Another Evil

I really enjoyed where this movie went. It started out seeming like your average film about a haunting. Family gets spooked by ghastly encounters and they hire someone to take care of their problem. At this point, the movie starts to be kind of funny - and not just because of Mark Proksch. You actually encounter two medium-types and they are very different in their approach to the problem in goofy ways.

Once the main characters settles on Mark's character, Os (the "medium"), things become horrific and not in a haunted house kind of way. There are lot of red flags with Os hanging out in the house as he really opens up about himself. This movie reminds me a lot of Creep in that the horror is in the psychology of this character who is initially too weird, then too close, and then too uncomfortable to bear.

The ending has a very serious explosion of intensity that is worth it. The conclusion is untidy and feels rushed but leaves enough for you to chew on and discuss with friends after. I will say the ghosts aren't what they seem. And neither is the evil.

I highly recommend this movie to fans of Creep.

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.

This was a movie that I heard about through podcasts. It went on a list that multiple shows covered it, so I made it a point to check out. My guess is that it would have been end of year shows or when I first got into listening, so I'm not fully sure where I heard about this one now. I didn't remember much about what was said. That allowed me to come in blind.

Synopsis: when ghosts invade their vacation home, a successful artist and his family hire an exorcist who may be more frightening than the spirits he's been hired to destroy.

We start this at the vacation house belonging to Dan (Steve Zissis) and Mary Papadakis (Jennifer Irwin). They are there with their son, Jasper (Dax Flame) who goes by Jazz. They're playing charades. It gets cut short when they hear a noise upstairs. Dan doesn't think it could be animals. He finds a chair knocked over in his studio as he's a painter. He puts it right and leaves. There is another noise to which he finds a paintbrush on the floor. There's also a mark on the wall. Jazz sees and hears something in the hallway. Dan checks again to find brushes in the form of a triangle. He also sees a ghost.

This couple decides to hire Joey Lee Dansing (Dan Bakkedahl) to cleanse the house. He contacts the spirits, figuring out that there is two. He reports to Dan and Mary, telling them that they're harmless. He won't remove them though. This annoys Dan. He tells this to his friend, George (Steve Little), who recommends an exorcist.

The other guy is Os Bijourn (Mark Proksch). They meet at a restaurant to get Os up to speed. He knows Joey and finds his work to be lazy. These two guys go to the cabin where Os disagrees with Joey's assessment. He wants to start at once. Mary wants to talk about this, but Os makes comments questioning his stance with the family. Os gets to work cleansing the house. He also reveals dark things that have happened to him and with his personal life. He sees a chance to befriend Dan. When things are ending, he isn't done with his work and it will change the Papadakis' lives forever.

That is where I want to leave my recap and introduction to the characters. The reason being is that we don't have the deepest story. I did read a bit before watching this that this was supported by the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program. We have a small cast. This is mostly set in one location. It is more about getting to know Dan and Os as they get to know each other. When it is time to go back to the real world, it causes issues.

Since this is a character study of these two, that is where I want to delve deeper. Let's start with Os. He seems like a nice guy who is awkward. He has an aura about him when they first meet. The more that we get to know him, we see that he isn't as confident as he comes off. He has issues that he's dealing with, like going through a divorce. There is something interesting that we see with intimacy when they hire a stripper. Proksch does a great job at taking on this character. The more we learn about, we see the layers and he brings this to life.

Then on the other side, let's look at Dan. He's a good family man. He loves his wife and child. What is great is that he's an artist. He didn't know how he would take care of his family when Mary got pregnant at a young age. Dan started painting circles and all sold out. He has continued doing this and it is funny that he made up why it started. Os says certain things that question his manliness and I get that as a guy. I also like that he's annoyed with Joey when he won't get rid of the ghosts. Zissis does a solid job at bringing this character to life. He is a sympathetic guy who makes bad choices that lead to terrifying results.

I'll finish out with the rest of the cast. Most of the actors here are comedians so I think that helps with the timing. That makes sense with what we're doing here. I like Flame and Irwin as this family. I love where things end up with them and the payoff that comes with it. It builds tension that we need. Bakkedahl is good in his small role along with Little in his. They help to push things to where they end up.

All that is left then is filmmaking. Where I want to start would be the editing and pacing. What is interesting here is that on paper, this is boring. It doesn't come off that way though because of how this is constructed. We have Joey and then Os to assess if the cabin is haunted. I personally thought that these two were full of it and they were just taking money without doing anything to help. This does confirm that the cabin is haunted. I like how subdued the effects are. The two ghosts are only shown in flashes. That's done well. The cinematography is good. I love the feeling of these two being isolated at this location. Where it went was dark and I wasn't expecting it. I'd also say that the sound design helps build tension along with the soundtrack.

In conclusion, this one is an under talked about film. Do I think that this is great? No, but it works well in the confines of what it is doing. We are taking the idea of a haunted house and grounding it with a realistic story. The acting helps bring the characters to life, with Zissis and Proksch leading the way. This is well-made. I thought the pacing was good along with the atmosphere and the cinematography helping there. One that I don't know if everyone will like as it has an arthouse vibe. This has a slow build up, but I thought it was good where it ended so credit there.

My Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

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.

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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.