Wither (2012) User Reviews

Wither: Bit of a drag

[Platypuschow · 4/10 · 16 August 2017]

This Swedish zombie film "Borrows" a lot from several horror classics including The Evil Dead (1981) Despite this it finds its own identity and actually has a fairly decent premise behind it.

The zombies look interesting and stand out from the average, the movie has a budget behind it and the performances aren't entirely terrible. So why the low rating?

The problem with Wither is it simply isn't very well made. Despite a lot of action the movie is oddly boring, the sequences are highly uninspired and the subject matter seems wasted in the hands of someone who didn't know how to utilise it.

Wither isn't bad, it's just a drag. A slow, unexciting, unoriginal drag.

You know what this undead vs young people in a cabin in the woods needed? Bruce Lorne Campbell!!!

+ The concept + The creature effects - The pace - The action sequences

Top notch gore minus the scares. Good effort nonetheless.

[Fella_shibby · 6/10 · 27 November 2016]

This movie was in my radar for a long time. It wasn't available in the library. Searched the market where they sell pirated ones for 50 rs. Was to no avail. Heard some very good reviews n how some compared it to the evil dead. Well as a fan of evil dead like most people, i was eager for this. Finally saw this. Thank you Steve for the movie. Coming to the movie, the acting was horrendous. There was minimal character development. The chicks were not that eye candy. The Swedish forests/woods weren't utilized. There was zero cinematography. What really bugged me was that this movie was not at all creepy or scary. There was no proper explanation given about the house or the "thing" inside the cellar. Read bah the "thing" on wiki. Scary n interesting. In one scene the zombie/possessed person is screaming so much that I felt sympathy for it. The characters were so lame n stupid, i mean all of em? The movie is full of scenes like "why would they do that" "common man". The director tried to make it look like an 80s film with the music n that grainy feel. One thing the movie can really boast about is the amount of impressive gore. It's gory. I mean much gory than the Evil dead remake. All in all a good effort. Check out Gallows hill. A better demon movie. Well this is a decent non scary horror flick with impressive gore but lacked originality.

Impressive gore, but that's the best thing about it

[Jiiimbooh · 4/10 · 26 September 2012]

Some young people decide to party and spend the night in an abandoned house in the woods. One by one they are possessed by… something and the possessed start attacking the not-yet-possessed. We only get a semi-explanation for why and what's going on, but that's really all that's needed. It's not the most original story of all time, but it works.

This Swedish horror movie is like a modern Evil Dead with more realistic gore effects, but most else is sadly not up to the same standard as the old cult-classic. After an initial horror scene to set the tone, we get a superficial presentation of the characters and why they are going to the house. This part is rather boring. I understand that they want to set up the characters and story, but we get mostly uninteresting talking. No interesting stuff happening, no funny jokes, and no good buildup of what's to come. Regarding the dialog: the lines themselves are mostly realistic during this part. However, the delivery isn't always that realistic, but not bad enough to be funny.

The movie does get better once the horror begins. There are some creepy parts and excellent gore effects. Despite this being a low-budget Swedish horror, the effects are up to par with a modern Hollywood horror movie, so kudos for that. The acting even improves a bit. However, I was a little annoyed at times at the inconsistent behavior of the possessed. Sometimes they can't attack the humans fast enough, yet at other times they just stand there and look.

I would recommend this to someone who is mainly interested in seeing some nice gore.

Dull as dishwater

[SanForZeke · 1/10 · 20 January 2014]

I lack the stamina to write a proper review about this movie. But this sad, boring, Evil Dead-wannabe doesn't deserve one, anyway. It was nowhere near the Evil Dead movies (and I didn't particularly care about those, either) except maybe in gore. I'll just list some things with a notice to horror fans: Don't watch this movie. The only "horror" in this movie is how bad it is.

1. Are you a nervous girl sent inside a house to open the outer door for your friends? Don't do it. Investigate the cellar instead, hope that the guy hasn't unlocked the door before you're done.

2. Your friend is blocking your path down the stairs. She's got blood all over her. Ask her in a casual manner to get out of the way, or what's the matter.

3. The "Vittra" attacks you. Wrestle with it. Push it away, it shows talent in getting pushed into objects or over tables. Then just stand there and look perplexed until it's ready to attack again, then try to reach the door.

4. Some Vittras are more durable than others. Some will be put down and die quite easily. Others will take an insane amount of damage before they give up.

5. Always split up.

6. We must go outside! No, it's dark and rainy, it won't work, get upstairs! Get in there, lock the door! Bad idea, we must go outside! Go this way! Go that way! Back this way! Get outta the way!

