Filmmaker Bryan Bertino, who made the legendary horror movie The Strangers, is back with another tale of terror in Vicious. The movie stars Dakota Fanning as Polly, a woman whose life is upended when a stranger shows up at her door with a mysterious box that invites an evil entity out to play.
At Fantastic Fest 2025, Bertino spoke with The Direct's Russ Milheim about his new movie. The director discussed how he set up the supernatural rules for his narrative. Audiences may notice when they watch the film that those established rules seem to change on a dime throughout the movie, but that's a purposeful choice with a deeper meaning attached.
Bertino revealed that "So much about the movie is a metaphor for being in an unhealthy relationship." He explained that "part of what you end up seeing in those kinds of relationships is that the rules change all the time," and "the rules are going to change no matter how hard you fight." The filmmaker poignantly pointed out that "you feel like you can't win because you can't."
The full interview can be read and viewed below. Vicious lands on Paramount+ on October 10, 2025.
Vicious Director Bryan Bertino Reveals Why the Rules Change in the Film
"So Much About the Movie Is a Metaphor for Being In An Unhealthy Relationship."
- The Direct: "There's a supernatural spin to [Vicious]. Can you just talk about, within the context of the film, establishing kind of the ruleset and parameters about how everything is working and what we're watching unfold?"
Bryan Bertino: I mean, look, I think so much of the movie is experiencing it through Polly's point of view, and facing and learning about the rules, and learning about which rules does she have to follow, which rules does it matter if she follows or not? So much about the movie is a metaphor for being in an unhealthy relationship.
And I think part of what you end up seeing in those kinds of relationships is that the rules change all the time. And I think that's part of what it can be, so frustrating. You know, whether it's a shitty boyfriend or a shitty boss or whatever, you feel like you can't win because you can't. And the rules are going to change no matter how hard you fight.
And so I think part of what is interesting to me about this story is you take a person and you have all of their fears and hopes and dreams, and then you have this evil that wants to corrupt those things and is willing to keep going in different places, no matter what you do to try to get out.
How the Film's First Line Sets up the Movie Perfectly
"I Don't Want to Be Me."
- The Direct: "The film opens with the line, 'I don't want to be me.' Can you talk about how that line alone not only served as the perfect entry point for audiences, but also represents so much about what the movie is about?"
Bryan Bertino: When I wrote the first draft of the script, I didn't have that line, and I didn't have that moment, and I actually ended up, I feel like, when I first wrote that line and added that beat, crystallizing kind of the story, and it became kind of like a touchstone for every draft that came after it.
So, I think it's so much of—it's built from, you know, this movie is so much about not only Polly and who she is, but then what the box chooses to abuse of who she is. And so, to start from a place like that, which is a, I think sadly, kind of, we have all felt that way, and is a very connecting line in some ways, for an audience, because we've all faced those kind of things. So yeah, I mean, it really was a touchstone for the entire process.
The Terror of Strangers Showing Up to One's Doorstep
"I Get Very Frightened By the Unexplained."
- The Direct: "You have a soft spot, it seems, for random strangers showing up to places and really messing everything up, you know, with 'The Strangers,' which is one of my favorite films, horror films of all time. Can you talk about, with 'Vicious,' exploring that idea in a very different way, and adding that supernatural kind of spin to everything?"
Bryan Bertino: I mean, I think I get very frightened by the unexplained. I get very frightened by things just coming through your door, coming into your life... So much about life is suddenly being told bad news, and so, I'm terrified of it, so it's something I do keep going back to as a device, because I think that it's such an interesting jumping off point for where a story can go.
The full interview can be seen below:
For more creepy horror coming out of Fantastic Fest 2025, make sure to check out The Direct's interview with The Creep Tapes Season 2 star Mark Duplass, alongside director Patrick Brice.
