Mal Nosso

This was a film I really didn't know much about, but saw the trailer at my local theater a couple times. I decided when I saw it was showing to check it out and see what it was all about. The synopsis is a man with spiritualist powers is told by his mentor that a demonic entity is returning to destroy his daughter's soul, and that he should take drastic measures to prevent this from happening.

We start off with a man getting up and coming out of a bedroom. He is Arthur (Ademir Esteves). He gets on to a computer and watches a horrific video of a hitman killing a woman. He reaches out to this person to have him kill someone for him.

The two meet at a club and the other man is Charles (Ricardo Casella). They get a table and go over the arrangement, with Arthur paying half up front. He gives a flash drive that provides who the victim is and how to receive the rest of the payment. Charles then turns his attention to two young women. They also come to an agreement to sleep with him and for a place to stay. We see how truly how evil he is though.

We then shift to the home of Arthur. There is his daughter, Michele's (Luara Pepita). He bakes a cake as it is her birthday. There is a shocking conclusion to their party though.

The film then takes a turn though showing us Arthur when he was younger. This version is played by Fernando Cardoso. He has the ability to speak to the dead, but it is driving him insane. He has an interaction with a Clown (Antony Mello) that changes his life and puts him on the path that he has went down. The question is though, how does this all tie in with the events of the birthday party and what happens with Charles.

Now for this review, I did decide to go a little bit vague to not spoil it. I will admit though, up until we go back into time, I was really questioning if this was a horror film. We do get the video of what Charles did and that was pretty horrific, but it wasn't until we see that Arthur can speak to the dead that we really get those elements. I did really like that turn though. I also like that everything in this film comes full circle and makes a lot of sense. It really embodies the concept of karma and you reap what you sow.

The elements with the ghosts were pretty creepy. It is also driving young Arthur to want to kill himself. He can't handle what he is seeing and he doesn't know why he is cursed. I really like the talk that the Clown has with him to realize that what he is dealing with isn't a curse, but a gift. This is very similar to The Sixth Sense in that he can help these people to actually rest.

Another story element I wanted to talk about was Charles. I read somewhere that he is a hitman and an amateur serial killer. He exudes such confidence that at first, I was sucked into his charisma. It is crazy how easy though he just murders these two young women and what he does in the video as well. I really like that the film wants you to despise this man. This blends over a bit to Arthur as it makes you question why he reaches out to him, but when you see the outcome it is hard to hate him.

This brings me to the pacing of the film, which is where I had problems. I thought the structure of the story and how things are presented was good. It gives us an impression of both Arthur and Charles, but then turns it on its head as their true past and history is revealed. I can dig that. The problem though was that the film was a bit boring. I can't really put my finger on what it is, but is just drags at times. I do like the elements and how it ends though.

Something else that is surprising though is how good the acting is. Esteves is really good as the older Arthur. I like his portrayal and in the end, you see that he has been through some things. I do have to commend Cardoso though for the younger version more. Seeing the stress he is under and what his gift was pushing him to. It really explains the two characters. Casella I thought was fine as well in his role. He is such a horrible human being so I have to give him credit for getting a reaction out of me. I thought Pepita was cute and I really felt bad for what happened to her. It all makes sense in the end though. I thought all those that played ghosts and the rest of the cast rounded out the film for what was needed.

I have been excited to talk about the effects, because I think everything was done practically. I absolutely love that they went this route. The make up on the ghosts, showing how they died were great. There are some pretty violent death scenes in this film that have such realism to them. There is even a demon that is credited as Evils (Walderrama Dos Santos) and I liked how they made him look as well. The film is shot very well and I liked the art that was in the background of scenes. I did recognize The Shining painting and there were some red lights that were reminiscent of Suspiria.

The final thing to cover would be the soundtrack of the film. There are quite a few different types of music in the film, but it all worked for me. There is ambient music as well as songs that are there to just build the tension of the scenes. To be honest, this would be a score I would seek out to write to.

