“Annihilate the spectres,” spits Os Bijourn (Mark Proksch) in all seriousness, to a frazzled Dan Papadakis (Steve Zissis) in writer-director Carson Mell’s debut feature, the gut-busting horror-comedy Another Evil. This eccentric, original, and nimble film, shot by Mell on a micro-budget, wickedly unravels like a mumblecore Ghostbusters.
Another Evil works best as a low-key comedy and its premise is comic cubic zirconia. After encountering a pair of icky ghosts in their family’s cottage, a couple, Dan and Mary (Jennifer Irwin) along with their teenage son, Jazz (Dax Flame) take action the only way they can.
They get a ghost “expert” named Joey Lee (Dan Bakkendahl, hilarious), whose methods are a little loopy and whose knowledge of the supernatural seems a little sketchy at best. When Joey informs Dan and Mary that the ghosts don’t need to leave the cottage, that they can live in relative harmony, well, it doesn’t really wash with Dan.
Back in L.A. and in search of a second opinion on their haunted cottage Dan meets the exorcist Os. Os is much more aggressive in his approach to incorporeal beings and is soon convinced that Dan and his family have what he classifies as EFD entities––evil fully determined. Soon Dan and Os are spending several days in the cottage doing really wild things to rid the entities and all the while Os seems determined to overshare his inner desires and groom Dan to be his new BFF.
The cast, particularly Bakkendahl and Proksch, are hilarious. They reap maximum rewards from this silly premise and soon Os is more far-out and freaky than the EFD’s he’s out to eliminate. Could it be that Joey was right all along? Yes. Most assuredly.
Another Evil presents awkward laughs, a few creepy kicks, and a surprising amount of droll subtlety. If you like cringe in your comedy, Another Evil is for you. Recommended.
Taste of Cinema Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
Author Bio: Shane Scott-Travis is a film critic, screenwriter, comic book author/illustrator and cineaste. Currently residing in Vancouver, Canada, Shane can often be found at the cinema, the dog park, or off in a corner someplace, paraphrasing Groucho Marx. Follow Shane on Twitter @ShaneScottravis.