‘The Dark and the Wicked’ Film Theories: Explanations, Themes, and Meaning

I think I missed The Dark and the Wicked in the haze of the COVID-19 outbreak. That time was a horror all to its own. 

But I recently (and finally) watched this movie at home after seeing it recommended in dozens of Reddit posts. And I’m glad I did.

It’s genuinely scary and well-executed. It’s a family allegory that doesn’t shove it in your face. I thought it was worth writing about, so here are my The Dark and the Wicked theories:

Screenshot from “The Dark and the Wicked” trailer.

Top Theories About the Meaning and Themes of ‘The Dark and the Wicked’ (2020)

1. The Theme of Grief as a Manifestation of Evil

Theory: The entity is a metaphor for unresolved grief and emotional isolation within the family. It preys on the family members as they are forced to confront decades of emotional neglect and unspoken pain.

• Why It Fits:
  • The demon never states a motive, and it doesn’t follow traditional possession rules. Its power grows in silence, secrecy, and hopelessness. The siblings’ estrangement from their parents mirrors the mother’s spiritual decay and desperation.
• Key Moments:
  • The mother cutting off her fingers and hanging herself the night the children arrive.
  • The father’s catatonic state—he is alive but unreachable.
  • The nurse’s suicide mirroring the mother’s, suggesting the entity feeds on emotional vulnerability.

2. The Theme of Inescapable Generational Doom

Theory: The family is cursed—whether by bloodline, place, or sin—and the siblings were always fated to return and be destroyed by it. The entity isn’t summoned; it’s inherited.

• Why It Fits:
  • The evil is deeply tied to the family’s land and history. There is no exorcism or solution, and even leaving (as Michael tries) results in death. The demonic force doesn’t just haunt—it owns them.
• Key Moments:
  • The father is dying but never speaks, symbolizing the silence passed through generations.
  • Michael’s return home, where the demon tricks him into believing his family is dead.
  • Louise being attacked the moment her father dies—his death completes the cycle.

3. The Theme of Religious Emptiness and Spiritual Despair

Theory: The film critiques blind faith and the failure of religion to combat true darkness. The entity mocks the symbols and language of faith, showing that faith without connection or meaning is powerless.

• Why It Fits:
  • Father Thorne is either an illusion or a fraud, and traditional religious comfort is completely absent. No prayers, rituals, or clerical figures provide any real help.
• Key Moments:
  • The priest’s number connecting to a stranger in Chicago—suggesting he was never real.
  • The mother whispering not to her husband but to “something else,” possibly in prayer that was twisted or misdirected.
  • The nurse (a caregiver, often associated with mercy and faith) turns violently on herself and Louise.

4. The Theme of Psychological Collapse and Shared Delusion

Theory: There is no literal demon—the entire narrative is a psychological breakdown shared by the siblings as they confront familial trauma and terminal illness.

• Why It Fits:
  • Many of the terrifying events can be explained as hallucinations, dreams, or misperceptions. The film creates ambiguity around what’s real—mirroring the confusion of grief, guilt, and mental collapse.
• Key Moments:
  • Louise’s nightmares and the surreal levitation of her father.
  • Michael’s vision of his dead family—immediately contradicted when the real family arrives.
  • The silence and passivity of the father throughout—he becomes a screen onto which everyone projects their fear.

5. The Theme of Isolation as a Breeding Ground for Evil

Theory: The farm’s remote setting and emotional distance among the family members create the perfect environment for evil to thrive. The entity is drawn to the family’s disconnection.

• Why It Fits:
  • Every character is physically and emotionally cut off—Michael and Louise have been absent, their mother dies in despair, and the father is already spiritually “gone.” This isolation invites darkness.
• Key Moments:
  • The mother’s plea for the children to leave—a subconscious warning that their presence won’t help.
  • Charlie’s self-destruction, despite living nearby, showing the entity’s reach beyond bloodline.
  • The breakdown of communication—calls that reach dead men, voices outside the window, no help from the world beyond the farm.

Key Themes in ‘The Dark and the Wicked’

The Horror of Helpless Witnessing

The film explores the psychological terror of watching someone you love die slowly while being unable to ease their suffering. Louise and Michael are bystanders to their father’s decline, and their impotence in the face of his condition intensifies the horror.

The Breakdown of Reality

As events unfold, time, memory, and logic unravel. The characters—and viewers—can’t trust what they see or hear. This theme blurs the line between supernatural and psychological horror, creating a constant atmosphere of disorientation.

Emotional Estrangement in Families

The siblings’ return to the family farm highlights years of emotional distance. Their mother’s anger and despair suggest long-standing neglect, and the children’s discomfort reflects the alienation that defines their family dynamic.

The Fragility of Perception

Characters in the film often see or hear things that may not be real. The entity manipulates their senses and emotions, revealing how easily perception can be corrupted when fear, guilt, and grief take hold.

Silence as a Carrier of Evil

Unspoken thoughts, quiet dread, and wordless suffering are central to the film’s atmosphere. The silence around the family’s trauma allows the evil to grow unchecked, suggesting that some horrors thrive in what’s left unsaid.

Plot Summary

• Year Released: 2020
• Director: Bryan Bertino
• Writer: Bryan Bertino

When siblings Louise and Michael return to their remote family farm in Texas to be with their dying father, they find their mother disturbed and fearful of an unseen evil. After their mother dies by suicide, the siblings experience increasingly terrifying events suggesting a demonic presence is preying on their family. As isolation deepens and reality unravels, both are psychologically and spiritually tormented, culminating in violence, hallucinations, and despair. The entity exploits grief, guilt, and familial estrangement—consuming anyone who comes close.

Movies with Similar Themes to ‘The Dark and the Wicked’

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Hereditary (2018)

A grieving family unravels after the death of their secretive matriarch, uncovering a terrifying ancestral curse rooted in trauma and possession.

—> Watch Hereditary online.

The Witch (2015)

In 1600s New England, a Puritan family isolated in the wilderness faces paranoia, loss, and the creeping influence of a demonic force.

—> Watch The Witch online.

The Babadook (2014)

A widowed mother and her troubled son are haunted by a sinister entity that may be the manifestation of unspoken grief and mental illness.

—> Watch The Babadook online.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

A father-son coroner team examines a mysterious corpse, only to experience escalating supernatural horrors tied to witchcraft and buried secrets.

—> Watch The Autopsy of Jane Doe online.

Relic (2020)

Three generations of women confront a creeping, supernatural force within their decaying family home, echoing the emotional and physical toll of dementia.

—> Watch Relic online.

Saint Maud (2019)

A reclusive hospice nurse becomes dangerously obsessed with saving her patient’s soul, blurring the lines between religious ecstasy and madness.

—> Watch Saint Maud online.

It Comes at Night (2017)

After a deadly outbreak, a family living in isolation lets another family into their home—only for paranoia, mistrust, and fear to spiral into horror.

—> Watch It Comes at Night online.

Have Your Own ‘The Dark and the Wicked’ Theory?

I’m glad I finally watched this movie. And I’m sure I’ll watch it again soon — mostly because I’m sure I missed some things.

But in the meantime, maybe you can let me know: What did I miss? Anything you noticed about this film? Deeper or hidden meanings or themes? Don’t be stingy — share them in the comments.

😱