Am I Evil (2008)
Review by The Fiend of Grue
In the beginning of Am I Evil we see a cop pull over a regular, everyday looking guy. The officer notices a woman passed out in the passenger seat but thinks nothing of it when the guy tells him they are returning from a long road trip. After giving the guy a warning, the officer, in an erroneous gesture, lets him go. Once this guy puts some distance between him and the officer, he pulls over and, after passionately kissing the woman on the cheek, he raises her head to reveal her to be very dead. After burying her, he leaves with not a second thought at what he just did. Such is the case of a ruthless killer.
The guy’s name is Andrew and he revels in the serial killing spree that he is in the middle of. He spends his days following women and dreaming of ways to kill and maim them, explaining that his ultimate sexual desire is to torture women and watch them die. Then through his thoughts, dreams, and in reality, we are shown a world of madness, moral decay and the sickest depravities known to man. Andrew commits depravities and cruelties that only the sickest of minds could bring to fruition. As he slices, dismembers, commits necrophilia and even fondles himself with a severed arm (!), his lust for murder only intensifies.
On the exterior, Andrew appears to be a model citizen that would be easy to trust if you were just going on looks alone. With his sly charm, chiseled looks and handsome appeal, he has no trouble seducing women into his world of murder. As the body count continues to grow, Andrew becomes too confident in his twisted games and when he gets sloppy with one potential victim, questions begin to rise about him. But can he be stopped in time?
Am I Evil is an ultra low-budget (filmed at right around $4,000), shot-on-video movie that was written and directed by Richard Terrasi. I get these types of movies in the mail to review time and time again. While every once in a great while I’ll see one that is really good, a movie that really wows me and reminds me of why I love independent cinema so much, but I’ve got to be honest and say that most of them that I see are pretty…bad. Usually the intention behind the movie is good, but the (no) budget, the acting, and the “know how” are usually too far reaching, leaving a bad product in the end. Am I Evil would fall into the former category, without question. This movie rocked my world and I will even go as far to say that THIS was the BEST no-budget horror film I have ever seen! Richard Terrasi has created a beast here that is far above what is usually seen at this level of filmmaking.
The premise isn’t new: an inside look at the exploits of a serial killer but the execution (no pun intended) is done brilliantly and fans of these types of movies should revel in the madness that Mr. Terrasi has put on the screen. Richard shot all the right angles at the right moments that are only enhanced with the complimentary eerie lighting and a soundtrack that reeks of insanity. Not only that, but there is a healthy amount of social commentary going on in this film, some of which involves horror films and their influence (or lack thereof) on real killers.
The editing was great and seamless, the mood of the film was consistent throughout, the pacing, while a tad slow in a few parts, worked well, but probably the biggest surprise of the whole movie were the effects. The gore effects in this film (while not quite up to Hollywood’s standards of course) are light years ahead of what you usually see in no-budget films. The blood looks sickeningly real along with the severed limbs, severed heads and severed torsos. Hell, even a shot of a severed penis looked terribly real! There were scenes in this movie that brought to mind the raunchy classic musings of one Lucio Fulci.
Mark Vazquez does a fine job at playing a convincing serial killer. Very believable in his madness and teetering on the outskirts of sanity, Andrew is a killing machine and Mark Vazquez easily makes this murderous character come to life and in the process he makes you realize right before your very eyes that people like this really do exist. In the comforts of our warm, cozy homes, it’s easy to forget that monsters like this are right around every corner, but with this movie, the horrible monster is on display right in front of you.
The only negative things that I would say about this film are that some of the supporting cast was a little shaky and at times in the movie the sound peaks out causing distortion in some of the dialogue. But hey, if that’s all that’s bad here (and it is) then that is a minor miracle considering what you usually get with no-budget horror flicks. With what Richard Terrasi has made here, I know I will actively seek out his next project. There are just too many good aspects going on in Am I Evil to not want to see what he comes up with next. While talking with him, his passion and desire for filmmaking became infectious as he told me of his many inspirations within the horror genre and divulged a story of seeing Maniac for the first time when he was in the third grade and it scaring the living shit out of him. Right on man, right on!
Fans of serial killer movies in the vein of American Psycho, Maniac, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and Murder Set Pieces should check this movie out because it falls directly into that category of “real life” horror films. When watching a movie like this, you can’t help but feel that this is how it really is in a serial killer’s sick and demented world. What makes this film so compelling and equally unsettling is the way in which we get a bird’s eye view into the mind of Andrew and hear and see what makes him tick and trust me…it’s not pretty. Sure Am I Evil doesn’t have the budget or production values of those bigger films, but with how well Richard did with so little, that makes that a none issue.
Available from Amazon
For more info check out www.amievilmovie.com and check this film out!
Popularity: 4% [?]
[ ‹‹ Interview with Ted Geoghegan, Writer of Sweatshop Freddy VS. Jason (2003) ›› ]
2006 2007 2008 2009 awesome 80s bad movies Best of bloody book review boring brutal campy creepy disturbing Fatally Yours film festival fun ghosts gore haunted horror comedy Horror Literature humorous independent insanity interview low-budget madness monsters murders News psychological release info revenge sequel serial killer short film slasher supernatural unique vampires violent Women in Horror Worst of Zombies