NEW BLOOD ALERT: THE EVIL WITHIN

THE EVIL WITHIN
Supernova
2017 color
98 Mins.
Horror/Thriller
Frederick Koehler, Sean Patrick Flannery, Dina Meyer, Michael Berryman and Brianna Brown star.
Written and Directed by Andrew Getty.
N/R contains strong language, violence, gore and disturbing weirdness.

The Evil Within arrived earlier this year with little buzz and a generic poster. When the trailer finally arrived it looked to be no more than just another notch in the straight to VOD belt of endless mediocre cinematic offerings. But recently someone turned me on to some information about the film and I became very intrigued. Apparently Writer/Director Andrew Getty was this millionaire who was a meth addict and poured all of his money into this production before he died in 2015. He shot the flick over six years and when it was all done the price tag grew to around five million dollars. So imagine a meth addict shooting a horror film inspired by his experiences and that's what you have here.

 Sound intriguing? Well let me amp it up a little. The movie centers on a mentally challenged young man who commits gruesome murders after being instructed by his reflection in an antique mirror. It starts off with animals and than children and than people. The movie fluidly moves between nightmarish bad dreams and hallucinations as well as family drama packed with dirty little secrets. The brutality and bizarreness increases as the film goes along as well as the disturbing awkwardness that permeates almost every inch of it.

 It is an amateur film, make no mistake but it's delivered with such passion and zest. The end product feels silly, over the top and kind of brilliant all at the same time. This is a completely original film that came from the mind of someone that was really, really high. There's a bunch of strange special effects and animatronics as well as some stylish and uncomfortable set and costume design. The film is shot really, really well. There are moments that are created visually that rival some of our best classics. Although the film doesn't gel altogether completely what remains is a truly inspired collection of disturbing thoughts brought to life by unique film making and solid performances especially from the lead Frederick Koehler whom really deserves some recognition. The film burns into your psyche and not in a pleasant way but for all it's faults and whether you love or hate it. It won't be something you will forget. ***.5/5