Now with that said, this is a film that I liked some aspects, but others not so much. I like the concept and the story to the film. I especially like how it is structured to reveal everything to us. The acting was solid and the effects of the film were great. I also thought that the soundtrack of the film definitely adds an element that was needed for the film. The big issue I had was the pacing of the film. It just felt to be off and I was bored at times. Overall though, I would say that this film is above average and worth a viewing. I will warn you thought that it is from Brazil and I had to watch it with subtitles on. If you are into ghost, possession and films with aspects of karma, I would give it a viewing though.

From what I saw in the trailer, the movie looked like a terror, like many others. But the script surprised me, there was a reason for things to happen and most of the film is a drama. A choice that can change lives and save people. There are parts of the movie that are kind of gore, but I can only remember two or three extremely violent scenes. I liked the script.

Brazilian horror Our Evil was repeatedly recommended to me by someone on TikTok; when someone is THAT insistent that a film is worth my time, I have to give it a go - and they were absolutely right: Our Evil delivers tension, scenes of extreme brutality, some genuine pathos, and expertly crafted scares, with one scene in particular delivering a one-two punch that had me jumping out of my seat.

Ademir Esteves plays Arthur, who, in the film's opening, scours the dark web to find an assassin to carry out a hit. The man he contacts is Charles (Ricardo Casella), a psychopath who enjoys his work a little too much, the man killing innocent women for kicks in his spare time.

After Charles has fulfilled his latest contract, the film jumps back in time to show Arthur as a young man, who - as in The Sixth Sense - can see dead people, and who is so disturbed by his horrific visitations from the mutilated and decaying that he tries to take his own life. However, the spirit of a dead circus clown prevents him from doing so, telling Arthur that he must use his gift to save good souls from torment and to condemn the bad. And to say any more about the plot would be to spoil the film.

Along the way, we are treated to a woman being scalped and then shot in the head, two women being murdered by Charles after he procures them for sex, a couple of grisly female ghosts, and the sight of a woman tormented by a demon eating her own arm: sucks to be a woman in this film.

Our Evil does end on a happy note for Arthur and his adoptive daughter Michele, but Charles gets what he deserves (the credits roll before we see what happens to him, but we know it ain't gonna be nice!).

Our evil is a very low budget movie that could be described as Drama, with some horrific moments/flavor. Depending on your taste, this will be exactly what you are looking for or you will dismiss it from the outright. If the latter, it's not a bad thing, on the opposite you will save yourself quite some time and nerves.

So if you stay and do like to watch a movie that is slow paced, that you could also put into the Horror genre, that does not shy away from showing violence but also has some sequences that feel unreal (as in dream like and yes intended). So it is grounded in reality in parts but feels also supernatural in others. For the latter it has been compared with a classic which I think is a bit unfair. While you could say there are elements of it in this movie, the comparison is not the right way to go. And I'm not mentioning the classic movie because I also think it's a bit of a spoiler to do so. So watch and take it in, as the slow painful ride goes on ...

A middle-aged bold man called Arthur watches a snuff video on the dark web, a bound woman is scalped then shot in the dead. Not pleasant but this certainly started off strongly. Arthur then meets up with Charles the killer in a bar to arrange a hit. Arthur goes home, meanwhile Charlie picks up two lesbian hookers, takes them home and kills them. No spoilers but when Charles carries out his hit it is a real curve-ball (plus a good jump scare), how he manages to shoot two people in the head sat at an indoor table when he is outside is another matter. From now on it gets weird. And boring, the film is very talky and whilst I don't speak Portuguese the acting is poor. I bought this DVD (thankfully cheaply) partly because I liked the sleeve artwork featuring a demonic figure in silhouette, sadly the demon in the film looks terrible. As does a clown who is some kind of supernatural mentor (?) to Arthur. The film did start off reasonably interesting but what then follows is slow, boring and very confusing. I hated it.