Wicked (1998 film)
Wicked is a 1998 American thriller film directed by Michael Steinberg and starring Julia Stiles as a disturbed teenage girl. The film also stars Michael Parks and William R. Moses.
| Wicked | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Michael Steinberg |
| Produced by | Frank Beddor |
| Written by | Eric Weiss |
| Starring | Julia Stiles Michael Parks William R. Moses |
| Music by | Cliff Martinez |
| Cinematography | Bernd Heinl |
| Edited by | Daniel Gross |
| Distributed by | Horizon Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
14-year-old Ellie Christianson lives in an affluent neighborhood with her parents, Karen and Ben, and younger sister, Inger. Beneath their privileged lifestyle is one tinged with dysfunction and chaos. Ben is a workaholic with a hectic schedule that keeps him away from home for most of the day. Karen, meanwhile, passes the time by pursuing an illicit affair with the family's next door neighbor, Lawson Smith, while her daughters are getting ready for school. She impulsively fires Lena Anderson, her housekeeper, as a means to spending some free time with Lawson, and is completely unaware that a shocked Ellie has secretly witnessed one of their liaisons.
Karen has an ongoing tumultuous relationship with Ellie, culminating in a heated confrontation one day after the older daughter disobeys an order to not wear too much makeup at school. Ellie ends up remorselessly killing her mother in a fit of rage. She selfishly begins to assume her wifely duties to Ben by waiting for him in bed at night, dressed only in lingerie.
However, Ben gradually develops some romantic feelings for the former housekeeper, Lena, and they eventually marry. The impromptu wedding ceremony ignites feelings of jealousy for Ellie as she wanted all along to be his wife.
While the supposed "love triangle" is playing out in Ellie's twisted mind, her mother's tragic "accident" is investigated by Detective Boland. When Karen's "accident" is subsequently ruled as a murder, he names Ellie as the prime suspect. She immediately decides to run away from home, going to Portland with her dead mother's lover, Lawson, in tow.
After her family goes on an hours-long fruitless search for Ellie, she unexpectedly returns to the house. She is greeted by Inger, who knows full well what had really happened to her mother. Inger ends up murdering Ellie, essentially inheriting her "wicked" nature.
Cast
- Julia Stiles as Ellie Christianson
- Michael Parks as Detective Boland
- William R. Moses as Ben Christianson
- Chelsea Field as Karen Christianson
- Vanessa Zima as Inger Christianson
- Louise Myrback as Lena Anderson
- Patrick Muldoon as Lawson Smith
- Linda Hart as Mrs. Potter
- Casey Rion as Leon
Release
Wicked debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1998. It was shelved until Stiles' career ascendancy and re-released on video in 2001.