In the hands of a typical Hollywood studios this would be a watered down formula movie, but I found the drama to stand out the most. It's a mistake to simply call this a romantic comedy. It is first and foremost a drama starting out as an examination of people in pain. And slowly embracing the quirky yet twisted predicament that ensues.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Evil Things
(2009)
A Very Good Horror Movie
6 April 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I have to admit, I am a little biased, because I'm an indie movie-maker, so I see it from that perspective. At the same time, I am terribly sick of the hand-held, shaky cam, "Blair Witch" POV style. Especially when it doesn't really go anywhere and it doesn't bring anything new to the table. I enjoyed Cloverfield because it had a Monster Movie spin, and I thought it was well executed. With Blair Witch I actually just stopped caring for the characters, because I had nothing in common with them.
I really liked this movie. It's a neat little spin on the stalker / serial killer movie. A few cliché's yes, but really from a fresher perspective. It does fall into some of the same trappings as Paranormal Activity and Blair Witch. I did yell at the screen when a character acted stupidly, and got annoyed when they did stuff I thought I would never do in that situation, but it did it's job, it pulled me in. It got me to care enough to be annoyed, yet concerned enough to keep watching. It was really two things that kept me watching, which are the two things that really make or break these kinds of movies for me. The acting and the camera work.
Great performances from everyone, good chemistry, really felt like they were all friends, and when they were terrified I felt for them. Especially Laurel Casillo as Cassy. She really stood out for me. I can tell there's a lot of talent there, and I look forward to seeing what else she is capable of. The rest of the cast did a very good job in keeping my attention. I empathized with Elyssa Mersdorf's performance, she really made me feel for her, both Morgan Hooper and Ryan Maslyn did very well, and it probably helps that maybe I have a small crush on Torrey Weiss. She's absolutely adorable.
The camera work was tops for me. I hate over the top shakiness, really turned me off of Blair Witch. Worked OK for me in Cloverfield, because it seemed to fit well. Here, Evil Things pulls off that shaky POV without making me puke. Managed to get in some decent and clear shots, while conveying that hand-held feel. So Kudos to director Dominic Perez and for actor/camera guy Ryan Maslyn for pulling it off.
The only real downfall of the movie may very well be what also makes it so great. It's very simple. It's a straight forward plot that takes you on a ride. We go on a ride with some friends as they end up being stalked by a mysterious black van and later in a secluded house. It starts simple and ends simple, but there was a part of me that wanted more. Like I was waiting for some sort of twist or surprise. Alas, no surprises. Some unexpected moments sure, but no twists. What I did get was a very creepy and often times terrifying movie that had me questioning what I would do in that situation. Some truly suspenseful and eerie scenes that added up to an overall great effort and good horror movie.
Very well done and I look forward to seeing what else Dominic Perez will do.
I really liked this movie. It's a neat little spin on the stalker / serial killer movie. A few cliché's yes, but really from a fresher perspective. It does fall into some of the same trappings as Paranormal Activity and Blair Witch. I did yell at the screen when a character acted stupidly, and got annoyed when they did stuff I thought I would never do in that situation, but it did it's job, it pulled me in. It got me to care enough to be annoyed, yet concerned enough to keep watching. It was really two things that kept me watching, which are the two things that really make or break these kinds of movies for me. The acting and the camera work.
Great performances from everyone, good chemistry, really felt like they were all friends, and when they were terrified I felt for them. Especially Laurel Casillo as Cassy. She really stood out for me. I can tell there's a lot of talent there, and I look forward to seeing what else she is capable of. The rest of the cast did a very good job in keeping my attention. I empathized with Elyssa Mersdorf's performance, she really made me feel for her, both Morgan Hooper and Ryan Maslyn did very well, and it probably helps that maybe I have a small crush on Torrey Weiss. She's absolutely adorable.
The camera work was tops for me. I hate over the top shakiness, really turned me off of Blair Witch. Worked OK for me in Cloverfield, because it seemed to fit well. Here, Evil Things pulls off that shaky POV without making me puke. Managed to get in some decent and clear shots, while conveying that hand-held feel. So Kudos to director Dominic Perez and for actor/camera guy Ryan Maslyn for pulling it off.
The only real downfall of the movie may very well be what also makes it so great. It's very simple. It's a straight forward plot that takes you on a ride. We go on a ride with some friends as they end up being stalked by a mysterious black van and later in a secluded house. It starts simple and ends simple, but there was a part of me that wanted more. Like I was waiting for some sort of twist or surprise. Alas, no surprises. Some unexpected moments sure, but no twists. What I did get was a very creepy and often times terrifying movie that had me questioning what I would do in that situation. Some truly suspenseful and eerie scenes that added up to an overall great effort and good horror movie.
Very well done and I look forward to seeing what else Dominic Perez will do.
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