Evil Takes Root

It's surprise me being both a bit scary and had rather decent horror effects. The acting for the most part was well done. It was decently directed and it had a good pace. The story, the mythos of the batibat, was quite interesting. I appreciated the efforts! These movie can go really really bad. This isn't one of them.

Not scary nor well plotted. Acting is mediocre and plotting is basic, in a boring way. Tired interpersonal conflicts of marriage, infidelity, and faith. Characters are crudely one dimensional. Weak film trying to cash in one trend of spooky movies, possession films, and good versus evil studies. And it does it poorly. Nothing here to rent. If you like these types of films, watch if for free only.

Evil takes Root is based upon Philippino folklore and at first I did not understand what was going on. The DVD commintary help to clearify the confusion of Batibat and the production quality right up. As stated in the DVD commintary by several of the producers they had many challenges to overcome with getting this film into the public eye. They struggled with major financial setbacks, lost or not recorded scenes and audio, and having to find and reshoot years later at the original locations or similar locations. The production was able to coble together something that resembles what they had envision besides the losses both due to unforeseen circumstances and oversights of their own. Watch the film and then watch it again with the commintary it is infinatly better then just watching the film on its own.

Saw this little number last night. Now I had never heard of this film and knew nothing about it, so I settled down and gave it a go. Firstly I knew it was a lower budget affair but that doesn't bother me if the film is good, I have seen my fair share of low budget horror films. Secondly the acting wasn't to bad in the while film so that was a nice surprise. The story itself was okay and it went at a quick pace, so you weren't bogged down by the story. The effects for the most part were good. I didn't think much if the ending but I knew I wouldn't watch it again, so that was okay. One of the best parts was Stevie Lynn Jones in a wet vest but maybe that was just me. Not a great film but not bad. Worth a watch if you have nothing better to see.

Mid-budget film that, while it may not deliver any jolts or scares, still manages to be fairly enjoyable. The cast does well with their roles, though the script could have been better and given the viewers more insight into the characters and their motivations. There were some dangling story threads also, and the Exorcist-like ending felt a bit of a letdown. I enjoyed the practical creature effects, and at 91 minutes, the movie never feels draggy or slow. Go in with the expectation that you're going to get some superficial fun involving demonic goings on and you should find it an amiable way to kill an hour and a half.