NGM Films, a low-budget film company based in Liverpool, is working on a feature film called Rising Evil, and, in an attempt to raise money for their feature film, they created a short film called, strangely enough, Rising Evil. According to NGM Films’ website and a promo sheet that was sent to me, the feature film version of Rising Evil is set to be an entry into the sci-fi/horror genre, complete with spaceships, aliens, androids, bizarre planet landscapes—you know, the stuff that makes genre fans giddy with glee. The fundraiser short film version of Rising Evil, on the other hand, is a story-less horror scenario that feels more like a part of an NGM Films demo reel than a stand-alone short film.
The events that occur in the film go a little something like this: man wakes up, man realizes that his surroundings are suddenly deserted, man runs from an Evil Dead-ish spirit, man staggers through his house in a paranoid fashion, and man meets and is attacked by a black hooded figure. I understand that this movie is only about 20 minutes in length, and was made for the strict purpose of achieving a greater goal of making a feature film, but Rising Evil–the short film version–is pretty much incoherent.
That’s not to say that other factors of the film are carried out in as poor of a fashion. I mean, when the random black hooded figure makes its way down the stairs to meet with the injured Jake (the film’s main character), a sense of spookiness is successfully portrayed, and the music that accompanies the film is haunting, very fitting, and simultaneously top-notch, adding greatly to the creepy feeling that arises toward the end of the film.
The acting aspect of Rising Evil is carried solely and decently by Kieron Johnson, who plays his role of Jake seriously and straight. This acting method benefits the film, adding a somewhat chilling sense of believability in contrast to the obviously cheap effects.
The film does suffer from the typical low-budget, indie flaws (such as a slow pace and bad editing in some spots), but I have to say that the pros of the film outweigh the cons and overall, Rising Evil is a pretty good representation of potential. I can’t recommend this one on its own, but I can definitely recommend giving the feature film version a look when it becomes available. With a somewhat bigger budget and an actual plotline, the feature film version of Rising Evil just might turn out to be an indie gem.
-Spooky Steve
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- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