7. Some Vittras are aware of their condition, and doesn't really want to hurt you, but in the end they must. Others, be it your brother, doesn't care one bit.

8. Main couple are given a few extra chances of survival. The Vittras make sure to not bite them whenever they get the chance. Support characters are a fair meal up for grabs, though.

9. Some Vittras likes to scream. Loudly. It doesn't up the scarefactor, though.

Im sorry, but Im disappointed

[Fero_Marini · 4/10 · 26 August 2013]

I went to see this movie at London Fright Fest 2013. I was really looking forward to see it as I love Scandinavian movies such as Deadsnow or Trollhunter. Many reviewers compared it to Evil Dead, so obviously my expectations were high - and that was the problem. Don't compare it to the cult classic, they have very little in common. Unfortunately I did not find Wither funny, nor scary, a little gory yes (but I'm sure you've seen it all before), and have to admit I was leaving the cinema quite disappointed. The plot isn't anything special, takes off slowly, and characters aren't helping either (I actually found two main characters really annoying).

I hope you'll going to like the movie more than I did, but please refrain from comparing it to Evil Dead.

If you want to lose your mind then this is the number one movie for you

[nandkishoresrinivasan · 1/10 · 12 December 2013]

I've been checking out the IMDb website for many years now but i never wanted to create an account,i don't know why.But now,after watching this horrible....horrible movie i think i'm doing service to mankind by preventing them horror fans from witnessing this visual crap.At Least,if it had bad special effects i would've recommended the movie to the dick who lives next door to make a fool of him but no this movie was beyond that...a whole new level of z-grade horror movies. The acting is horrible,movie is slow paced and by slow paced i mean the guys are just waiting for the zombie to attack,then they push them off and cry,I'm serious they cry.After serious contemplation they decide to kill a few zombies and yes they end it by crying.The movie would've been really thrilling if it ran at a 10x speed.There are some people who deserve to die in these slasher/horror movies,but these college kids?the only thing these dumb kids are good at is dying and god is merciful for giving them this opportunity to showcase their talent. If you want to lose your mind then this is the number one movie for you.

Swedish smørgasbörd of gore!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 2 November 2013]

To claim that "Wither" is inspired by Sam Raimi's horror monument "The Evil Dead" would be a tremendous understatement. "Wither" fundamentally IS the Swedish version of "The Evil Dead", although accomplished with a great deal of respect, admiration and youthful enthusiasm towards the classic original. Perhaps even more so the case than in the US-remake released earlier this year! Albin and Ida, a young couple very much in love, invite five of their friends to spend a weekend in a cabin high up in the Swedish woods. Before they are even properly installed, one of the girls encounters a mythological Swedish folklore demon in the fruit cellar and becomes possessed. She subsequently infects her friends one by one while the surviving ones unsuccessfully attempt to escape. So much for the straightforward and familiar story, and I bet you can guess the script also reverts to textbook clichés (the old man with the warnings) and stereotype characters (arrogant jocks, blond bimbos). But all that doesn't matter, because the main trump of "Wither" obviously isn't the intellectual storyline but the outrageous and plentiful gore! It looks as if the crew invested every penny they owned into make-up effects, fake blood and red goo. "Wither" offers a Swedish smørgasbörd of impalement, decapitations, axe-wielding, shotgun-through-the-head wounds, face-munching and much more! The gore, and particularly the quality of the old-fashioned make-up effects, widely compensate for the lack of originality. My main complaint regarding the film is that the makers clearly had too much fun and seemingly didn't want their movie to end. Towards the finale, the film definitely drags and outstays its welcome. The overly sentimental confrontation between the last two survivors could (and should) have been cut with at least 10 minutes at least.

4 for gore, not much more

[iddqd87 · 4/10 · 8 December 2013]

I rate it 4 because it had some cool gore but I was very unhappy with what seemed to be excessive amounts of women getting punched in the face and barely anything happening to the men. I just felt weird and dirty after watching this. Basically it felt off balance and I can sit through (although not comfortably) movies like Last House on the Left because you KNOW the people who did all that are going to get whats coming to them. Again, the gore was well done but I don't care at all about the characters and it all felt like a heavily misogynistic grindhouse movie in the worst way. It was Evil Dead lite but somehow harder to watch. I know most users wont find a problem with what I did, but it really ruined what could have been an okay movie.

