Purported as being Greece's first ever zombie movie, EVIL delivers on a raw visceral lever, but little else. EVIL plays itself off to be a fun-loving, non-stop cinematic bloodbath. But its talky characters and shallow exposition manage to get in the way of what COULD have been a fresh start along the lines of Peter Jackson's Bad Taste.

A group of stereotypical strangers band together once zombies overrun the city of Athens. But let me backtrack for a minute. It's never really made clear as to WHY the dead are coming back to life, or even IF the dead are actually coming back to life for that matter. Are we dealing with zombies or the horribly infected living? There is no definite answer. One thing we do know however, is the fact that people are turning into uncontrollable murderers.

Fun huh?

Well... it could be. If it weren't for bland characterization, which includes the likes of the left over soldier, the wisecracking sexed up cab driver (along with his fare) and the young girl who just lost her parents. Placed in a variety of 'familiar' set-ups including nabbing food from a grocery store (how original) - blah, blah, blah our 'heroes' are constantly placed in cliched zombie film situations and forced into a neverending battle for their lives.

Now THAT'S Evil!

Not worth losing your head over. (Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Film Society)

I understand that EVIL is supposed to be a fun and low key flick with mindless splatter... and on this basic level, it delivers. Obviously those involved are fans of the genre, and this film seems to come directly from the heart. However, if you're setting your expectations so low, (not only as an audience member, but also as a filmmaker), then the whole affair manages to seem even more tedious in the end. The film is just plain dull, even with the splatter. I never thought this day would come, but I actually found myself asking, "How many times am I going to have to see a film in which someone is strangled by his or her own entrails?" Not only is the formula getting tired, but the gross-out effects are getting tired too.

EVIL is goofy and gory, but even at just under 90 minutes seems a little long winded. Maybe it's because there were too many goofy and gory horror films playing at this year's film fest. Maybe it was because I had just seen Evil Aliens and Hell (review here prior to the screening of EVIL and they were both goofy and gory horror films as well. EVIL delivers on its promise of splatter and as the fest guide suggests, features an incredibly effective final shot. I couldn't help thinking throughout, every time a head was split open or an eye was gouged..."been there done that." Lesson learned? When it comes to the plethora of goofy and gory horror flicks available, you must choose wisely.

Thumbs Down Gory. Unspectacular.