Vicious

When Polly receives an unmarked box with one blunt rule, she has to place inside something she needs, something she hates, and something she loves. The story follows her as she makes those choices, and strange, escalating events begin to spiral from the small, domestic sphere into something more menacing. Tensions rise between family members and friends as hidden resentments and obligations come to light, and the box forces Polly to reckon with how memory, desire, and guilt shape what she keeps and what she discards. The film keeps its mystery close, making everyday choices feel terrifying and personal indeed.

Released in 2025 and directed by Bryan Bertino, Vicious stars Dakota Fanning as Polly alongside Kathryn Hunter, Mary McCormack, Rachel Blanchard, and Devyn Nekoda. The production favors a low-key, intimate approach to psychological horror over spectacle.

Vicious opened to a limited theatrical release and modest box office returns, attracting a niche horror audience rather than mainstream crowds. It later found a wider viewership on streaming platforms, with steady bookings at specialty venues and interest from genre exhibitors.

Critical response was mixed, reflected in a vote average around 5.98/10 from 206 voters, with many highlighting Fanning's work and the film's unsettling mood while noting uneven pacing. Thematic threads include moral choice under pressure, familial obligation, grief, and how ordinary objects can accumulate emotional power and meaning.

Though still new, Vicious generated online conversation about its central moral test and the eerie iconography of the box, prompting comparisons to other intimate horror pieces. Viewers and commentators debated how literally to take the box's rules, and the film has carved out discussion among horror fans for its focus on domestic dread and performance-driven scares.