A middle-aged couple (Jennifer Leigh Houston & Charley Tucker) find a strangely affordable, fully furnished apartment with lots of creepy decor in the East Village (E-Vil, get it?), and sign a lease, despite being told that a previous tenant murdered his family and killed himself. Immediately, strange things begin happening, and specters lurk in every shadow. Meanwhile, a psychic carnie realizes the couple is in jeopardy and feels compelled to help, despite the urgings of his husband.
First of all, I'm not a shill, but I've graded on an indie curve. The filmmakers had to get creative with a microbudget, and the lead actors were solid, although some of the supporting players were not so hot (which is forgivable in this sort of movie). The film tries to be a lot of things and mostly succeeds. It's a comedy that frequently had me LMAO, it's a James Wan-style horror movie with lots of creepy moments, it's an homage to horror classics, and it's... a musical? Well, not exactly, but there is one off-the-wall song.
Where the film failed for me was the climax, which was a little too ambitious. No spoilers, but it tries to be outrageous, funny, and scary all at once, and it's a combination that just doesn't work. However, it still has a decent ending (and funny mid and post-credits scenes). My other issue is that there's a tad too much regional humor, that I got, but as a non-New Yorker, I didn't find those jokes particularly funny.
This isn't a movie for everybody, but if you can handle low-budget and your sense of humor is a little bit off, I highly recommend it. It's the type of movie that probably plays even better in a theater or with a friend group. Here's hoping a boutique label gives it a home media release, cuz it's got an instant cult-classic vibe.
