“Evil Things” feels like an above average student film. And that’s not a bad thing. The 2009 flick was written and directed by Dominic Perez as his debut. It capitalizes on the then abundance of found footage horror. There’s nothing in its 77 minutes that’s memorable, but I enjoyed watching for its realism and spooky conclusion.
It opens with an FBI message of some kind explaining what we’re about to watch. Like we get it, its supposed to be real though we all know its not. A group of five friends are departing Manhattan for a weekend away at a remote house in the Catskills.
Its Miriam’s (Elyssa Mersdorf) 21st birthday. She is joined by her friends: Cassy (Laurel Casillo), Mark (Morgan Hooper), Tanya (Torrey Weiss) and Leo (Ryan Maslyn). Leo is an aspiring filmmaker and is recording the weekend on his new camera. It’s acceptable in believing why the events are being taped and the camera is always rolling.
Real People
Right away, I really enjoyed the chemistry of the five characters. They aren’t always the best actors, but they did feel like an organic group of friends. The conversations, inside jokes, and goofy banter, coupled with the limited aesthetics of the camera make you actually believe what you are witnessing is real.
Laurel Casillo assumes the lead and is great with the simplicity of a character confined to a horrible situation. I liked these people and would enjoy hanging out with them. That’s an important facet to making found footage work.
The group leaves New York City and heads into a snowstorm in the mountains. I felt the tension of driving in sloppy conditions like this, and the cast conveys the agony of being stuck on a single lane snowy road in the middle of nowhere. A van tailgates, and quickly escalates to road raging them. The driver may or may not be following them.
They reach the house and meet Miriam’s Aunt (Gail Cadden). The friends drink, eat, explore the surrounding woods, and have a good time. Until there’s a mysterious knock at the door.
Chilling
“Evil Things” works because the foundation is strong. The characters are likeable and passable with their actions. Its realistic that someone is filming the weekend. When the scares start, it’s a chilling ride to the conclusion of the film. One can easily spot the influence of films such as “The Blair Witch Project” and “Paranormal Activity” on this. Remembering its 2009. It’s a pre-smart phone world and found footage horror is rampant.
It won’t go down as an all-time great, but “Evil Things” is a solid horror film and a good entry to the found footage genre.
