Forever Evil (film)

Last updated
Forever Evil
Forever Evil (film).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRoger Evans
Written by Freeman Williams
Produced by Jill Clark
Starring Red Mitchell
Tracey Huffman
Charles L. Trotter
CinematographyHoracio Fernandez
Edited byRoger Evans
Horacio Fernandez
Music byMarianne Pendino
Rod Slane
Production
companies
B. and S. Productions
FrameWork Pictures Ltd.
Distributed byUnited Video
Release date
  • 6 October 1987 (1987-10-06)(United States)
Running time
107 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Forever Evil (also known as Nemesis) is a 1987 American horror film directed by Roger Evans, who also co-edited the film. It stars Red Mitchell, Tracey Huffman, and Charles L. Trotter.

Contents

Plot

Three couples meet for one last party before vacating a lakeside cabin. As the couple play cards, Holly goes to shower. A scream is heard and Holly is discovered in the shower dead, her entrails ripped open and her baby (she was pregnant) gone. Marc Denning becomes the sole survivor of a bloody massacre which claims the lives of his lover, his brother, and three friends. Another of the women is found hung upside down in the living room, her throat cut, while the last woman is dragged out the window by a tree branch, apparently to her death. Something with glowing red eyes attacks the men. After being assaulted by a zombie-like creature whose eye he rips out, Denning stumbles to the nearby highway where he is hit by a car.

He wakes up in the hospital with a broken leg and three broken ribs. The police begin to investigate the murders. Shortly after the murders, Denning also begins to look for answers that will explain the slaughter.

Meanwhile, a red-caped Tarot reader named Brother Magnus reads the cards for an unidentified Southern-accented woman. He tells her she has to leave urgently. As she does so, she is attacked by something. Then a shadowy red-eyed cowled figure appears in the doorway of Magnus's house. He shoots at it, but the bullets bounce off. The cowled figure zaps Magnus with an energy ray.

Denning is investigating at the library when a woman, Reggie, a survivor of a previous massacre, introduces herself. These two then travel with the detective, Lieutenant Leo Ball, to the house of a psychic, Ben, who had assisted Leo previously. Ben is identical to Brother Magnus. He has left a box of old books for Leo to examine. These include The Necronomicon, a book called Lost Gods, one called The Gate and the Key by C. D. Ward and The Chronicles of Yog-Kothag. Denning becomes convinced that the murders are sacrifices rather than serial killings, especially when he reads a letter left by Ben that says "He's coming back." Denning takes "he" to refer to the old god, Yog-Kothag.

Reggie and Denning join forces over coffee at Denning's house, where a sinister dog who showed up before shows up again. Leo teaches Denning to use a gun, while Denning shows him a magazine article about quasars. He has a theory that the killings coincide with pulsings of certain quasars in certain years. Leo is skeptical.

Reggie and Denning go to a movie called The Jet Benny Show . Leo receives a document via mail which he opens and then remails to Denning. As goes to mail the envelope, Leo witnesses a boiling cloud and a ray that zaps a car. Shortly after, he is attacked by something and dies. Denning wakes from a dream, realizing Leo is in trouble and races to the scene. The police are taking Leo's body away.

Denning maintains contact with a professor via telephone regarding the pulsing of quasars. One is set to pulse on the coming Thursday. He also realizes, after his secretary, Lisa, plots the killings on a map, that the killings form a pentagram, which is the 'evil' symbol of Yog-Kothag as depicted in the Yog-Kothag book. At the center of the pentagram lies the Nash real estate agency. Denning explains that Yog-Kothag was an old god who was "so bad that the other gods ganged up on him and imprisoned him on a quasar."

The zombie reappears and attacks Denning and Reggie. They try to kill it multiple times, thrusting a firepoker through it, hitting it with their car and finally setting its body on fire, but it comes back to life each time. Finally, it tracks them and, after Reggie confesses she is in love with Denning, the zombie stabs Denning with a mystical dagger. Denning extracts the dagger and stabs the zombie with it.

Nash seems to witness the reappearance of Holly. She rips open her womb and takes out a baby, which falls to the ground. It appears demonic and has glowing red eyes. Slightly later Nash appears to be attacked by this baby, but then he awakes – it was only a dream.

Reggie goes to confront Nash, witnessing the sinister dog again and soon learns Nash has superhuman powers. He is resistant to bullets and is able to prevent a paperweight that she throws at his head from striking him. Nash shows Reggie the document which Leo mailed to Denning, but which never arrived. It is Nash's birth certificate, showing that he was born over a hundred years ago. The apparent mysterious and supernatural cult dedicated to bringing Yog-Kothag back to Earth is in fact just Nash, and his zombie. Together they committed a series of periodic ritual murders over the last decades. The zombie is now dead, but Nash reveals that Denning has been transformed into a new zombie. Yog-Kothag speaks through Denning with a warning. Denning then asserts himself and stabs Nash with the mystical dagger.

The film ends as Nash seems to be drawn screaming into the cosmic void. Yog-Kothag's voice is heard proclaiming "You have failed me!"