Gory and some-what creepy movie,

[atinder · 7/10 · 1 November 2013]

This plot you maybe thinking its sounds a lot like Evil dead and most of the movie did remind me a lot of evil dead.

Two break away from the the group and end up going under house to sneak off, as then lady sees some kind of creatures, soon we see her owns eyes go back into her head.

Everything seem fine at first, all having dinner, While that girl is feeling not well soon she takes a turns into a infected person.

That when the movie gets going,it dose not take long at all and everyone trying to fight her off.

Then man appears at door, hearing the noise. telling the story of how is wife and daughter were killed by the same creature, who ever looks into eyes of the creature, there sole wiill be taken.

Soon it's spreads around the cabin, this movie as some very gory moments (Not over the top gory moments like Remake of Evil) Enough to please gore hounds and the creature did not look that bad , good make up effects, make them looks really creepy.

Very enjoyable movie, if you didn't like the remake of Evil Dead, Check this one out.

7 out of 10

curiosity killed the cat

[vampiri · 5/10 · 29 September 2013]

Watch out, folks!! The Swedish "Evil Dead" is here...

In horror Movies curiosity usually kills the cat, but reinventing old Movies Always kills the Movie. Some Movies are just better off left alone. Evil Dead is such a Movie because it is a true Product of its day. You cannot outshine Bruce Campbell, nor the great atmosphere and the ingenious, although amateurish, sfx.

For such a small country as Sweden we have succeeded in delivering so many international stars within the Movie industry: Max Von Sydow, Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman, Mauritz Stiller, Gösta Bergman, Stellan Skarsgård. Now, Vittra won't go down in history as the ultimate Swedish Movie, however, it is far better than I expected and I am not a fan of Swedish Movies, especially Movies within the action and the horror genres where we suck big time. Why? Because we haven't succeeded in creating our own identity within those two genres. The dialog just doesn't work, it just sounds silly and the action sequences is retarded and static and the Movies themselves lack ingenuity. Everything tries to be American. That said, I love and prefer American Movies because they give me what I want, i.e. Entertainment. But when genres lack their own identity and at that, instead, tries to be something they cannot be...well I Think you know how the result will turn out...

Plot: a Group of Young friends decides to get together for a weekend in a cabin in the Woods to catch up. One of them wonders off to explore and silence her curiosity, when she returns something has changed...

Well, what to say? It is not bad, in fact, it is quite good. Of course, the weight is on the sfx and as I mentioned above, it lacks story, originality, wit, identity. Above all, it is too much Evil Dead to be taken seriously to any degree. Nevertheless, it is not, thank God, cheesy and badly executed. The dialog sucks and it just sounds silly.

To my fellow Swedes, I can't really compare Vittra to any other Swedish Movie within the genre since we don't make a lot of these. The only Movie that comes Close is Evil Ed (1995) which is, truly, a cheesy Movie, so cheesy that it becomes funny. To my international colleagues, Watch this one if you like "Evil Dead" or any other Movie about people being stuck somewhere and stalked by creatures of the unknown.

I give it 5 out of 10 because it is well made, good sfx and lots of gore. It lacks any degree of originality and it is one of those Movies where the directors/creators just want to show off their technical skills in order to get funds for their next venture, which I Believe they will. But Vittra will not stand the test of time like Evil Dead.

This film is EVIL DEAD for the Swedes

[ksmieshek · 9/10 · 29 October 2013]

I have had it! Everyone had been ranting and raving about how this film was the Swedish "Evil Dead" and then they have voiced their disappointment . This movie DOES embody the essence of Evil Dead with a 21st century twist. It's cheesy, its gory, its actors are looking for their break. ITS AMAZING. People say the plot line is ridiculous and that movie plays out terribly. That is basically Evil Dead in a nut shell. But its those amateur things that bring us the greatest cinema. The Swedes made some magic with this film. If you can appreciate a simple piece of horror, this film has it all. Ridiculous amounts of blood, sentimental feelings for the deceased, and lots of old rickety cabin scenes. This movie is great!!

Oh, how my excitement withered.

[Greenzombidog · 6/10 · 18 August 2013]

Yeah I also read all the buzz about this movie being the new Evil dead or whatever they were saying. I suppose it is like evil dead plot wise, group of kids go to a cabin (or abandoned house in this case)are all one by one possessed or infected by evil. Then gorily kill each other off.

