History of Evil

I recently watched History of Evil (2024) on Shudder. The storyline unfolds in a post-apocalyptic society devastated by civil war, where the US government has been overthrown. A group of rebels attempting to sneak an activist under the radar find themselves trapped in a haunted house. The ghost(s) in the house causes some of them to flip perspectives which threatens everyone's lives.

This film, written and directed by Bo Mirhosseni in his directorial debut, features Jackie Cruz (Orange is the New Black), Paul Wesley (The Vampire Diaries), Rhonda Johnson Dents (Renfield), Murphee Bloom (Clock), and Thomas Francis Murphy (12 Years a Slave).

While it had a promising start reminiscent of "The Handmaid's Tale," the haunted elements fell short for me, particularly with a less-than-creepy misogynistic ghost. The characters' reactions felt oddly handled, leading to a rapid deterioration of the storyline after the initial setup. The horror elements lacked intensity, and there was a shortage of impactful kills.

In conclusion, History of Evil fails to deliver in any area, making it a waste of time. I would give it a 3/10 and recommend skipping it.

When I stumbled upon this 2024 movie from writer and director Bo Mirhosseni, I had never actually heard about it. But that hardly mattered, as it being a movie that I hadn't already seen was sufficient enough to make me opt to sit down and watch it. And thus, I had zero idea what I was in for.

It was a little bit difficult to delve into the storyline and concept of the movie, because there simply wasn't sufficient information to make it believable. So it was not an easy movie to enjoy. The whole thing about some resistance fighting against a nation-wide regime just never came off as being believable at any point throughout the course of the 98 minutes that the movie ran for.

The movie is listed as a horror/thriller, but it was a pretty weak one at that. Perhaps if you are a newcomer to the horror and thriller genres, then the movie might actually come off as being either of the two, if not actually both. But for a life-long horror fan, then "History of Evil" just didn't cut it.

I actually wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, aside from Thomas Francis Murphy, but they did have a good ensemble of talents put together to portray the characters and bring the story to life on the screen. The acting performances were good.

"History of Evil" was by no means a movie that captured my interest, much less provided me with much of any entertainment. And truth be told, I gave up on the ordeal 52 minutes into the movie. I just couldn't take much more of the boredom by then. This is definitely not a movie that I will return to attempt finish watching. Nor is it a movie that I would recommend for horror or thriller fans.

My rating of "History of Evil" lands on a three out of ten stars.

Living in a dystopian society, a group of refugees trying to hide out from the totalitarian government trailing them manage to seek shelter at a remote house in the wilderness until they can complete the next step of their escape, but when they come under the houses' grisly history must try to stop it from spreading.

This was a mildly disappointing if somewhat still enjoyable genre effort. One of the better elements here is the solid starting point to everything which manages to provide some rather intriguing starting point to everything. The main setup of the totalitarian state that's found here with just enough of a preamble to get an idea of the type of setup at play here and the need for the secrecy in their operation to the safe house and the concurrent dangers that are in place with staying there. That's given quite a fine balance with the qualities involving how they're trying to remain out of sight of the authorities as they wait for the pick-up to get them to safety which is a great enough touch to be had even without the introduction of the supernatural qualities. It's the introduction of the supernatural qualities that tends to show where the film starts wavering from what it really wants to be. The idea of the house being haunted and the father coming under the spell of the ghost involved in the house' history that starts to bring about a strong series of scenes featuring his behavior change in front of others white staying there, but this just turns into a colossal bore with hardly any kind of rational build-up for what's going on or why no one seems to notice the change. This leads to a decreased sense of terror involving the ghost who is much more hands-on and noncommittal to doing anything as the majority of the scenes consist of horribly-misguided advice and logic that doesn't come off in the least bit frightening, much less worthy of being followed. This type of identity crisis is what's the biggest issue facing this one overall.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.

Anyone paying any sort of attention would have gotten the message without it. But with it, the film ends on a heavy-handed, overwrought, redundant and corny note.

Other than that, it is fairly obvious metaphor horror destined to rile those who empathize with the BBEG here.

The Vampire Diaries guy is okay. The mixing of techno-future dystopia and ghosty past is kinda cool. There is a matte-finish black truck with people riding in it. And a commercial for white sugar. I did notice that several of the supports for the wrap-around porch of the house were in need of repair. Seemed kinda like a safety hazard - all things considered.

"History of Evil" boasts significant potential, drawing inspiration from Stephen King's "The Shining." The film excels in creating an eerie atmosphere with commendable cinematography and sound design. The actors deliver strong performances, enhancing the suspenseful narrative. However, the movie falters in its conclusion. The ending feels rushed and leaves many questions unanswered, undermining the buildup. Despite its promising start, the film's inability to deliver a satisfying resolution diminishes its overall impact. "History of Evil" offers a thrilling journey but ultimately fails to provide a fulfilling destination. Overall History of Evil literally has the same idea as one of my ongoing horror films. This is because of its small nature, cannot use the idea properly. The dystopic idea is quite intriguing, but past struggles, which is the main subject, cannot be exercised well enough. The kills were offscreen which reminds me of 80's slashers.