Conspiracy theories and political commentary aren’t unusual in horror films. Indeed, it’s a genre which is prime retail for analogies and metaphors. Jacob’s Ladder is the first film to spring to mind but Entity, Rosemary’s Baby and The Tenant are also notable examples. In Jason William Lee’s The Evil In Us he weaves together three overlapping stories to produce a gory horror based around a terrorist plot.
Six friends decide to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend on a remote island, but what is meant to be a hedonistic party goes horribly wrong. A terrorist organisation has manufactured a new bioactive compound which they’re cutting into drugs. The effect it has on anyone who takes it is to send them into an ultra-violent psychotic rage. It leaves Brie (Debs Howard) fighting for her life whilst the rest of her friends try to kill her.
The Evil in Us is an ambitious first feature. Whilst it’s not wholly successful it does work on many levels. Whilst dallying with the cabin in the woods premise, Lee skilfully avoids the pitfalls of ‘bad choices’. There’s tons of gore and the three different plot strands keep it fresh and urgent. It can become a little disorientating though. The Evil in Us is an impressive debut which will entertain and terrify in equal measure.
The Evil in Us is released on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand by Studiocanal on Monday.