Unfortunately that kind of comparison is unfair to Wither as it gives you certain preconceptions. Unlike Evil dead this movie has no sense of fun. It is far too serious and given the quite silly plot this doesn't work in its favour. The only laughs I had were at the main guys hair becoming quite crazy during one of the fights the brother characters generally cheesy appearance and the subtitle coming up for a quite obvious shouted expletive, twice. Also none of the characters seem to have a problem killing each other. These people are supposed to be long time friends but they quite happily shoot and stab each other in the blink of an eye.

It is fairly gory but if gore is what you're looking for it doesn't even do that in an original way. None of the kills are inventive. I had seen nearly every kill bar one (the one with the stool) done before. The effects are in the majority done with practical effects with a bit of CG help. There are a couple of CGI blood squirts which I loathe because the blood just vanishes. Overall the gore effects are good but not as extreme as some reviews claim. The possession make up for the actors is pretty good. More effort does seem to have been made with the brother character than anyone else though.

The Gore effects aren't the only time CG rears it's ugly head, there is added heavy rain in certain scenes that doesn't appear to be making the actors very wet (oops). Also some over the top clouds of dust and debris.

The ending is also a massive anticlimax you wait the whole movie to see the thing that caused all this mayhem. when you do finally see it it's a bit of a non event.

I was really looking forward to Wither I enjoyed the directors other movie Blood runs cold but this one lacked something for me.

Great practical effects and yet you feel nothing

[spencergrande6 · 5/10 · 1 December 2017]

This has probably the best mud-blood effects I've ever seen (mud-blood is the modern incarnation of blood that refuses to be red because that's a color and desaturation is all the rage - but in this case there's actual mud which helps). There are really good practical effects and non-stop craziness throughout and yet I still felt nothing.

It's all in service to those who came before. There's no ingenuity or true imagination at work here. It's so indebted to The Evil Dead it forgets to be its own thing and somehow winds up worse as a result. An up the ante riff on The Evil Dead shouldn't just feel like it's going through the motions. I can't quite put my finger on it, but this whole thing is just off in some way and it's all related to that somehow.

There's never a moment that makes your mind jump and heart leap at the sheer unexpectedness, the showmanship, it's just so much blood and splatter and god I hate that that sounds like a bad thing but here it is.

When zombies turn into... zombies.

[fedor8 · 10 May 2021]

It doesn't take long for this "Evil Dead" knock-off to annoy me. First the spoiler, i.e. The unnecessary trailer-within-the-movie opening scene. Why? If I had already decided to watch the movie then WHY would you feel compelled to add a bloody teaser in the movie itself! Even more spoilers in the opening credits and its illustrations.

The married couple: they can't stop kissing and touching each other, behaving as if they were 15 year-olds discovering sex for the first time. Every time they slobbered I wanted to punch them in the face. It seems highly unrealistic - not to mention completely irrelevant - that the writer would want to constantly bring up the obvious fact that they're in love. Is this a horror movie or a frigging TV soaper? I could give three craps about their relationship.

Speaking of emotionally reetahrded 20somethings, the Blonde's brother and the Goth Chick start bonking mere minutes after going inside the cabin. Is this some irrational side of Sweden I hadn't heard of before, or is the writer just another hack?

One of the guys plans a prank, so he sends Other Brunette to a dark room to scare the others. "It's too dark in here," she says stupidly. The curtains though...? All she had to do is pull them aside. Duh. Then she starts inspecting a filthy, dark, abandoned cellar which is even darker and filthier than the room she'd complained about! It is so far-fetched for a woman to go inside this particular cellar in this particular situation that I just face-palmed. She couldn't just wait for the others to tell them about the cellar? Because, obviously, modern Instagram women are desperate to go into filthy badly-lit rooms, they just love those... Even dumber, when the neighbour shows up he says that his wife and daughter had also gone into the cellar as soon as they'd entered the house. What is it with Swedish women and filthy cellars!

Predictably, Other Brunette meets a creature there.

Less predictably, she decides not to mention it to anyone! When she starts realizing she's changing her appearance she doesn't ask for help. Why not? Because the script stinks.

Then Goth Chick, who seems to be even thicker than Other Brunette, approaches her from behind, not noticing that her neck and shoulders are covered in blood and filth, while OB just stands on the stairway like a zombie. At this point, at the very latest, I knew this dumb movie was beyond repair.

After sheet hits the Swedish fan, the neighbour checks up on them. He wants to inquire if they're OK. Their reaction? Hostility and lies. It'd be only natural to be thankful for any kind of help in a bizarre situation such as this, yet these dumb kids seem to do everything that's contrary to typical human behaviour. That's we film critics call bad writing i.e. Misusing/treating characters as plot-devices, not as real people.

