is so angered her mother moves them 2 hours from her high school she summons a demon in retaliation. A very atmospheric emotional slow burn horror tale. It's very subtle and the viewer needs patience. However, I found this psychodrama worth the wait. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/07/24 Full Review Critical R The acting, dialogue, tone, and cinematography of this movie were pretty good. There was a lot of thought that went into it and the director had a clear vision for what they were going for. There was no pandering that I noticed, which is refreshing for a new age movie. I enjoyed the drama aspect, though it was a very slow beginning, so if you aren't into drama-inspired slow burn horror, this may not be for you. The mother and daughter have a very tumultuous relationship that is very believable. And though the main character is 16 years old she has more mature, believable dialogue, unlike many teenage protagonists. That being said, where the movie failed, for me, was its lack of attention to the supernatural aspects of the plot. This felt more like a drama with horror aspects than a fully fledged horror. There is a scene in the movie with a side character who comes to the home, witnesses something off camera, and is then immediately written out of the script. It's an ominous subplot that's never further explored and gives no depth or purpose to the overall story, which was disappointing as a viewer. Where the movie begins to truly feel horror and the plot begins to finally take heed is nearly 3/4 in. We finally learn the stakes, how to survive, and what it may cost. Sadly, the movie fell incredibly flat here, giving us a lot of potential for many horror elements and time with the Pyewacket, yet we only see it on screen for less than minutes total, and then the movie ends very abruptly. Things are alluded to that never come to fruition, and we never see the final result of this ritual or receive a satisfying closure to all of the build-up. I understand what the director was going for with the ending, but it just didn't work here. The side-character bit should have been cut to provide a longer ending with a well-deserved resolution. Acting: 4/5 Dialogue: 5/5 Plot progression: 2/5 Cinematography: 5/5 Horror elements: 2/5 Ending: 1.5/5 I would have rated this higher if it were advertised as a thriller or drama, but since its considered a horror, its score is reduced as it doesn't truly fit the horror genre for me. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/17/23 Full Review KerryWhite's S Rating: 6/10. 65/100 Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/15/23 Full Review Shannon Y So very boring. If they'd done some scenes re what the Pyewacket was, then maybe it would have worked. Or if 85% of the screen time wasn't just the lead actress's face. This is just SO BAD. Don't waste your time. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 05/12/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Pyewacket

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A frustrated, angst-ridden teenage girl awakens something in the woods when she naively performs an occult ritual to evoke a witch to kill her mother.
Director
Adam MacDonald
Producer
Jonathan Bronfman, Victoria Sanchez Mandryk
Screenwriter
Adam MacDonald
Distributor
IFC Midnight
Production Co
JoBro Productions & Film Finance
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 23, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 24, 2018
Runtime
1h 30m
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