Little Evil

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This title comes from Eli Craig. For those unfamiliar with the name, he brought us a couple of the best horror comedies out there; 'Tucker and Dale vs Evil' and 'Zombieland'! Truth be told, this almost ended up on my 'Screening Suggestions' list, but I decided... well... I just didn't really like it as much as the others. But stay with me, 'cause it's not all bad!

It centers on a real estate agent named Gary Bloom (Adam Scott). Recently married, he moves in with his new wife, Samantha (Evangeline Lilly) and son, Lucas (Owen Atlas). Despite the fact that Gary keeps trying to reach out to Lucas as his new father figure, he goes ignored. One day, Gary is called to the school to discuss Lucas' erratic and violent behavior. Being seen as the source of it, Gary's informed by a psychiatrist that he and Lucas should both seek counseling. This all upsets Samantha, claiming that Lucas' behavior is something he can't help as he's a kid, etc. So, Gary takes one for the team to prove his love for them both, and heads to counseling for fathers. He's met there by his transgender friend, Al (Bridgette Everette), and meets some other fathers with their own troubles. However, in Gary's case, a lot of Lucas' behavioral problems make Junior from 'Problem Child' look like a Care Bear.

All the while, Gary's suspicions build, believing more and more than Lucas is, indeed, the Antichrist. This is helped along with some pretty solid evidence from his wedding videographer, Karl (Tyler Labine). However, with all of this, the film takes an interesting twist. It works well enough for what the film is trying to say, and for that, it's forgivable. However, is sadly spares you some of the potential a horror comedy take on 'The Omen' would otherwise have. It's not without it, but by the third act, the mood kinda just changes. Again, it was what they were going for though, and it's strange the way it works out. It's an idea that's original enough for a movie like this, and actually has a good message behind it. But if this were some romantic comedy about a stepfather trying to get along with his new wife's son, it would be very typical.

Negative nitpicks aside though, I did personally find a lot of the dialogue in this is pretty funny. I kinda have to hand it to Owen Atlas for his performance as a creepy kid as well. It's a fun enough time with some good laughs, and in it's own way, it's clever. I'm glad to see that Eli Craig has flexibility in his films though. He's an interesting director who takes a look at horror situations from a comedic perspective, and generally away from the typical. Out of what I've seen though, I'd say this is the weakest. Still though, a good time nonetheless.

​3/5

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