The neighbour talks about getting rid of OB demon AND calling the police! Isn't that mutually exclusive? "Yeah, hi, cops, we got this zombie situation at our hands, a girl is possessed by a demon, we want you to come by, but before you do we'll shoot her down". Duh. Which anyway begs the question: did the neighbour inform the cops of the deaths of his wife and daughter?

Predictably, Prank Kid gets attacked by Goth zombie, yet it never occurs to him to shout for help. Again, the writer misuses people as illogical cardboard characters: they are zombies BEFORE even turning to zombies. The rest of the cast for some reason don't hear the fracas when the two start wrestling and breaking furniture.

Psycho Guy, after he knocks out Other Blonde, starts digging a grave for her. In a forest. In the rain. While running away from a potential demon attack. Nor is it credible he'd simply abandon his sister in the cabin for so long. Just as dumb as his sister refusing to let him inside the room, despite there being no evidence he was infected - while she and her husband were. It seems that the writer was desperate to include a psychopath in the story: zombies and demons just weren't enough. How about throwing in an alien invasion too while you're at it?

When Psycho Guy turns, he starts bashing his sister with a large steel rod, over and over, yet she seems fine! What laughable drivel.

The entire movie is plain dumb hence ineffective and dull, despite the plentiful action. The movie doesn't even attempt to explain why a demon was hiding in the cellar in the first place. He's just there. Nor can the movie really even make up its mind whether these are zombies or demons. The movie tells us nothing: it's just a series of murders i.e. Hand-to-hand combat scenes between zombiedemons and humans.

Still, at least it isn't mono-colour but has a decent look. And the mobile phones work! Amazing, huh?

The Swedes bite into the Evil Dead...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 11 December 2016]

I will go out on a limb here and say that "Vittra" (aka "Wither") surely had to be a homage to "Evil Dead", because it was essentially the very same story, just only set to take place in the beautiful wilds of Sweden. And if it wasn't an homage to "Evil Dead", then it was either a very odd coincidence, or the most blatantly rip-off ever conceded.

The story taking place in "Vittra" is about a group of young people going to enjoy time away in a remote cabin on the forested mountainside. But they unless an ancient evil trapped in the basement, and one by one they succumb to the taint of evil and turn to ferocious killers.

There is a lot of blood and gore in "Vittra", which may discourage some viewers, but on the other hand it also have an equally big chance of appealing to the gore hounds in the audience. I found the amount of blood and gore to be working in favor of the movie, especially since the special effects team did a good job.

However, the storyline was just too much of a copy of "Evil Dead" for me, and that didn't sit well with me. Sure, I do love "Evil Dead" and its sequels, but that doesn't mean that I have to agree with other takes on the iconic movies. And "Vittra" didn't really take on with me, and I found it to be a mere mediocre cash-in on the "Evil Dead" franchise. It lacked originality and ingenuity.

The acting in the movie was adequate, although I can't really claim to single anyone out as being overly memorable. I suppose it was as it was supposed to be for a Swedish take on "Evil Dead". However, no one will ever reach up to the performance of Bruce Campbell.

"Vittra" wasn't particularly memorable for me, especially since I had already seen it all before in the classic and iconic "Evil Dead" movies. But I am sure to a new audience who is not familiar with "Evil Dead", then "Vittra" will turn out to be quite impressive.

And bear in mind that this is a Swedish movie and they speak Swedish. So if you have an issue with foreign language movies, then you have been warned.

I found "Vittra" to be very mediocre, and as such I am rating it five out of ten stars solely for the blood and gore. "Vittra" did not leave any lasting bitemarks, pardon the pun, and nor will it ever become as loved as "Evil Dead". Why settle for less when you already have perfection readily available in the company of Ashley J. Williams and friends?

Plothole Nightmare

[thedarkknight-23206 · 1/10 · 21 February 2021]

The director must have been thinking that horror movie viewers are dumb idiots who dont care about plotholes and consistency. Throughout the movie are visual effects like grain, dust, sunlight, birds and rain which are obvious just after effects to make the movie more visual appealing. But they dont. The Things act sometimes like zombies and sometimes like demons from evil dead so there is also no consistency. The gore and splatter effect are okaish till good. Some splatter effects are more convincing than others but never as shocking or cool as youd think it should be. The actors are very much not that talented but they do their job ok for a low budget movie. Apropos low budget. There are low budget movies that are awesome, where the director put all his love and admiration for horror movies into it and Made a masterpiece out of the limited resources he had. But this movie? Maybe they tried. Maybe they didnt. But they failed miserably....

