The Evil Gene

'THE EVIL GENE': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Low-budget B-horror movie; about a rare genetic defect, that's causing psychotic violent outbreaks in the inmates at a special prison. An FBI agent, with psychological problems of his own, is sent in to investigate. The film was written, co-produced and directed by (first time filmmaker) Kathryn F. Taylor. It stars Richard Speight Jr., Cameron Richardson and Lindsey Ginter. The movie is very noticeably low-budget B-movie material, and it's not a lot of fun, but it does have it's moments.

Griff Krenshaw (Speight Jr.) is an FBI agent struggling with depression and haunting memories from his past. His newest assignment is to investigate the murder of the head researcher at a special correctional facility. The inmates there are having psychotic mental breakdowns, due to a rare gene they possess, and the deceased researcher was doing special experiments on them. While Krenshaw investigates the crime, he also starts to go a little mad himself.

As I started to watch this movie, I really wasn't interested in it; it seemed really amateurish, and quite bad. As I kept watching it though, I was more entertained. The film does have some cool style to it, and a few memorable moments. The acting is mostly atrocious, but the lead isn't bad. I also think this director could be someone to watch for, when she has a little more money to work with.

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This film doesn't live up to its own blurbs "Evil is Born Not Made" and "They Tried To Lock It Up". It also comes nowhere near encompassing the possibilities of the synopsis. There is an actual gene that causes psychosis and murderous tendencies in its host - that alone offers loads of scope for action, suspense, and tension, none of which appear in the movie.

The people who have the gene are locked up in a prison where a murder has been committed. Surely this will add tension among the inmates as they're all murderers with a need to kill shut in close confinement. Nope.

The FBI agent sent to investigate, Griff Krenshaw, begins to believe there may be a demon involved in the murders. So now we get a supernatural element to add a bit a fear into the mix. Er... No.

What we get is a bland, verging on boring, film that teeters on the abyss of total pure garbage.

It's a shame the writer, Kathryn F Taylor (who also directed), missed out on even the basics that the story should have given the audience. Even the actors seem bored and, at times, appear to be wondering what they are doing there. The worst for this is the beautiful Cameron Richardson, who plays Dr Dana Ehrhart, who puts no effort into her character and her delivery of lines could put an insomniac to sleep.

The only good thing about this story is the twist at the end, though I had figured it out as soon as the possibility was flagged up.

This could have been in so many genres though the film that Taylor gives us falls more into the science fiction side than that of either thriller or horror, though it is very weak.

I would recommend painting the fence or walking the dog in the rain before watching this movie.

After a mix-up on the job, a federal agent is assigned to a secret prison facility where the inmates have been found to contain a special genetic issue that predisposes them to violence, but the more she stays at the facility to uncover the mystery finds herself potentially coming a suspect in the treatment's functions.

Generally, this was an okay indie effort which has some likable elements. One of the brighter features here is the wacky science at play which provides a lot to like here. The initial background info featured here on the particular gene's presence in violent, psychopathic criminals and the influence it has on society warrant what goes on here involving the secret prison full of convicts and the need to study what's going on using them as guinea pigs starts the film off quite nicely. The fact that he gets sent there to help out as a punishment for his on-the-job behavior and gets driven into the mysterious factors surrounding the inmates as he looks into the strange book and the conspiracy he finds there gives this an overall intriguing setup. This turns the film into a highly enjoyable and sometimes chilling genre effort as the series of visions and hallucinations begin interfering with that investigation. Initially starting as freak images popping out at random intervals, the increasing frequency and intensity that arise with them the longer he stays there and subjects himself to the investigation that takes a slew of twists and turns with the revelations that come about. In several rather fun sequences where he can't be trusted or his visions bring about some rather creepy elements as the series of reveals here simply furthers the exceptionally intriguing main storyline about the effect of the genre on those in the facility which offers up some fun times here. As a whole, these are the enjoyable factors to this one as there are some big factors that bring this one down. One of the main drawbacks here is the seemingly endless stream of twists and turns this takes in the final half it is just completely confusing and not explained at all. Attempting to tie together the hallucinations with a demonic curse affecting those who have the gene, a conspiracy about the prisoners staging a coup, and people we've been following all along turning out to be untrustworthy, dead all along, or much worse just leads to all sorts of confusion trying to sort this one out. Also, some of these revelations can tend to cause this to fall out of genre conventions as so many of these just feel tacked on for a twist instead of taking up the storyline about the strange experiments within the facility which are what end up holding this back.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.

A secret asylum is being used to monitor prisoners with a genetic disorder, which makes them ticking time bombs of violent anger. A man is sent over to investigate a suicide by one of the doctors. The man of course has a few skeletons (demons) in his closet which hinders his job. He still finds time to have a relationship with the female doctor who took over. I was expecting a suck fest but it wasn't bad at all. An overdone theme for sure but they make it interesting anyways. Some twists at the end made it even better. Some people might be disappointed if they look at the title real quick, or might have trouble pronouncing words and think that this film is about Genies. He does look like an evil genie on the cover but it's not about genies.

Great acting by all the cast. Richard Speight Jr is brilliant in this. I thought the effects were well thought out in other words not too many . The effects also did not drown out the acting which most horror movies today make that mistake. Movies should be about the acting. Good suspense. It draws you in to the story. I just wish there would have been more. I did not expect the ending. I recommend every Richard Speight Jr fan should see this one. I love the bedroom scenes the most. I still think the bunny made Griff do it. Horror fans like me appreciate that movies like this are being made. I hope there is an Evil Gene 2 .