Vicious

Polly is a lonely 32-year-old woman who lives by herself and struggles to keep up with daily life. She is waiting for an important job interview when an old woman comes to her door with a wooden box and an hourglass. The stranger says Polly will die that night unless she puts something she hates, something she needs, and something she loves inside the box. Polly follows the strange rules while the house turns into a shifting nightmare filled with voices, dead family members, cruel visions, and bloody attacks.

The story stays close to Polly as she faces guilt over her father’s death, fear of dying, and deep anger at herself. She loves her sister and young niece, but the box turns that love into a test that forces her to hurt herself and fear that she has hurt others. The film also treats the box as a picture of an unhealthy relationship because its rules keep changing and Polly can never win by obeying them. The final scenes suggest that the curse can move to another person, while Polly may escape its control by refusing to answer its call.