One bloody mess.

[cirisortiz · 3/10 · 9 July 2021]

First: what I liked, the older man with a functioning brain and human feelings. What did I dislike? The lack of functioning brains of the rest of the character BEFORE they lost their minds, among other things. I know horror movies, are full of dumb people, but usually you find one person who turns out to be smart and regardless if they live or die, you actually like. I didn't like any. "Lets leave." Smart idea. It's RAINING, so they decide to go back to house from hell??? Is that a joke?

OK for what it is

[dsntxst · 6/10 · 19 May 2014]

A group of friends head out for a weekend of fun at an abandoned cabin in the woods but unwittingly unleash an ancient evil that begins hunting them one-by-one.

So originality is not a key factor with 'Wither' but then it isn't supposed to be. What 'Wither' is though is an okay little cabin-in-the-woods story that evokes the gritty and primal feel of old school horror flicks of the 70s and 80s - the good and the bad.

The good: (1) There is minimal back story before we get to the "goods"; (2) The cast do an adequate job of looking pretty one minute then terrified the next; (3) There are some pretty neat practical effects throughout; (4) From the setting to the use of film grain, the entire film looks very gritty which helps set the atmosphere; (5) The horror set pieces are entertaining for the most part (and gore fans are well catered to).

The bad: (1) Things happen a bit too conveniently in order to push the film along and there are some breaks in the film's logic that were a bit jarring; (2) Although it's to be expected, there are A LOT of "Why would anyone do that?" moments which are really infuriating; (3) The neat practical effects are counterbalanced by some not-so-neat CG effects; (4) The film starts to drag towards the end and peters out into a bit of a ho-hum conclusion.

'Wither' is no classic but is enjoyable enough if you don't expect too much from it (and we all need films like these once in a while, right?). This is a simple cabin-in-the-woods story: no muss, no fuss. Worth a view.

The withering of WITHER

[Mister-Creeper · 6/10 · 27 August 2013]

Hailed by many as the new (or next) EVIL DEAD, WITHER turned out to be a bit of a let down as its conclusion and end credits withered away. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed this. Just not nearly as much as I had anticipated. Where shall I begin?

Without a doubt, WITHER was pretty well done considering the low budget. The acting was decent. The setting was cool. The gore effects were better than expected. But that's about where it stops. The story was too simple and the characters were not given enough...not sure of the word I am looking for...depth, maybe? There just wasn't much of a back story in general. The actors did good with what they were given. The finale was...well, if you blinked you may have missed it. Nonexistent for the most part.

This really had a chance to be great, but instead it withered along the way in becoming just average. I promise I won't use the word "withered" again in this review, but it's damn hard not to! Overall a decent film. Much better than most low budget horrors these days, if only the story would have been told a bit better. And the death scenes could have been a little more creative. The ending is the biggest let down of all though, in my eyes.

Good acting. Good setting. Great gore effects. Limp story. Lame ending. Still worth a view. Just don't expect this to be up to par with the original EVIL DEAD, because if you do, you will be sadly let down. EVIL DEAD set the standard for how to make a scary, no budget horror film. Hopefully, if a WITHER 2 is somewhere on the horizon, a bigger budget and better storytelling will emerge and just maybe we will get the Swedish equivalent of DEAD BY DAWN: THE EVIL DEAD II. Just maybe...

Unoriginal but furiously entertaining

[MidoriFiore · 8/10 · 9 August 2013]

There is certainly both pros and cons about this film. First and first there are really some problems with the script. It's very unoriginal; it's Evil Dead in Swedish. It tries to do little new with the concept and shares it's basic premise with a dozen other horror films. The one original thing about it is that the villain is a Vittra, a creature from Swedish folklore also known as "vätte", that turns it's victims into zombies that it uses to kill and maim any person who intrudes on it's domain. There is also a old man who warns the protagonists and tells them about the monsters.

Another weird thing about the film is that the filmmakers seems to don't know how to film and direct a normal dialog scene. The film also has a scene where a character says "I feel so f**king bad", when there is not a single person around. Who is she talking to? The audience? You are bleeding from every cavity, it's not like we get it.

Then there are the pros. And boy the pros are good! In the first part of the film the acting is off, but once the real drama starts and the Wither attacks the acting gets really good (The film also has the advantage of having killed off the bad actors by then). Lisa Henni is the one that stands out the most, but Saxe, Almkvist and Wallmo are really, really good too. They have to work with big and difficult emotions like fear, sorrow and brutality and does it amazingly. I really like a brief scene at the end where one of the characters is almost unable to fight any more after the loss of so many loved ones. That is really the theme of the film. Lot's of characters loose their close and loved ones. Johnnes Brost is in the film for about 10 minutes but those are ten minutes you will remember. Especially when he draws his knife.

