TLA Releasing // 2005 // 83 Minutes // Not Rated
Reviewed by Judge David Johnson // March 6th, 2007
Who said the Greeks weren't twisted bastards?
Well, I don't know if anyone has ever said that. But if you do run across someone who spouts such lies, you need only point them toward this blood-soaked zombie extravaganza.
Three spelunking friends are traipsing through a cave when a POV shot hits them in the face. A few hours later, they turn into flesh-eating ghouls, and attack everyone around them. Thing is, the illness is contagious, so, very quickly, the entire populace is consumed with this zombie madness.
A ragtag group of survivors (genre law mandates that the protagonists in zombie movies are always considered "ragtag") desperately tries to fend off the rampaging hordes, leaping from holdout to holdout, and fighting back when the zombies eventually breach the defenses.
What transpires is a sequence of gore-soaked set-pieces, a foot fetish scene and the world record for beheadings in a low-budget Greek horror film.
This little horror germ was a surprise. It's the farthest thing form an original concept, but as per the play-by-play of zombie splatter films dictates, Evil executes with panache. The title bites though. Let's look at the rundown:
* The Gore Factor
Truly the most important aspect of a film
that hopes to make its bones on its excessive bloodshed. The good news for
gorehounds is that there is plenty of gib-ulous mayhem to be found here. In
fact, an argument could be made -- successfully I believe -- that Evil is
less a "movie" than an 85 minute effects demo. The wizards behind the
make-up and gore gags have packed in lots of goo-soaked havoc, and while solid
mainstays like decapitations and eye wounds are present, these guys have tossed
in some novel fright sights, not the least of which are some exceedingly
well-done head explosions. In short, plenty of splatter, ranging from
obviously-low-budget snickerfests to impressive feats of smashed sinew.
* The Humor
Evil is more closely aligned to Dead
Alive and its ilk than hardcore horror-thrillers like the recent Dawn of
the Dead remake. The survivors are a diverse bunch: you've got a sleazy
cabbie only interested on licking women's feet, a 14-year-old orphan girl who
looks like a 23-year-old Penthouse model and psychotic soldier who laughs
himself silly as he hacks into the flesh of the undead. It's not straight-up
slapstick, but the tone of the film and the amusing bit of dialogue that pop up
from time to time, take the edge off the darker stuff.
* The Swiftly Paced Nihilism
What's cool about Evil is
there's no downtime. Zombies are running the streets within 15 minutes and the
fist liter of blood is spilled well before that. It's an unpretentious splatter
film, lacking a happy ending or even a shred of exposition that revels in
creative ways to murder a person. A high heel to the face. A karate kick to the
midsection. A point-blank shotgun blast to the face. Whatever popped into the
filmmakers' minds, I submit, likely made it onto the final cut. And the whole
thing is a little over 80 minutes.
Nothing much to report, presentation-wise: a budget-looking, non-anamorphic widescreen transfer, still gallery and trailer. Yee-haw.
Stream-of-consciousness splatter. Take it or leave it.
Grab a mop and get to work. Oh, and not guilty.
Review content copyright © 2007 David Johnson; Site layout and review format copyright © 1998 - 2008 HipClick Designs LLC
Scales of Justice
Video: 75
Audio: 80
Extras: 60
Acting: 80
Story: 85
Judgment: 80
Perp Profile
Studio: TLA Releasing
Video Formats:
* 1.85:1 Non-Anamorphic
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround (Greek)
Subtitles:
* English
Running Time: 83 Minutes
Release Year: 2005
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks
* Still Gallery
* Trailer
Accomplices
* IMDb
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0813129/combined