DVD Movie Review: Resurrection of Evil (Lights, Camera, Action!)

Resurrection of Evil (UK Rating: 18)

The latest resident of Havenhurst is a young woman named Jackie Sullivan (played by Julia Benz, famously Darla of Buffy and Angel and Rita in Dexter). Jackie's history is a tragic one; suffice it to say that her alcoholism cost her the most important thing in her life and now she's moving into Havenhurst to try and get her life back on track. It turns out, though, that those who are evicted are slaughtered by a hulking bald man who stalks the floors of this gothic hotel.

Resurrection is somewhere between a horror and a thriller but it doesn't really deliver as either. The horror elements rely on some cheap jump scares that fail to evoke a reaction from even the jumpiest in the audience, and the accompanying gore sequences will have a similar effect on squeamish viewers. The thriller elements are just as bad, too, with the story completely lacking in any sort of intrigue or tension. Every big plot point or reveal is hugely telegraphed and horribly overdone. While the story flounders, the acting isn't all bad. Benz is quite enjoyable and Fionnula Flanagan delivers a completely over the top performance that brings to memory the work of Carolyn Minnott in The Room.

2/10

Very Bad

It's incredibly brave for a film to break away from the usual three act structure and try, instead, for something new to surprise its audience. These types of horrors or thrillers can often be relied on to do exactly that and while Resurrection of Evil does certainly try, it fails - horribly. It's not even one of those horror movies that is so bad that it's good. What should have been a chilling and claustrophobic tale is instead a cliché mess that seems to lack any real merit.