The effects are really good, with a few exceptions that fortunately does not take the edge of the film. The film is really, really violent. Heads are mashed with rocks, there is a really messy decapitation and early on a really disgusting scene where a lip is torn off. The wonderful sound design is the best I've ever heard in a Swedish film. The last part of the film is a real furious roller coaster and the last 15 minutes will have be sitting on the edge of your seat. The film goes on a bit to long but that is sort of nitpicking. Some character does some stupid things but when you think about it, they kind of makes sense from an emotional stand point.

In the end, Vittra/Wither is a real thrill ride that demands to be seen in a cinema with a good surround-system. You need Vittra. You need to see it in a cinema and be swept away by it.

I hope there will be a Vittra 2.

Not fantastic, but at least it's gory

[filmbizarro · 6/10 · 10 April 2013]

Plot: A couple decides to bring their friends out to a cabin for a bit of fun. But when two of the friends are planning to mess with the others, a girl climbs down to the basement and finds herself standing face to face with something hiding in the dark. Something that turns her into a bloodthirsty demon. The friends are soon hunted one by one, and for every kill another one turns.

Our thoughts: There hasn't been a Swedish movie that the majority of horror fans have been looking forward to more than "Vittra" for quite a few years, and clearly my interest was piqued as well. It made itself clear from the start that "Evil Dead" served as great inspiration, and that alone is not a problem - hell, it's good that filmmakers draw inspiration from it. I was a bit afraid that they would let the old classic control this movie, though: that it would rather try and be "Evil Dead" than be influenced by it.

Storywise we can't judge it: it's teens going to a cabin. No one can be assaulted for using the concept, as "Evil Dead" once proved how much you can expand upon the simple concept. "Vittra" takes place in an old house, a very typically Swedish house. This sets a good mood because the country is filled with abandoned houses just like this one. It doesn't take long after they get there that one of them meets the evil that is lurking under the house, and becomes possessed by whatever powers it has. Later that night while the party has started for real, she is starting to feel sick. Quickly after that she has transformed into a zombie-like demon, with bright white eyes and a lust for flesh. She attacks one of the other girls, and as you'd expect: that girl will soon become one of them. The plot essentially ends here, to no surprise.

By the time they get to the cabin it has already, however, became clear to us that we're not in this for the great acting or the depth of plot. The writing of the dialog might not be the problem, but rather the performances. It's basically everything that Swedes has came to dislike about Swedish horror/independent films. Admittedly, they are not all bad - I found Lisa Henni and Patrik Almkvist to be the two that managed through most of the movie without it feeling silly. And of course, Johannes Brost is a veteran so he's slightly above in many scenes, though not flawless himself either. The plot does pretty much end once one of them has turned, and stays the same up until the very end. The creature in the ground is almost forgotten about: not by us, but by the filmmakers. While I had wanted to give that one more time, especially regarding origins, I understand not wanting to dig too much into it. Just don't leave it out of the movie up until the very end, as that made it seem like an extended end. We we're nearly ready to call it a night by then! I won't go into the title of the movie and the connection with the creature, as I am happy to accept that they have built their own myth around it. Besides, it's better to give it a name from a Scandinavian mythology than just calling it "Demon", "Zombie", etc. (let's face it, the time for that is over).

Yes, the movie is not the best you'll find, in story or acting. In this sense it is what you're used to from this country by now. But it's the more entertaining Swedish horror of recent years, above "Psalm 21", "Insane" and the rest. I haven't seen "Let the Right One In" yet, because: f**k you, I have no interest. I can't say it's the best horror movie Sweden has ever made, especially not when we've had Ingmar Bergman crafting something like "Vargtimmen", among other classics. But yes, "Vittra" is not a terrible watch and I'll tell you why: the gore and the effects. This is the reason you have heard of the movie, and it's the reason you will watch it. It is, in fact, very gory. The gore looks good, and as expected from a movie essentially based on "Evil Dead", you can expect showers of blood. Whether it's decapitations or a demon biting off a lip, it's surprisingly effective.

