Another Evil
by Carson Mell
There are all sorts of movies out there and so it's logical that some streams would end up getting crossed. Back in the day, entertainment giants Terry Drama, Pauline Comedy, and Sweet Lady Horror all kept to themselves, but then one day they all got together through a mutual friend and decided to hang out more. Those last two statements are in no way historically accurate, but it's how my monkey brain likes to imagine it. The point I'm making is, we live in a world full of cross-genres and perhaps none is more prominent as the hybrid that is the horror/comedy. Sometimes this means comedy woven into the seams of a horrific tale and other times it's the very things that are disturbing and dark that take the form of humor. So, when I heard about a new horror/comedy film by the name of Another Evil, I knew I had to check it out. But was it good? Did it blend genre and tone consistently? Let's back up a bit and I'll tell you what it's all about.
Another Evil primarily tells the story of Dan and Os. Dan (Steve Zissis) is a painter and relatively normal dude with a wife and son who have unfortunately been handed the situation of having a haunted vacation home. And when I say haunted, I mean no-question, full-blown, bleeding from the mouth entities. Os (Mark Proksch) is a ghost hunter, or "Ghost Assassin", who Dan turns to in his time of need. Dan stays at the vacation home while his family hangs back in LA. This means that Dan is all alone with the eccentric demon-hunter. At first, it's all about taking out the spirits, but before long, it's about Dan having to deal with Os. It starts wacky and then drastically switches gears, but I'll get to that later.
Another Evil, first off, has a good cast. I was previously familiar with Mark Proksch. He has his own unique brand of lovable sad-sack humor and he certainly brings this to his role of Os. However, I was impressed with the layers and complexity to his performance. At times, Os is the greatest source of comedy, other times he's the strongest dramatic force. Steve Zissis is also quite good in his role as Dan. Dan is pretty much an every-man, but Zissis does a great job of being likable and interesting while simultaneously staying relatable.
I had mentioned earlier that the film changes courses part way through and this is a major element of the film. It isn't a dark comedy in the classic sense of a movie peppering humor into serious situations or finding humor in the dark and disturbing. More-so, Another Evil is a film that begins as a light comedy with horror elements before becoming bleak and depressing. The movie doesn't gloss over the fact that Os is a deeply unhappy and troubled man. He isn't just quirky and superficially down on his luck, he's an awkward man who is going through a divorce and desperately just wants to fit in and have friends as well as succeed in his chosen field. At first, just about everything was humorous, then I was unsure if something was supposed to be funny or serious, and then by the end it was 100% drama with a little thriller thrown in. It wasn't even about the ghosts at a certain point and painted a picture of a decent guy trying to deal with a strange man he has allowed into his home. The comedy that is present isn't always hysterical, it's more like something to chuckle along to while figuring out where it's going. But the comedy early on is of a silly style and so it becomes especially noteworthy when a more somber tone eclipses the funnier bits.
I've seen one or two movies that that took a hard shift from full comedy to full drama and I'm still not sure how to feel. On one hand, Another Evil feels like the writer started off working on a comedy/horror script before going through something in life and deciding to switch over to drama partway through the process. On the other hand, it's a bold move that was perhaps fully intentional. Maybe I simply didn't know what I was getting myself into and the film lured me in with its early levity, followed by a lot more depth than initially assumed. The haunting, almost melancholy song book-ending the film certainly serves this theory.
All in all, the best way to put things is that I respect Another Evil. I'm not gonna say I loved every minute of it and truth be told I don't really know who to recommend it to. I can imagine anyone interested in the comedy element would be put off by its total transition later on and those looking for a brooding drama may be uninterested in the earlier wackiness. But there has to be others like me out there; those who perhaps are so erratic in their own personalities that such an emotional journey from point A to point Z is appreciated. I can't really say that I'm glad it went where it did, but I can say that at the same time I think the movie has guts and it's certainly one I will remember. And that is the ultimate compliment. Whether it succeeds in an overall sense is all up to what the individual viewer feels, and while I've admitted I'm not sure quite what to feel, I do have a strong urge to defend the film and make it clear that I'm glad I watched it.
P.J. Griffin, HMS