Cast

Release

Home media

Forever Evil was released in heavily edited form on VHS in May 1990. [1] It was later released for the first time on DVD by VCI Video on November 30, 2004. VCI would later re-release the film on September 11, 2012 as a part of its "Scream Theater Double Feature" movie pack alongside Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things (1972). [2]

Critical response

Forever Evil received a mostly negative response from critics upon its initial release, with many calling it another " Evil Dead rip-off". [3]

Author John Stanley gave the film a negative review, stating that the film "only comes to life with the appearance of a zombie-like creature that cannot be killed, and the efforts of hero and heroine to do the monster in." [4] In his book The Complete H.P. Lovecraft Filmography, author Charles P. Mitchell stated that "although marketed as an explicit horror film, it is actually a rather thoughtful picture rather than a gorefest. Unfortunately, it is overlong, and occasionally bogged down with too many irrelevant subplots. The script stresses the mystery elements of the story, making its revelations in piecemeal fashion in an attempt to retain audience interest...Forever Evil may be a letdown, but it is a sincere and worthwhile attempt, given the resources at hand." [5]

The film was not without its supporters. Drew Beard fromHorrorNews.net called it "[an] enjoyably awful mid-80s low-budget horror", stating that, although its varied performances, clichéd story, poor direction, special effects, and pacing greatly hindered the film overall; he felt the film was still enjoyable enough to warrant subsequent viewings. [6] Scott Aaron Stine gave the film a mixed review, criticizing the film's poor make-up/special effects, and overuse of jumpscares instead of actual tension. However, Stine commended the film's script as being "above-average" and "non-formulaic", stating that the film was "interesting enough to keep the viewer from finding something constructive to do." [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Evil Dead</i> 1981 film by Sam Raimi

The Evil Dead is a 1981 American independent supernatural horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi. The film stars Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, and Theresa Tilly as five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in the woods, where they find an audio tape that, when played, releases a legion of demons and spirits. Four members of the group suffer from demonic possession, forcing the fifth member, Ash Williams (Campbell), to survive an onslaught of increasingly gory mayhem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. L. Stine</span> American writer and producer (born 1943)

Robert Lawrence Stine, known by his pen name R.L. Stine, is an American novelist. He is the writer of Goosebumps, a horror fiction novel series which has sold over 400 million copies globally in 35 languages, becoming the second-best-selling book series in history. The series spawned a media franchise including two television series, a video game series, a comic series, and two feature films. Stine has been referred to as the "Stephen King of children's literature".

<i>Within the Woods</i> 1978 short film directed by Sam Raimi

Within the Woods is a 1978 horror short film written, directed and produced by Sam Raimi. Raimi drew inspiration from his earlier short film Clockwork, deciding to produce a proof of concept horror film to help build the interest of potential investors. Raimi cast his friends Bruce Campbell and Ellen Sandweiss as the two protagonists and produced the film for $1,600. Shot on location in a remote cabin in the woods, production was a difficult process because of the low budget. Several of the special effects presented in the film were done in a severely low budget manner, some of which were improvised on set. The film centers around demonic possession and mysterious forces originating from the woods.

<i>Night of the Comet</i> 1984 film by Thom Eberhardt

Night of the Comet is a 1984 American science fiction comedy horror film written and directed by Thom Eberhardt. It stars Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Beltran, and Kelli Maroney as survivors of a comet that has turned most people into either dust or zombies. Night of the Comet grossed $14.4 million in the US on a $700,000 budget. It received positive reviews according to Rotten Tomatoes and has since become a cult film, influencing the creation of Buffy Summers.

<i>Chaos</i> (2005 horror film) 2005 American film

Chaos is a 2005 American horror film about the rape and murder of two adolescent girls. It is an unofficial remake of Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left, with all character names changed and a different ending. It stars Kevin Gage and was written and directed by David DeFalco. The film received negative reviews, in particular for its use of gore and the ending.

<i>Hell of the Living Dead</i> Film by Bruno Mattei

Hell of the Living Dead is a 1980 horror film directed by Bruno Mattei. The film is set in a laboratory in Papua New Guinea that releases a dangerous chemical, turning the technicians and locals into zombies. A French news reporter and her crew land on the island to investigate.

<i>She</i> (1935 film) 1935 film by Irving Pichel

She is a 1935 American adventure film produced by Merian C. Cooper. Based on the 1887 novel of the same name by H. Rider Haggard, the screenplay draws on all the books in the series: the first aforementioned book, She and Allan, The Return of She and Wisdom's Daughter.

<i>The Haunting Hour: Dont Think About It</i> 2007 American film

R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It is a 2007 American children's horror film based on the children's book of the same name by R. L. Stine. The film was directed by Alex Zamm, written by Dan Angel and Billy Brown, and stars Emily Osment, Cody Linley, Brittany Curran, and Tobin Bell. It was released direct-to-DVD. The plot follows a goth girl named Cassie moving into a new town and fascinated by the occult. At a mysterious Halloween store, the store owner insists on selling her an old book. Stuck with her brother Max on Halloween night, she reads the book to him, despite the book's warnings not to read it out loud or think about its monster. After the monster comes to life and captures Max, Cassie, with help from her friend, must save Max and defeat the monster before their parents return from a Halloween party.

