History of Evil

I recently watched History of Evil (2024) on Shudder. The storyline unfolds in a post-apocalyptic society devastated by civil war, where the US government has been overthrown. A group of rebels attempting to sneak an activist under the radar find themselves trapped in a haunted house. The ghost(s) in the house causes some of them to flip perspectives which threatens everyone's lives.

This film, written and directed by Bo Mirhosseni in his directorial debut, features Jackie Cruz (Orange is the New Black), Paul Wesley (The Vampire Diaries), Rhonda Johnson Dents (Renfield), Murphee Bloom (Clock), and Thomas Francis Murphy (12 Years a Slave).

While it had a promising start reminiscent of "The Handmaid's Tale," the haunted elements fell short for me, particularly with a less-than-creepy misogynistic ghost. The characters' reactions felt oddly handled, leading to a rapid deterioration of the storyline after the initial setup. The horror elements lacked intensity, and there was a shortage of impactful kills.

In conclusion, History of Evil fails to deliver in any area, making it a waste of time. I would give it a 3/10 and recommend skipping it.

"History of Evil" boasts significant potential, drawing inspiration from Stephen King's "The Shining." The film excels in creating an eerie atmosphere with commendable cinematography and sound design. The actors deliver strong performances, enhancing the suspenseful narrative. However, the movie falters in its conclusion. The ending feels rushed and leaves many questions unanswered, undermining the buildup. Despite its promising start, the film's inability to deliver a satisfying resolution diminishes its overall impact. "History of Evil" offers a thrilling journey but ultimately fails to provide a fulfilling destination. Overall History of Evil literally has the same idea as one of my ongoing horror films. This is because of its small nature, cannot use the idea properly. The dystopic idea is quite intriguing, but past struggles, which is the main subject, cannot be exercised well enough. The kills were offscreen which reminds me of 80's slashers.

Anyone paying any sort of attention would have gotten the message without it. But with it, the film ends on a heavy-handed, overwrought, redundant and corny note.

Other than that, it is fairly obvious metaphor horror destined to rile those who empathize with the BBEG here.

The Vampire Diaries guy is okay. The mixing of techno-future dystopia and ghosty past is kinda cool. There is a matte-finish black truck with people riding in it. And a commercial for white sugar. I did notice that several of the supports for the wrap-around porch of the house were in need of repair. Seemed kinda like a safety hazard - all things considered.

The film starts as a knock-off of "Civil War." The year is 2045. America is a fascist nation and has taken over Mexico but not Canada. They form the North American Federation. States form militias to hunt down people of the resistance who have not bowed down to what appears to be White Christian Nationalism. People swear oaths on Bible apps. Resistance leader Allegra Diah Rodriguez has escaped the Louisiana prison and is on the run with her family and Trudy (Rhonda Johnson Dents) of the resistance. They hide out at an old abandoned home the locals claim is bad and stay away. We quickly discover the house is haunted by the former residence. Cain (Thomas Francis Murphy) was a Klansman who killed his wife and child because they didn't like his politics. Cain gets inside the head of husband Ron (Paul Wesley) to "take back your power." Their daughter also sees ghosts of the dead family, but it doesn't play any real part in the plot.

The mashing of genres didn't work well. There were things we missed, like what did the cellar look like. The plot went nowhere. Characters are not well developed. Dialogue was poor.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

This movie has no idea what it wants to be. A horror movie? A political thriller? Dystopian post-civil war thing? It never really grasped on to any idea and ran with it. It alludes to some much stuff that it makes you wonder what the actual story is. It's not scary, it's not thought provoking, it doesn't advance any political ideology, it really doesn't do anything. 97 minutes and it turns out, the real villian was inside the whole time? I don't know. Is it just a mash up of all the stories that got pitched to the production company that month? Was this a dare that someone put way too much money into? I don't know and I doubt anyone who worked on this film in any shape or form knows either.