Evilution and Shadows: A Movie Review

Director: Chris Conlee.

Writer: Brian Patrick O'Toole.

Evilution is a Black Gate Entertainment production that releases on DVD November 17th of this year, but is Evilution worth your time? In a one-word answer, yes. Evilution adds dark atmosphere, gruesome make-up and enough quality actors to make the film appear like a well crafted piece of gothic artwork.

The plot of Evilution centers on an alien lifeform that is able to resurrect the dead, including soldiers from the Iraqi battlefield. But things take a dark turn when the alien becomes sentient and fights the military personnel for freedom. A lone survivor, Darren Hall (Eric Peter-Kaiser), escapes the military research station with the alien parasite and takes up residence in southern Los Angeles. It is here, at the Necropolitan apartments, where the alien takes hold of the residents and turns them into resurrected corpses (zombies).

One of several aspects Evilution gets right is the cinematography. Mathew Rudenberg creates a dark atmospheric, dingy group of tenements that without zombies would still be horrific. Add in graffiti and damp basements and you have a quality setting that looks like a haunted house x 10!

The use of make-up covering the actors intensifies the horror feel as lead character Darren battles his former friends who drip with darkly coloured blood. Also, the walls and ceilings are both covered in ooze, which once lit in shadows creates a living nightmare.

Yet, it is the characters Asia Mark (James Duval) and Killah-B (Guillermo Diaz) who steal the show. Cliches are a part of every movie and here they are exploited for comedic effect, as Mark and Killah-B play a couple "slow" Latino gangsters. An appearance by Billy Morrison (The Cult) is iconic as is the portrayal by Eric Peter-Kaiser. The actors are comfortable with each other and the dialogue flows like an improvised comedy act.

Made for 1-2 million Evilution is definitely a horrific ride through ninety-one minutes of hell. And if a new twist on the zombie genre fits your mood then pick this one up and watch the gore fly as Evilution explodes on the screen!

Setting/impressionistic/authenticity: 8.
Plot/story/overall structure: 7.
Editing/transitions/filmmaking techniques: 6.

Overall: 7 eerily flashing lights out of 10 (scary as meeting a mugger in a dark tunnel).

For more info' on the film visit the Evilution homepage:

Evilution Webpage

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