‘Little Evil’ opens in medias res, on a stormy night, with its protagonist, Gary (Adam Scott), a newly wed realtor being buried alive by his unnerving young step son Lucas (probably short for ‘Lucifer’) before his wife and Lucas’ mother, Samantha (played by Evangeline Lilly) intervenes. Already off to the worst start ever as a new stepdad, and with Lucas’ demonic antics threatening to sour relations between him and Samantha too, Gary needs to act fast to ‘fix’ his ominous step child. He is aided in this mission by a local stepdad support group and Al, a sympathetic lesbian co-worker who specialises in NSFW lingo at the workplace (women in male dominated fields, heck yes!) and is a step-parent herself. Unluckily for them, it’s only the beginning of the end…. of the world.
Directed by Eli Craig, of “Tucker and Dale vs Evil fame,” one can expect a downright silly tone and a very 90s-early 2000s style of direction. Think, a cross between “Problem Child,” “The Shining,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” “Jennifer’s Body,” with a dash of Barry Sonnenfeld‘s “Addams Family” movies. It is also peppered with some comical callbacks to horror classics like “The Omen,” such as a stone-faced Lucas eerily swinging in his backyard at night while dressed similarly to Damien Thorn (only switching to brightly colored summer casuals on an outing with Gary).
Adam Scott Embraces the Absurdity
The lingering sense of impending doom also never lets up as a string of mysterious deaths and tornados seem to follow in Lucas’ wake (literally wrecking Gary and Samantha’s wedding), as well as later, a clown catches alight at his birthday party.
I have to admit, Adam Scott playing a scarily nonchalant, practical-minded protagonist in a horror movie is a genre in itself. Scott is on-brand yet again embracing the absurdity of it all. He also plays off well against his talented young co-star Owen Atlas (chillingly good as Lucas). The pair’s wholesome interactions at a waterpark in the movie’s later half certainly won me over. Evangeline Lilly is convincing as Samantha, a typical stressed but doting mom intent on hiring the best clown in the biz so her Anti-Christ child’s birthday goes off without a hitch. But, who can also be infuriating to watch when she doesn’t notice the most obvious red flags and instead pins the blame on Gary or her deceased ex-husbands.
Wicked Good Fun With a Progressive Message
Certified scream king and whacky horror-comedy staple, Tyler Labine appears in a brief but hilarious cameo as a wannabe avant-garde wedding videographer who issues an early warning to Gary after playing the couple’s wedding video in reverse and immediately noticing something amiss. Gary’s ride or die friend, Al, played by Bridget Everett rounds out this oddball mix of characters. Whether it is cracking a cold brewski with her bestie, or providing him with moral support during his quest to seek out alternate and painless means to discipline/exorcise Lucas, Al is down for it all.
Everett is a treat to watch in this goofy role, and her reactions to a man flaying himself and the birthday clown catching on fire are equally hysterical. There is also some decent VFX in the movie’s final act, as Gary gets thee to a nearby nunnery in a bid to save Lucas’ soul (and the world). “Little Evil” is wicked good fun, and also features a rather progressive message on ‘sparing the rod’ (or in this case, the Knife of Destiny). Surprisingly it is quite family-friendly too, so if you’ve a Netflix subscription, have at it!
Although it did leave me wondering why the Pope would bless random water parks…?
“Little Evil” is currently available to watch on Netflix.
