Indie Horror Hall of Fame: Becky/The Wrath of Becky

I’ve been a big fan of both Becky and Wrath of Becky since they both were released (2020 and 2023 respectively), but there’s just something in the air that made me really want to revisit both films in the last few days (hmm…wonder what that is?). And the thing of it is, for as much as I enjoyed both initially, I actually enjoyed them so much more this time around for obvious, and not-so-obvious, reasons. So, what are is the not-so-obvious reason then? Well, it all comes down to this line:

“You can’t keep taking things that aren’t yours.”

But I’ll circle back to that in a bit. For now, let’s dive into the first film.

When we meet the titular 13-year-old Becky (Lulu Wilson), she going through a rough time. Already an angsty teen, we learn that Becky’s mom passed away a year earlier after battling a terminal illness, and her dad Jeff (Joel McHale) has seemingly moved on with the well-meaning Kayla (Amanda Brugel) who is anxious to connect with the troubled teen, along with her adorably precocious son Ty (Isaiah Rockcliffe). Everyone heads out to the family lake house for a relaxing getaway, but a group of Neo-Nazis (led by Kevin James) who recently escaped from prison have different plans in store for them, and soon enough a dangerous game of cat and mouse is afoot.

The only difference here is that it’s the tenacious Becky that has the group of aggressors on the run, proving nothing is more dangerous than a pissed-off teenager with nothing left to lose.

As someone who enjoyed both Bushwick (seriously, Dave Bautista is GREAT in it) and Cooties (tons of fun!) — Milott and Murnion’s previous directorial efforts — I had a sense going into Becky that the film was going to be right up my proverbial alley, and I was totally right. What I didn’t expect after nearly five years is just how much the movie would continue to impress me, and my appreciation for it has only grown since its release.

What makes Becky a great viewing experience is that it has a bit of a grindhouse sensibility rippling throughout, just right below its surface, but nothing ever feels wholly exploitative (which is something that could have easily happened, considering some of the material at play in the film’s narrative). I also enjoyed the fact that for as brutal as things get in Becky, there’s so much more going on here than just some mindless and gory violence looking to only titillate viewers.

Don’t get me wrong – I am a fan of movies that go for the jugular when it comes to delivering cinematic brutality, I just think the fact that Becky ends up being a bit more of a thoughtful exercise in the consequences of violence as well as how idiots should be forced to contend with the repercussions of their hateful beliefs, regardless of whether or not they are explicitly involved with any direct wrongdoings themselves. There is no forgiveness when it comes to Nazis, and that’s a good thing.

That being said, Becky still features some gnarly moments, including a dangling eyeball that must be snipped, a broken ruler being jammed through someone’s throat, and a death via boat motor that all provide some truly cathartic moments for viewers who are enjoying this teen taking down this group of hate-filled assholes. There’s a balance that both Milott and Murnion strike here as storytellers, as when it comes to the violence against anyone who isn’t a Neo-Nazi in the film (which also includes one of Becky’s pups), those moments are generally played off-camera. Not having these moments at all would lessen the stakes of the titular heroine’s journey, so it’s smart to still have them as part of the story but not revel in them either (if that makes any kind of sense — I’m still working through a nasty cold).

Everyone in the film is great but both Wilson and James deliver powerhouse performances in Becky that are uniquely compelling in their own ways, giving us two characters that are equal parts explosive and introspective (which isn’t an easy feat to pull off).

In regards to Lulu, I’ve been a huge fan of hers for a while now, and she’s consistently delivered stellar work, with her character of Becky being yet another highlight in her already impressive career (what she does in the sequel is just phenomenal too, but we’ll get to that soon enough). The angry teenage archetype in cinema isn’t anything necessarily new, but there’s both a quiet contemplation and a ballsy determination to how Wilson approaches her character here, making Becky someone that you can empathize with but also cheer on her total badassery all the same.

And with James, an actor who has made a career out of being the journeyman funny guy in both film and television, he’s an absolute revelation in Becky as Dominick, the enigmatic Neo-Nazi leader who is in pursuit of a token that seems to mean a lot to both him and his merry band of maniacs who have broken out of prison alongside him.

