The Wretched 2020

The year was 1985, when Megan (Sydne Mikelle) stumbled into a nightmare at the Gambel residence. As she settled in for a babysitting gig, an ominous noise echoed from the basement, beckoning her downstairs to confront a grotesque horror devouring its young prey. In a desperate bid to escape, Megan fled back up the stairs only to be met with a gruesome fate at the hands of Mr. Gambel himself. As her life slipped away, a peculiar symbol etched on the door seemed to mock her demise.

Fast forward to present day, where Ben (John-Paul Howard) found solace in the familiarity of his father Liam’s (Jamison Jones) home, a refuge from the turmoil of his parents’ impending divorce. Amidst this uncertainty, Ben forged connections at the local marina, where he befriended Mallory (Piper Curda), and clashed with the snobbish Gage (Richard Ellis). Meanwhile, Liam struggled to reconcile his lingering feelings for Sara (Azie Tesfai).

On the periphery of these unfolding dramas, a peculiar occurrence took place in the woods. Abbie (Zarah Mahler) and her son Dillon (Blane Crockarell) ventured into the shadows, where they stumbled upon a tree bearing the same enigmatic symbol Megan had encountered years prior. As Dillon approached the trunk, he was greeted by an otherworldly whisper, growing more menacing as Abbie herself materialized from the tree’s bark. The tree seemed to vanish, leaving behind only the echoes of their unsettling encounter.

As the evening drew in, Abbie and her family returned home with a freshly caught deer, only to find themselves grappling with its gruesome innards. The next day, Ben formed an unlikely bond with Dillon at the marina, while Abbie’s seemingly idyllic life was disrupted by a sudden, inexplicable decay of the flowers surrounding her.

As night fell, Ben prepared for dinner with his father and Sara, but was instead drawn into Mal’s (Piper Curda) orbit, trading in family dynamics for a night of revelry. Little did he know, the darkness that lurked beyond the treeline would soon ensnare them all, unraveling the very fabric of their reality.

As the night wore on at the party, Ben’s attempts at romance were foiled once again when he stumbled into a compromising position with Mal (just missing their lips by a hair’s breadth) before retching all over himself. Drowned in his own embarrassment, he was soon swooped up by another coquettish female who beckoned him to join her poolside revelry - only to find himself trapped and mortified when she playfully pilfered his underwear and left him flailing like a fish out of water. Gage’s masterful manipulation lay bare as Ben hastily donned his clothes and beat a hasty retreat, still reeling from the night’s events.

The following morning brought its own brand of terror when Abbie ventured into Sam’s nursery to investigate his absence - only to stumble upon a gruesome tableau of crunching sounds and blood-soaked splatters. As she delved deeper into the darkness, she found herself swiftly subdued by an unseen force and dragged beneath the crib.

Later that day, as Liam worked late shifts, Ben accepted Sara’s (her name) olive branch and rode home with her - apologizing profusely for his earlier slur about her. Though he was granted a second chance, the evening only seemed to spiral further out of control when he discovered Dillon hiding upstairs, cowering in fear from Abbie’s unsettling presence. When “Abbie” came knocking, Ben played dumb until Ty burst into the scene, sending Dillon fleeing to seek solace with him.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Ben was jolted awake by his tardiness for work - only to learn that he’d missed a sailing lesson with Dillon altogether (Mal’s words). Meanwhile, at home, Ben stumbled upon a mangled picture frame bearing Sam’s likeness, as if left as a grim reminder of the horrors unfolding around him.

In the midst of this chaos, Abbie’s secrets began to unravel. While Ty was under her spell, she whispered something otherworldly in his ear - and the consequences were dire. As the decay set in, Abbie gazed upon her reflection in horror, her once-vibrant skin now sloughing off like rotten fruit, a stark testament to the malevolent forces that had taken hold of her very being.

As Ben’s suspicions deepen, he delves into the dark history of a notorious sorceress known for her sinister powers of possession and manipulation. His curiosity gets the better of him as he ventures into the cellar of Ty and Abbie’s home, where he uncovers a haunting photograph featuring the family - except for one peculiar detail: Ty’s face has been brutally scratched out. The discovery sends Ben racing to uncover the truth behind the sinister plot, only to realize that his worst fears have come true: Mal’s young sister Lily is next on the witch’s hit list. In desperation, Ben attempts to warn Mal about the impending danger, but she seems oblivious to her sister’s fate.

In a frantic bid to rescue Lily, Ben arrives too late to save her from the clutches of the vengeful sorceress, who has dragged her into her twisted world. As Ben pleads with the authorities for help, he finds himself facing the music - literally - when he’s accused of breaking and entering, skipping work, and getting into a physical altercation with Gage after discovering rotten fish in his dad’s boat.

Left alone with Sara, Ben begins to notice the telltale signs of possession, only to watch in horror as she degenerates into a mere puppet under the sorceress’ control. In a desperate bid to free her from the witch’s grasp, Ben slashes Sara’s arm, only for the sorceress to manipulate the scene to appear as if Ben has brutally attacked an innocent woman - right in front of Liam.

Ben’s world begins to unravel further as he’s taken into custody and pleads with Liam to investigate further, sensing that something sinister is lurking beneath the surface. Just as all hope seems lost, a heroic canine intervenes, distracting the possessed officer long enough for Ben to escape. Meanwhile, back at Ty and Abbie’s home, Liam discovers the gruesome remains of his family members, along with a twisted shrine crafted by the sorceress herself.

As Ben’s reality continues to crumble, he’s confronted by Sara, now fully under the witch’s control - her eyes coldly fixed on Liam. Just as all seems lost, Ben arrives just in time to shoot Sara and shatter the hold of the sorceress. But the witch isn’t about to let Ben get away that easily, crawling out of Sara’s lifeless body like a malevolent specter.

As Ben fights to keep himself and Liam safe from the inferno consuming their home, he suddenly experiences a jarring flash of forgotten memories - including the existence of his long-lost little brother Nathan. The revelation sends Ben reeling, as if the very fabric of reality is unraveling before him.

As the sun dips below the horizon, Ben embarks on a perilous mission to rescue his siblings from the clutches of evil, accompanied by his trusted ally Mal. The duo sets their sights on the ancient tree, where they concoct a plan to outsmart the malevolent force that has taken hold. With precision and stealth, Ben deploys lighter fluid around the gnarled trunk while Mal sprinkles salt around its perimeter, creating an impenetrable barrier against the darkness. As Ben ventures into the heart of the tree, he navigates through the shadows in search of the witch, his senses heightened as he inches closer to her lair.

His quest ultimately leads him to a gruesome discovery: the witch feasting on Dillon’s lifeless body. Undeterred, Ben locates Nathan and manages to guide him back outside, only to have him hastily retreat to rescue Lily. A fierce battle ensues as Ben confronts the witch, fighting valiantly to extricate Lily from her grasp. Just as all hope seems lost, Liam arrives on the scene, his vehicle careening into the witch with a force that sends her crashing to the ground.

As the dust settles, Ben, Nathan, and their mother prepare to depart, leaving Liam at his brother’s residence to recuperate from his ordeal. Amidst the goodbyes, Ben shares a tender moment with Mal, exchanging a kiss as she adorns him with a delicate flower. With a gentle smile, she vanishes into the distance, taking her place among a group of children eagerly awaiting their sailing lesson. As Ben slips behind the wheel of the car, his gaze falls upon the artificial bloom in his hair, and an unsettling realization dawns: the witch has somehow managed to reanimate herself, now possessing Mal, leaving her alone with three unsuspecting young charges…