A little of that Northern Michigan horror

Just in time for summer – and in time for the re-emergence of the local drive-in during the Covid crisis – comes The Wretched, a horror flick with a decidedly Michigan feel. (Sorry, Windsorites, the film is only screening at two drive-ins in the Detroit area, the Capri and Ford. However the film is also available on cable and various digital on demand platforms incl iTunes and YouTube. UPDATE: The Ford Drive In was served a cease-and-desist order and expects to reopen June 12 with social distancing guidelines so long as the governor's stay-home order is not extended.) The film is made by Detroit natives Brett and Drew Pierce and set in the northern Michigan town of Northport on Grand Traverse Bay. For every Michigander who loves the summertime feel of Up North this picture will certainly rekindle longing, especially given the slow reopening of the state during the Covid-19 crisis. In the film, our hero is Ben (John-Paul Howard), a 17-year-old who has come to spend the summer with his estranged dad Liam (Jamison Jones) who manages the local marina. Almost from the start Ben notices things are a little strange. The next-door neighbor Abbie (Zarah Mahler) - wearing a tank top with ‘Detroit’ and skull on it - wants to carve up a dead buck (soooo northern Michigan) but is having trouble. That night Ben is disturbed by a figure on the front porch and then is blinded by a light. Later, Abbie checks on her infant only to find a pile of branches. Hands then reach out and yank her under the crib and, well, she’s never the same again. The story’s a spin on the old zombie genre, and another iconic film which will be obvious, but with a woodsy outdoor theme (I can imagine the filmmakers having fun with this). Ben discovers a symbol – a V with a line through it looking like tree branches. On Witchipedia (yes, the site exists) the symbol refers to “mother born from rock, root and tree.” That would explain how, once a person gets infected, they move with crackly sounds like a gnarled tree trunk. I find it hard to get scared from the best of horror films and the same here though some scenes did make me sit up. Otherwise, the ironically  dramatic music is well timed. The photography is good, especially with some oblique shots through open windows late at night. And the creatures have been well designed with a very horrifying look. (As an aside, the “mother” creature at times – also distinctly Michigan – looks like Alice Cooper.) So, sit back and enjoy a teenage Northern Michigan flick with cool rock soundtrack and downhome characters (Ben has the hots for fellow marina worker smart-alecky Mallory (Piper Curda)). For those missing Up North during “The Rona” this might be an early summer stand in, especially at midnight at the good old drive-in.