Physically, James makes for a menacing figure that looms over any potential victims he crosses paths with, but there’s also this magnetism to Dominick that makes it easy to see why anyone would even listen to him in the first place, let alone follow him on this felonious path. Sometimes it can be hard for us to understand just how anyone would blindly follow terrible people (maybe there’s a little less of that going around these days), but Becky demonstrates through the character of Dominick that all you need to be is someone with a loud enough voice, and someone out there is willing to listen to your message, even if it is all just a bunch of bullshit.

What’s so cool is that in my 2020 review of Becky, I discussed how much I wanted to see the titular character return, and finally in 2023, my wish came true in the form of The Wrath of Becky. A wickedly fun follow-up that leans right into its exploitation vibes, The Wrath of Becky catches up with the teen a few years after the first film as she does her best to navigate her way through life on her own at age 16. Becky’s not alone though, as she still has her faithful pup Diego by her side and a kindly woman named Elena (Denise Burse) has taken her in.

Becky works as a waitress at the Scotchwood Diner where she fantasizes about taking down annoying customers during her down time. The teen ends up in the crosshairs of a trio of douchebro extremists who have arrived in the small town to wreak havoc, and they decide to teach her a lesson later that night by invading Elena’s home, killing the woman, and stealing Diego while Becky is left unconscious after their attack. Of course, Becky isn’t going to take their misdeeds lying down, and sets out to get her revenge.

As it turns out, Becky tracks the guys down to a country compound nearby owned by Darryl (Seann William Scott), the leader of a Neo-Nazi group called the “Noble Men.” These “Noble Men” are planning to assassinate Senator Hernandez during an upcoming rally and start a violent insurrection but Becky catches wind of their scheme, and decides to unleash her formidable rage on all of them by taking them out, one by one.

Directed by Suzanne Coote and Matt Angel, The Wrath of Becky has far more of a comedic tone going on than its predecessor did, but that really works favor of the material at play in the sequel. The character of Becky has already been through so much, so this time, she’s a bit more playful with her prey (essentially a sassy John Wick), and Wilson really shines in new ways here (which is saying a lot because she was already so great in the original Becky).

The violence in The Wrath of Becky feels a bit more Looney Toons-esque as well, resulting in a few “Holy Shit!” moments like when Becky rigs a grenade in one of the diner dude’s mouth and connects it to a door that’s bound to be opened sooner than later, or when she shoots an arrow clean through Courtney Gains’ mouth (the scene when he begs for his life because he has a baby boy, only to reveal the child’s name is Adolf is wickedly hilarious and aptly brutal). Of course, the best kill in the film is probably the triple bear trap which is so wonderfully gruesome, it would undoubtedly make Jigsaw proud.

Two other things that rule about the sequel: the fact that it gives us a chilling performance from a comedic actor (SWS this time around) and that it features none other than Opal Cortland herself — Jill Larson from All My Children — and as a kid raised on soap operas during the ‘80s, seeing her in this made me giddy.

Like the first film, The Wrath of Becky is also a cathartic viewing experience — it was very satisfying back in 2023, but it feels even more rewarding now considering everything going on in the world. I know that no one could have expected that these movies would become even more timely in just a few short years, but that is the world that we live in now. Also, Becky’s “Fuck Off & Die” patch is a MOOD.

Which brings us back to this line:

“You can’t keep taking things that aren’t yours.”

This is something that Becky’s dad says to her early on in the first film that means something for her character, but its meaning carries over to the villains in both films. In both Becky and The Wrath of Becky you have these Neo-Nazi assholes who just keep taking things that aren’t theirs and they pay the ultimate price for their misdeeds. It’s a lesson for all of us, but it’s a message that is mostly aimed at those who use their hate-fueled privilege to cause chaos in the world. And there’s just something about all of that which feels all too relatable these days.

Here’s hoping that these films continue to be a reminder that in a world filled with awful people who are eager to proliferate hate and intolerance any way that they can, it’s always better to be a Becky (and if we got another one of these movies in the next year or two, I would absolutely be game —just putting that out there, universe).