<i>Night of the Demons 3</i> 1997 Canadian horror film directed by Jim Kaufman

Night of the Demons 3 is a 1997 Canadian comedy horror film directed by Jimmy Kaufman and starring Amelia Kinkade, Vlasta Vrána, Gregory Calpakis, Tara Slone, Christian Tessier, Joel Gordon, Larry Day, Kris Holden-Reid, Stephanie Bauder, and Patricia Rodriguez. It is the third and final film in the Night of the Demons series before the 2009 remake, and follows a group of teenagers who are pursued by the demon-possessed Angela Franklin while hiding out in Hull House on Halloween night.

<i>Messiah of Evil</i> 1973 horror film by Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck

Messiah of Evil is a 1973 American supernatural horror film co-written, co-produced, and co-directed by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, and starring Marianna Hill, Michael Greer, Anitra Ford, Royal Dano, and Elisha Cook Jr. Its plot follows a woman who travels to a remote coastal town in California to find her missing artist father; upon arrival, she finds herself in the midst of a series of bizarre incidents.

<i>Beyond the Darkness</i> (film) 1979 Italian horror film directed by Joe DAmato

Beyond the Darkness is a 1979 Italian exploitation horror film directed by Joe D'Amato. It follows Francesco Koch, an orphaned taxidermist who inherits a house in the woods where he lives with his housekeeper Iris, who is determined to become the new owner. After Iris kills his girlfriend Anna with a voodoo curse, Francesco steals her corpse from the local cemetery. He then commits murders connected to his enduring passion for her. A local undertaker investigates and meets Teodora, Anna's twin sister.

<i>Spookies</i> 1986 film

Spookies is a 1986 American independent horror film directed by Brendan Faulkner and Thomas Doran, with additional footage directed by Eugenie Joseph. It stars Felix Ward, Dan Scott, Alec Nemser, and Maria Pechukas, and follows a group of partying adults who find an abandoned mansion and become trapped inside as a warlock tries to sacrifice the group with the intention of using their vitality to keep his wife alive.

<i>Dead Snow</i> 2009 Norwegian comedy horror film

Dead Snow is a 2009 Norwegian comedy horror film directed by Tommy Wirkola, starring Charlotte Frogner, Stig Frode Henriksen, Vegar Hoel, Jeppe Laursen, Evy Kasseth Røsten, Jenny Skavlan, and Lasse Valdal. The film centers on a group of students surviving a zombie Nazi attack in the mountains of Norway. The premise of the film is similar to that of the draugr, a Scandinavian folkloric undead greedily protecting its treasures. NYAV Post has produced an English dub of this film for the home media release.

<i>Evil Town</i> 1987 American film

Evil Town is a 1987 American zombie horror film directed by Curtis Hanson, Mardi Rustam, Larry Spiegel and Peter S. Traynor. Evil Town was the last film with the actor Dean Jagger.

<i>Killing Spree</i> 1987 American film

Killing Spree is a 1987 horror film written and directed by Tim Ritter. Its plot follows a man who becomes jealous of the imagined affairs of his wife and kills everyone she meets, only for them to come back as zombies.

<i>31</i> (film) 2016 American film

31 is a 2016 American horror film written, directed, and produced by Rob Zombie, and starring an ensemble cast featuring Sheri Moon Zombie, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Meg Foster, Richard Brake, Jane Carr, Judy Geeson, E.G. Daily, and Malcolm McDowell.

<i>Mostly Ghostly: Have You Met My Ghoulfriend?</i> 2014 American film

Mostly Ghostly: Have You Met My Ghoulfriend? is a 2014 American horror comedy fantasy film directed by Peter Hewitt. The film is a sequel to the 2008 film Mostly Ghostly: Who Let the Ghosts Out?. The film is based on the second book of the same name by R. L. Stine and the second installment in the Mostly Ghostly film series. The film was released on DVD on September 2, 2014, and was broadcast on Disney Channel on October 11, 2014.

<i>Empire of the Dark</i> 1991 American film by Steve Barkett

Empire of the Dark is a 1991 American fantasy action horror film written, co-produced, directed and edited by Steve Barkett, who also stars in the film. Barkett plays Richard, an ex-police officer who seeks to avenge the apparent death of his former lover, whom he witnessed be ritually sacrificed two decades prior by Satan worshipper Arkham after entering a portal to Hell.

References

  1. Harris 2002, p. 86.
  2. "Forever Evil (1987) - Roger Pugh Evans". Allmovie.com. Allmovie. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  3. Albright 2012, p. 301.
  4. Stanley 2000, pp. 193.
  5. Mitchell 2001, pp. 117–120.
  6. Beard, Drew (24 September 2018). "Film Review: Forever Evil (1987)". HorrorNews.net. Drew Beard. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  7. Stine 2015, p. 124.

Bibliography