Steady interlacing of generational resentment with supernatural menace-each feeding, zombie-like, off the other-gives The Dark and the Wicked a subtext that's almost strong enough to offset its largely generic scares.

There is possibly not a single scary moment here that will be new to horror fans, but Bertino directs with such technical flair that I yelped at most of them - and half-missed the others, eyes squeezed tight shut.

The Dark and the Wicked is a relentless ride through the stages of grief and guilt.

The atmosphere Bertino creates in his near-singular location-set movie is dripping with dread; he films most scenes in such naturally dull light that it makes the outside world seem much further than a pull of a curtain away.