Dakota Fanning’s Vicious Director Told Me The Scene That Had Him Gagging Off-Screen ‘Because It Felt So Real’

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Beware! The following contains spoilers for the show *Vicious*, available on Paramount+. If you haven’t watched it yet, proceed with caution!

It’s rare for a horror movie’s sound to be as impactful as what you see on screen, but Bryan Bertino’s new film, *Vicious*, definitely achieves that. Now available to stream, *Vicious* traps Dakota Fanning’s character, Polly, in a terrifying situation. One of the film’s best choices was to minimize the musical score, allowing Fanning’s performance and the chilling sound design to truly shine.

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Directed and written by Bryan Bertino, ‘Vicious’ stars Dakota Fanning, Kathryn Hunter, Rachel Blanchard, Devyn Nekoda, and Mary McCormack. The film runs for 98 minutes and is rated R for strong bloody violence, some disturbing images, and language. You can read our full review here!

This results in incredibly visceral sound effects – every cut and squelch feels intensely immediate, which can be deeply unsettling. A prime example is when Polly suddenly struggles to breathe, chokes, and violently coughs up a key she couldn’t have possibly swallowed. After the film *Vicious* premiered at Fantastic Fest, I spoke with director Bryan Bertino and asked how much of that disturbing scene relied on Dakota Fanning’s natural reactions versus his specific direction. You can hear his answer in the video above.

Dakota really committed to the scene – her reaction to the gagging was entirely her own initiative, and she took it much further than I initially expected. It felt so authentic that I actually started gagging myself while watching, and it made me wonder if we should establish a safe word, just in case it became too much.

The sound of someone struggling to breathe, escalating into violent retching, was almost overwhelmingly realistic coming from the theater speakers. Those moments completely changed the atmosphere – suddenly, the familiar smells of popcorn and hot dogs felt sickening instead of comforting. It’s easy to understand why Fanning’s performance had such a strong impact on people.

He went on to praise the actress, highlighting her exceptional performance as Polly and her remarkable ability to convincingly portray difficult emotions instantly.

She was incredibly dedicated right from the start, which gave us a lot of freedom as filmmakers. She has such a strong understanding of her own abilities that she could effortlessly transition between intense emotions – going from crying to being completely composed in an instant. It was a real asset having someone so committed, and I think that dedication is clearly visible in the final film.

I wish I’d asked how they did that scene. It really focused on her struggling, and it made me wonder if she actually had the key in her mouth the whole time, or if it was added in later with special effects. It’s hard to tell if it fell from somewhere else on her face, or if it was completely computer-generated.

I was curious which scene was hardest for Bertino to film. Many fans might expect him to mention a particularly violent moment, like the face stabbing or finger chopping, but he surprisingly highlighted the scene where Fanning was gagging. He felt it was more disturbing because of how genuinely realistic it was, compared to the fake violence and gore in other parts of the film. As he explained:

Honestly, the sound of someone choking really bothers me. I have a strong gag reflex, and I’ve realized that after years of working with injuries – seeing and dealing with a lot of trauma – I’m not as easily disturbed by things as I used to be. I’ve seen so much, it takes a lot to really affect me now.

However, Bertino also highlighted a scene that was more emotionally upsetting than scary or gruesome: the phone call between Polly and her father.

I’m most affected by the scenes that feel the most genuine. For example, whenever I felt really moved while watching, it was usually during the phone call between her and her dad – hearing his voice for the first time really got to me every time. I think that moment would be incredibly emotional and even frightening for a lot of people to experience.

Having lost my own father in 2001, and having dreamt of him both fondly and fearfully, a particular scene in the movie deeply resonated with me in a way nothing else did. While I knew it wasn’t actually Polly’s father, I completely understood her desperate hope that it was. Grief is awful, and this scene captured that pain, especially with its bizarre imagery of strange boxes, impossible tasks, and a haunting, internal struggle.

This horror movie has raised the bar for others, particularly when it comes to using unsettling imagery like characters violently choking on cursed objects, creepy mirror reflections, and other classic horror tropes.

You can currently watch *Vicious* on Paramount+, along with a bunch of other great horror films. I hope everyone involved is doing okay after all that happened, though that seems pretty unlikely – about as unlikely as getting a call from Polly’s dad right now. Oh, wait… my phone is ringing!

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2025-10-11 01:39