Pyewacket

"Be careful what you wish for. Someone might be listening."

2017 1h 28m EN

😐

5.9

MID

🍅

83%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

5.8

IMDB

★5.9TMDB · 364🍅83%Rotten Tomatoes●56Metacritic★5.8IMDB · 11,681

HorrorThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A frustrated, angry teenage girl awakens something in the woods when she naively performs an occult ritual to invoke a witch to kill her mother.

“Be careful what you wish for. Someone might be listening.”

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Cast

Laurie Holden
Mrs. Reyes
Nicole Muñoz
Leah Reyes
Chloe Rose
Janice
Eric Osborne
Aaron
James McGowan
Rowen Dove
Victoria Sanchez
Teacher
Neil Whitely
Detective
Missy Peregrym
911 Operator (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Adam MacDonald
Writers: Adam MacDonald
Languages: English
Countries: Canada

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 9 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Adam MacDonald, shot by Christian Bielz. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lee Malia. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Maureen Grant shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Laurie Holden and Nicole Muñoz and Chloe Rose carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Be careful what you wish for. Someone might be listening.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt5119116 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Adam MacDonald directs. Christian Bielz behind the camera. Lee Malia scores. Maureen Grant cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Canada. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 9 years ago.
3Directed by Adam MacDonald, shot by Christian Bielz. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Lee Malia. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Maureen Grant shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Laurie Holden and Nicole Muñoz and Chloe Rose carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Be careful what you wish for. Someone might be listening.".
8IMDB entry: tt5119116 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 14 themes, including "witch", "high school", "widow", "black magic".

The technical file

Cinematography: Christian Bielz
Original score: Lee Malia
Editing: Maureen Grant
Production design: Damian Zuch
Costume design: Kendra Terpenning
Makeup / hair: Alexandra Anger
VFX supervisor: Geoff D.E. Scott
Sound: Shaun Gratto
Stunt coordinator: Wayne Wells
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $166,610
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Pyewacket (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 56/100
IMDB rating: 5.8/10 · 11,681 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

1 nomination total

Also by

Adam MacDonald

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

furious_iz2018-04-18
★ 6/10
A slow-burn horror that doesn't quite burn enough. Before I get started let me just say that angst and anger are not the same thing. I have read so many reviews that have described the character of Leah as angst-ridden. Angst is fear or anxiety, often about the future, it is not the same thing as anger... Leah is a teen living with her grieving mother. She likes black metal and the occult. She's not completely off the rails, still respects her mother, but she is clearly dealing with the loss of her father as is her mother. Her mum decides it is time to uproot from the family home and shift to a cabin in the woods. After a massive argument the angry teen summons a demon/witch/entity to kill her mum, and spends the rest of the film regretting and trying to reverse the ritual. There's some good acting, some nicely fleshed out characters with a lot of grey moral areas, no one is completely good or completely bad. The mother is simultaneously cold, selfish, distant, loving, caring and concerned. The daughter is angry, upset, respectful and loving. The witch is a little like the shark in jaws, all subtle out of focus, with only the odd decent look at it. That is both a good and a bad thing. Fans of horror might feel let down, but fans of thrillers might think it is all a little too much There are some monumentally bad decisions which are hard to get over, and the ending lacked some punch, but it is mostly a well made quiet film. 6/10
Repo Jack2020-10-21
★ 7/10
Alone Alone 2020 ★★★½ Rewatched 17 Sep, 2020 Surly goth teenagers dabbling in the occult have become a horror movie cliché, but with Adam MacDonald's follow-up to his excellent debut Backcountry, it is an effective and compelling slow burn. With great performances from the leads (including Laurie Holden of The Mist and The Walking Dead), it explores what happens when a troubled teen follows up on her darkest wish. The final act is creepy and disturbing even though it comes to an abrupt end too early leaving us wanting more.