A slow-burn low-budget effort, but ultimately effective…

I wrote this short review a while back but as it’s just getting it’s release (with a shiny new name) I thought I should blow the dust from the cover and post it as a new short review.

This is a bit of a dark horse. I came across this film quite by chance and can’t believe it’s not well known. It’s about a girl Sarah (Hannah Ward) who suffers from delusions in which she sees spirits that cause her to be very weird. Sarah invites a friend who then invites others to her house but the night doesn’t go as planned. There is a death and Sarah gets blamed but before she gets locked in her room she predicts everyone’s death which freaks them all out.

Director Pearry Reginald Teo has handled this film well, and appears to know his subject matter; building up the atmosphere with some nice pacing, although, it might be too slow for some. The acting is good by everyone and at the start of The Evil Inside, I kinda thought that Hannah Ward was overacting, but as we get deeper into the story it’s apparent that she would indeed act like that with her condition. This is Hannah Ward’s first movie and I see she has one other in the works but surely after this she will get more offers because she seems to be better than the usual actresses that get stuck in this genre. Matthew Mercer plays Malcolm, and rookie James Adam Lim plays Wesley, who are both fighting over Michelle (Rayne Bidder). Tara Strand was also good as Billie.
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This is one of those films that’s all about atmosphere and it’s very effective. You do need to really invest yourself in The Evil Inside to get full benefit from the experience. It builds up slowly and finishes with a brilliant twist that I did not see coming. This is a real find, and will reward those that are patient.

Recommended

Grade: C+

Review by Ed Blackadder