Wicked (1998)

14-year-old Ellie Christianson wants to make her father Ben her love partner. And when her mother Karen turns up dead, Ellie has a good opportunity.

Director:

Michael Steinberg

Writer:

Eric Weiss

Stars:

Julia Stiles, Louise Myrback, William R. Moses

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julia Stiles	...	Ellie Christianson
Louise Myrback	...	Lena Anderson
William R. Moses	...	Ben Christianson
Chelsea Field	...	Karen Christianson
Vanessa Zima	...	Inger Christianson
Patrick Muldoon	...	Lawson Smith
Linda Hart	...	Mrs. Potter
Casey Rion	...	Leon
Michael Parks	...	Detective Boland
Patrick McTavish	...	Bobby Smith
Connie Blankenship	...	Mrs. Smith
Venessa Verdugo	...	Police Woman
Kyle Sabihy	...	Snuffy Holmes
Sterling Macer Jr.	...	Detective Ritchie (as Sterling Macer)
Beano	...	Forensic Cop

Storyline

After the mysterious death of an upper class housewife, her oldest daughter literally takes her place, dressing in her mother's clothes and seducing the father. A quirky detective investigates the crime and finds that there are many suspects, each with something to hide.

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Plot Keywords:

detective | pink suitcase | cult film | dead mother | green card | 

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Taglines:

Evil Never Looked So Good.

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Genres:

Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and some sexual content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 January 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Second Wife

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Flipped Out Productions, Frankestein Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Officer: So you do think it was him?
Detective Roland: Him... or somebody else.

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Soundtracks

"Clown"
Performed by Switchblade Symphony

User Reviews

Superb little gem of a thriller. Hitchcock would've loved it

I stumbled on this on cable, expecting very little -- and was I ever surprised! The young female lead was spectacular, and all the main actors did fine, fine work, even the youngest child. This film deserves a much wider audience.

My only explanation for the extremely low ratings is the subject matter. The shadow of incest is off-putting to a lot of people, and I suspect many viewers just cannot enjoy a film where the subject matter makes them very uncomfortable. This is not a wimpy film with the predictable moral messages, but a very gutsy, finely-crafted piece of work that keeps you on the edge straight through.

This is a refreshingly different and exciting film that is miles beyond the usual Hollywood rot, and it manages to convey a steamy, dangerous eroticism without nudity or simulated-sex scenes. It takes a real director and some real actors to pull this off. And they didn't have to resort to car chases or gunfights, either.