Dakota Fanning Opens Horrific Pandora’s Box in ‘Vicious’ Trailer

Bryan Bertino, known for his work on The Strangers and The Dark and the Wicked, returns with Vicious, an unsettling horror thriller starring Dakota Fanning. The film had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on 19 September 2025 and will arrive on Paramount+ and digital platforms on 10 October.

In Vicious, Fanning plays Polly, a woman thrust into terror after a late-night visitor delivers a mysterious Box. She is instructed to place three items inside it: something she needs, something she hates, and something she loves. What begins as an odd ritual soon becomes a waking nightmare. Reality warps, memories betray, and Polly must make a series of impossible choices. As time slips away she is forced to confront the dark forces both inside and around her, all before they consume every part of her existence.

Joining Fanning are Kathryn Hunter, Mary McCormack, Rachel Blanchard, Devyn Nekoda, Klea Scott and Emily Mitchell.  The film was shot in Ottawa, Ontario, over roughly six weeks from March to May 2024. It is produced by Atlas Independent in collaboration with Paramount, with Richard Suckle among the producers.

Originally Vicious had been scheduled for theatrical release in the U.S. but in late 2025 it was removed from Paramount’s cinema slate. The studio instead elected for streaming and digital release, bypassing the theatrical window entirely.

The trailer recently released teases a film where safety is never a given. The Box feels like a malevolent force, one that demands sacrifice, forcing Polly to wrestle with grief, regret, love and loathing. Critics are already observing that the film may test how far someone can go in horror without surrendering their mind.

With its October release date, Vicious appears poised to become one of the season’s defining horror pieces. Fanning’s performance, the moral weight of the premise and the psychological horror pedigree of Bertino all suggest this will be more than just chills.

Vicious trailer