A Closer Look at THE WRETCHED’s Terrifying Witch (Exclusive)

The Wretched already intrigued us with its atmospheric trailer, which pits a teenage boy against a shapeshifting witch. Set in a small, idyllic marina town, the IFC Midnight horror flick looks to be a retro romp, and in a new exclusive clip, we get a better look at the malevolent magical creature at the center of it all. And she is truly nightmarish.

The spooky clip reveals a first proper look at the Wretch, a witch who has been devastating a local town with her maniacal ways, erasing children from the memories of the town and eventually from existence. We get to see her here in all her body-horror glory as she gets caught, standing naked in the sun, by a young boy who is looking for his mother.

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The Wretched storyboards by Drew Pierce

Director and co-writer Drew Pierce took on designing the Wretch, a figure inspired by folkloric traditions from around the world. “We wanted a unique creature design for The Wretched that would scare the hell out of the audience,” Pierce said. “We looked to existing mythologies from across the world and incorporated elements from Black Annis and the Boo Hag.”

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The Wretch concept art by Drew Pierce

The director also took from one of our favorite comics creators when it came to crafting not only the creature but also the approach to melding horror and folklore. “We were influenced by the beautiful work of Mike Mignola, whose designs felt like they were pulled out of a fairy tale and yet grounded in reality at the same time. ‘Less is more’ has always been what makes Mignola’s art work so well and we followed that same rule in how we chose to present The Wretch in the film.”

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The Wretch concept art by Drew Pierce

We can’t wait to see the Wretch at full power when the film hits as we love a good witch movie and a great creature creation, especially one with such deeply inspired origins.

The Wretched  will be in select theaters/drive ins and available on VOD and digital platforms on May 1.

Check out more cool concept art from the film below

Featured Image: IFC Midnight