Face of Evil

Tracey Gold plays a what I can only term a "psycho", who seems to kill anyone that can help her get ahead. This is creepy stuff and no doubt benefits from the skills of director Mary Lambert. Tracey Gold plays a what I can only term a "psycho", who seems to kill anyone that can help her get ahead. This is creepy stuff and no doubt benefits from the skills of director Mary Lambert. Gold does some pretty scary stuff (but seems to be still suffering the effects of anorexia, as she's mighty thin in this) and is very effective and Shawnee Smith plays her roommate who's cottoned on to her plans. The ending is quite climactic for a telemovie thriller, however the very end piece (before the credits) is mighty lame, I mean would you let someone accused of at least three murders, be led away in a police car with one driver?? Despite this, it's worth watching for the beautiful location shots (the cinematography is good too), and Gold's performance.

I was drawn into this movie and probably enjoyed it more than it deserved. It is hard to be objective when you're watching a eerily accurate depiction of one of your former girlfriends. The writing, acting and direction were superb. The three main characters - Tracey Gold (the psycho artist), Perry King (the gullible dad), and Shawnee Smith (the prescient daughter and roommate) played their roles with intensity and realism. It is interesting that Tracey Gold's character bares some resemblance to the real life singer/actress Madonna (minus the violence) noting that director Mary Lambert also directed several Madonna videos. This movie has a great plot with some nice turns and an especially, creepy and Hannibal-like ending. Woman as predator is always unnerving and counter intuitive but it reinforces the truth that all people are capable of doing the nastiest things to get what they want. Fortunately most of us are not intelligent and resourceful enough to pull off the level of deception portrayed in this movie.

"Face of Evil" features Tracey Gold as an amoral psychopathic painter wreaking havoc on the campus of a posh New Hampshire liberal arts college. If that premise doesn't grab you, then I don't know what will! Ms. Gold puts poor Shawnee Smith, her timid roommate, through absolute hell over the film's 90 minutes. No one escapes scot-free: there's acid poured in eye drops, a car window used as a vice, a house sparrow tempted to its near demise, and much more merry mayhem along the way.

This isn't mere trash, though. It's a surprisingly sturdy movie, thanks to its increasingly recognized director Mary Lambert. This is much better than "Malicious", the similar Molly Ringwald vehicle that came out a year earlier. That one is silly fun, but "Face of Evil" has a genuinely nasty and discomforting underbelly that stays with you. The morbid but quite beautiful artwork painted by Gold's character is a nice bonus.

I don't think Tracy Gold is really that great an actress. Her performance in this movie didn't change my opinion. She overacts and her portrayal of a deeply disturbed sociopath is just downright campy at times. Luckily, the storyline and supporting cast are excellent and we're all just waiting for "Brianne/Darcy/whatever her name is" to get her just desserts -- does she? You'll just have to watch and find out! Tracy looks very skinny in this movie, evidence no doubt of her battle with anorexia. They needed a voluptuous blonde vixen for this role. It's a bit hard to swallow Carol Seaver substituting sulfuric acid for eye drops. Shawnee Smith sports a super-short hair-do which I didn't really like. If you're a Shawnee fan, she undoubtedly looks her best on "Becker". Great actress!

you may be able to watch the entire movie throughout, without questioning the storyline. I do like her in most performances, so stuck it out.

The one problem is Perry king, not sure what age he was at the time of this film (indeed, he seems ageless since 1985). At any rate, if the sociopath Gold character had pursued him, and he was, a bit younger and more handsome, it may have been believable.

Basically Gold portrays an artist, who gets what she wants at any cost. She changes identity with a college student, befriend her wealthy roommate (Shawnee Smith) and eventually sets her sights on her roommate's father (King).

The film has some nice winter sets in New England, but the storyline a bit hard to swallow. Tracey Gold gives a decent performance. 6/10.