Another Evil

Another Evil is one gem of a little film. Let the reference to 'little' not mislead you though - it's 'little' not due to lack of significance or quality, but because of its limited budget and its orientation towards a smaller audience (appreciators of intelligent minimalist horror comedy). The film seems to have been made by true enthusiasts of the genre who must have enjoyed every bit of making it. Another Evil is a good proof of the fact that it's not the budget and fancy special effects that make a good film but a quality script, skillful directing and good acting.

The Plot is simple. A family's house is haunted by evil (or not?) spirits and the man of the family invites a ghost specialist (or a ghost evictor?) to chase these spirits away from the house. The ghost man - a chubby and funny looking man (who first seems nice and friendly but eventually turns out to be totally bizarre weirdo) becomes very fond of the protagonist's company and does not seem to be wanting to part with the latter. He therefore extends the initially agreed term of the services and even offers to the protagonist a free-of–charge day (so that he can stay over a little longer with his new "best friend"). However, the protagonist does not quite share this affection (to put it lightly). He wants this weirdo to leave the house immediately, once and for all, even at the expense of some of the ghosts remaining in the premises. This is where the conflict begins and the comedy slowly picks up thriller elements, leading to unexpected events.

The film is hilarious, filled with irony and top quality subtle humor. The jokes are at times dry and somewhat dark, so they're definitely not for everyone, but the "right" audience will appreciate. The choice of the main actors was done very well (especially the ghost man) creating the right chemistry between the two.

Some tabloid could probably describe the film as "Cable Guy meets Conjuring" and this would probably be a pretty accurate description (despite the corniness). Overall, if you enjoy a good quality, subtle dark comedy and are a fan of John Landis/Sam Raimi movies, Another Evil is definitely worth checking out.

After encountering a ghost in his family's vacation home, modern artist Dan (Steve Zissis, who more than one reviewer has called "schlubby") and his wife Mary (Jennifer Irwin) hire an "industrial-grade exorcist" named Oscar (Mark Proksch) to get rid of the beings. But Dan soon realizes that ridding the home of evil will not be as simple as it seems.

While the film as a whole is good, it does suffer from an inability to be categorized. While labeled as a "horror comedy", this is far from the truth. The comedy does not go much beyond the early scene with the first exorcist (Dan Bakkedahl), who is clearly either a fraud or flat-out nutty. The horror angle does not go much beyond the jump scare from seeing a ghost on the stairs in one scene. At no point do we have a "horror comedy" blend.

The real story here is of a man who is clearly lonely and whose loneliness drives him to be both desperate and obnoxious. This is neither scary nor funny, but instead creates a constant awkward atmosphere (which Gary Abrams has aptly compared to Bill Murray in "What About Bob?"). If the goal of a horror film is to create an unease in the audience, they succeeded on this count but probably not in the way they intended. Again, this is not a bad film, just one that is a challenge to classify.

The film also suffers from the cover or poster art. This actually projects the idea that the film is even sillier or low budget than it actually is. This is not silly, and while it may be low budget it never comes across that way. The production value is every bit as good as it needs to be for the concept. The ghost, for example, is legitimately creepy, even though it is about as simple as it could be.

If you are looking for a more conventional horror film about an unconventional man's approach to the supernatural, the film for you is "A Dark Song". But "Another Evil" has a potential to grow on you. While it fails to hit home because you never know what to feel, that very same thing might be what gets you to come back for repeat viewings. There is clearly something more to Oscar than first meets the eye.

The movie is out now from Dark Sky Films. The home release is fairly bare bones with no commentary or interviews to speak of, unfortunately. Though the praise offered in this review is clearly "guarded" and with its own caveats, "Another Evil" may prove to be an acquired taste...

This low-budget affair might as well exist solely for the eternally underrated comic genius Mark Proksch to do his thing. That the rest of the film is surprisingly enjoyable is just icing on the cake. Steve Zissis is the perfect straight man, and the always good Dan Bakkedahl and Steve Little are enjoyable in their brief roles as well. But the goods here is Proksch, in the instantly funny premise of a broken ghost hunter whose wife has just left him because he couldn't stop adopting cats. As far as debut features go, this one from writer-director Carson Mell is a real winner.

This is one nutty movie. After watching the ghost hunter for 10 minutes, I couldn't take it anymore. I know this guy! Looked up the movie online, and Os is played by the energy vampire, Craig Robinson, on What We Do in the Shadows (Mark Proksch). Only my favorite character on the show!

Anyway, Another Evil is kind of a showcase for his comic talents. Very little horror element, the bulk of the emphasis on the movie is character-driven comedy, between two people. Playing, well, "straight man" is Steve Zissis as Dan, a successful artist (of black circles, I thought this part was real funny, with your typical art pretentions, though he does own up to it) who is experiencing a haunting in his getaway cabin. They get a ghost hunting "bro," who shows up in a sleeveless shirt, and energy drink in hand. Dan has his doubts, so Os is recommended to him. And he's got a bunch of, uh, issues (his girlfriend recently broke up with him because he had too many cats, amongst other things).

I found this movie pretty hilarious, then again, I think Mark Proksch is a comic genius. Watch the DVD deleted scenes, these crazy monologues he does, as well as interacting with Dan, are a riot. Probably too self-indulgent for the movie, and they don't exactly move the story along. But so great they're included here.

What I didn't think worked for this movie, was the final act. Where Os has to go sinister, or at least completely off the deep end, character-wise, did not work for me. Os has a laundry list of problems, but he comes off harmless enough (albeit totally misguided). Kidnapping the family and threatening to kill their son seemed out of character.

Only one thing I liked in the final act. There is a twist with the ghost, which makes you rethink what happened before, as well as the effect it had on the rest of the movie!

Fantasia 2016: 'ANOTHER EVIL': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

One entry in this year's 'Fantasia International Film Festival', is this extremely low-budget horror-comedy flick. It's about an artist, who's trying to rid his family's vacation home of a ghost, who then befriends the eccentric exorcist, that he hires to do it. The movie was written and directed by first time feature filmmaker Carson D. Mell, and it stars a cast of mostly unknown actors; including Steve Zissis and Mark Proksch (as the film's two leads). For such a low-budget flick, the movie is immensely entertaining!

Dan (Zissis) is an artist, who's spending some time with his family at their vacation home, when he witnesses two ghosts. The first exorcist he hires (Dan Bakkedahl), to get rid of the spirits, tells him the ghosts are friendly; and that he should just learn to live with them. Dan doesn't like that idea, so he hires another exorcist, named Oz (Proksch); that promises to actually rid the house of it's unwanted guests. A very bizarre relationship forms between the two men.

The movie is hilarious, in places, and it's also quite frightening, and disturbing, in other places. The climax is totally intense (as well), and it's also extremely involving. The two lead performances are fantastic, the directing is adequately done, and the script is brilliant. What's most impressive about the film though, is how the filmmakers are able to do so much, with so little! The execution, of this 'little indie that could', is masterfully done! I'd definitely recommend it.

Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/bE358EcZTbU