In the future, many things have changed. Firstly, corruption plagues America, and local police now enforce a religious government. Those who refuse to submit to religious law enforcement are known as ‘The Resistance’. One member of the Resistance is Alegre Dyer (Jackie Cruz), who has just escaped from a political prison. Helping her get to safety after breaking out are her husband, Ron (Paul Wesley), and her daughter, Daria (Murphee Bloom).
Hiding in what seems like a perfect spot, Alegre and her family stay in a home in the woods to remain safely off the grid. Rumour has it that no one will go near the house due to its ghostly vibes. Thankfully, this family will only need to hide there for twenty-four hours before being picked up by fellow members of the Resistance. However, as the family begins to wind down from being on the run, an evil presence appears in the home. Firstly, Daria starts to see a small boy roaming around the house. Even more impacted is Ron, who begins to see unexplainable things and interact with evil itself. The more he speaks with evil, the more Ron’s heart and thoughts change on many matters, including his own family.
History of Evil introduces a minor aspect of sci-fi through the futuristic world, but at its core, it is, in fact, a horror feature. Despite being a directorial debut from Bo Mirhosseni, who also serves as the film’s writer, Mirhosseni is no stranger behind the camera and has plenty of past experiences, including working on music videos and commercials.
Unfortunately, the History of Evil is a baffling journey. This story moves exceptionally slowly. After introducing the sci-fi world and Alegre’s reunion with her loved ones, the film shifts to the horror realm once they arrive at the safe house, and we hear of its ghostly rumours. Here, the slow pace gives little details to the audience. Not only is the slow pace hard to get through, but not everything within the story makes sense. The performances are below average, especially the dialogue and facial reactions. Despite the interactions with evil, there is a lack of detail about evil’s presence within the home and a lack of curiosity or fear about these interactions from the main characters. Why aren’t key characters scared when they interact with something evil? Instead, they seem calm and monotone. Certain cuts between scenes are strange, too, and this includes when characters are interacting with or are interested in something evil. Often, the cuts are sudden and provide no explanation, almost as if they happen in the middle of a scene. Thankfully, the film style and visuals are enjoyable to the eye.
Overall, there’s sadly little reward here if you love horror and stories about a sinister presence found in an old house. The storyline is slow, tedious, and dull. While the sci-fi and futuristic aspects introduced at the start are interesting, they are an unnecessary ingredient in the film’s core plot, instead serving more as inciting incidents or plot devices. When evil begins to lurk in the shadows, it’s unscary, unexplainable, and not edited well, with cuts between scenes that only puzzled me further. There’s an attempted message in play, but it fails to deliver with finesse or leave viewers with an impactful impression due to the lack of detail. Sure, the evil presence does look great, and specific set designs, such as the house, are also a nice touch. Still, this is a massive disappointment in the end, and the number of missed opportunities here are countless. The entire experience is the opposite of terrifying.
History of Evil (2023) will be available exclusively on Shudder starting February 23rd!
1.9/10
21st February 2024
Written by Peter Walkden
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