I know for a fact that the movie will grow a nice reputation based on this, because there are so many horror fans out there who are just out for blood. Especially when this is one of the goriest movies Sweden has produced. Nothing wrong with just wanting that, and I think "Vittra" succeeds in that aspect. It's not a fantastic horror movie, but it has the heart in the right place and it doesn't mind spraying the blood. Therefor my time spent on this was not wasted, and I think you should check it out if you just want a stupid but gory movie. Especially if you're not Swedish, because then you might accept the acting more. Thanks to the house it manages to muster up some atmosphere as well!

More reviews at FilmBizarro.com

A group of friends, a creepy cabin, an unspeakable evil, yadda, yadda, yadda.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 13 October 2015]

A love letter to The Evil Dead, a respectful homage, an unofficial remake: call it what you like, but it doesn't alter the fact that Wither is a shameless rip-off of Sam Raimi's seminal splatter pic, from the basic plot, to the look of it's possessed, to the creative camera-work and editing. Not that it really matters, mind you, because this nifty supernatural horror from Swedish directors Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund is so well executed that it's easy to forgive its wholesale plundering of a much loved classic; it's certainly got more going for it than the disappointing official 2013 Evil Dead remake.

Wither takes a while to get going (perhaps a little too long, if I'm being completely honest), but is never boring, and once the horror starts, the film becomes a relentlessly gruelling and very gory thrill-ride, with decapitations, severed limbs and bloody impalements aplenty, weapons employed including a shotgun, an axe, a massive drill bit, and even an upturned stool. The overall tone is grittier than Raimi's movie, which makes matters a little less 'fun' perhaps, but fans of all things 'deadite' should still find much to appreciate about this impressive little homage/remake/love letter/rip-off.

Graphic Evil Dead clone

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 18 February 2018]

WITHER is the Swedish EVIL DEAD. There's not much more to say about it than that. It has the same ferocity and constant graphic bloodshed as the American EVIL DEAD remake which came out a year later, in 2013. A bunch of friends visit the usual cabin in the woods and are soon subject to demonic possession, turning on and infecting each other one at a time. Mucho bloodshed ensues. Although low budget, this is a highly effective little production which offers near constant horror and nihilism without a moment to draw breath. It's extremely disturbing and extremely graphic, more so I thought than the real remake. The horror never lets up once it begins and the bloody mutilating special effects are extremely realistic. The cast are certainly put through their paces and as it turns out they're up to the job. My recommendation? Watch if you're a fan of graphic horror.

What the Evil Dead remake should have been

[boykinb · 9/10 · 26 June 2013]

I had heard good things about this movie and was delighted when I got the opportunity to see it today. The film was made for just under 35,000 euro so I was factoring that in when I sat down to watch it. I didn't need to. The movie looks great. The cast were believable, it was extremely well directed, the cinematography was superb, it was scary, it was clever and it ranks alongside Dead Snow, Let the Right One In and The Troll Hunter as yet another indication that Europe is definitely snapping at the heels of Asia when it comes to creative film making. Yes, it's a rip off of The Evil Dead but it's certainly the best copy to date and, regardless of the budget, it leaves the recent Evil Dead remake looking tired and dull. An excellent horror movie.

very much like evil dead, but without any of the fun

[daworldismine · 6/10 · 20 September 2015]

i am a huge fan of the evil dead series, so when i read all the reviews for this movie, i just had to get it, a lot of people said it was even better than the evil dead remake, now i just have to say i disagree with that big time, the evil dead remake was much better than this, but then again the evil dead remake also had a big budget so i won't hold that against it. now i do agree to a large extent that this movie was like the evil dead, it was a legitimate love letter, with so many references and homages i can't even begin to name them. the setting, the possessions, the gore, the feel, the music, the sound design, but they also forgot the main thing that makes all the evil dead films classics 'the fun', yeah evil dead is gory, yes evil dead is sadistic, but its also funny, with a very likable lead, there was not one likable character in this, everybody blended in with everybody else. look i know it seems like I'm giving this movie a bad review but I'm really not, there was so much here i appreciated as an evil dead fan, and the gore was top notch, the movie seemed to get a bit repetitive near the end and didn't know when to stop, and me and my wife was losing interest fast. another thing the movie should of done as well was explain the wither a bit more, because being English we don't know much about Swedish urban legends. anyway I'm going to end it here, but I'm not saying this was a bad movie, because it wasn't, its a million miles above some of the trash sitting on our tesco shelves, the movie is merely generic, and i think thats the problem, when it could of been so much more, oh well, i still think it was a good job, and evil dead fans will find something to enjoy here, just don't expect it to be as good as most people are saying this is, because better than the evil dead remake it's not