Review: Book of Evil

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2019
Images from the Internet

Book of Evil

Directed by James Coleman, Vincent Coleman, Michael Del Rossa
Coleman Films / 3:00 AM Productions / Wild Eye Releasing / MVD Entertainment
90 minutes, 2018
www.wildeyereleasing.com
www.mvdb2b.com

The Coleman Brothers, James and Vincent, have been making short films for a while now, so it makes sense that they would combine some of them together into a compilation. This is an excellent way to showcase one’s work as a shorts director(s).

The wraparound premise, as there apparently must be one, is that an author has a one-day deadline to hand in a manuscript that he hasn’t really successfully started yet. Locked away in some cabin with an old Underwood manual typewriter, he’s flustered until some supernatural occurrences begin to occur around him, inspiring the short stories that are this film.

It starts off quite strong with the James Coleman directed “Squatters,” from 2016. At around 40 minutes, it’s an incredibly intriguing story about three paramedics who end up at an old, run down house. There they encounter the inhabitants of the place, a bunch of cannibalistic rednecks who insanely and gleefully slaughter and torment their prey. Considering how dark the scenes are both figuratively and literally as there is no electricity, the visuals are pretty clear without losing the moodiness. The violence is in high gear and the tension can be cut with a chainsaw. There’s also a definite Mother’s Day (1980) vibe going on, especially towards the end. It’s an incredibly well structured start to the compilation, and I hope it can be maintained throughout the other three stories.

“Paralysis” from 2015 is 10 minutes long, and directed by both James and Vincent Coleman. The topic is sleep paralysis, and whether or not it’s in the mind or possibly a doorway to another world. It’s a bit predictable, but there are some really cool moments and jump scares that are effective, even if you figure out where the story is going. Again, much of it happens at night, but it’s always clear what the action is at any time. There is a low body count, but a high gore score that’s well done. Even as a kid, I had a fear of closets at night (door must be closed for me to sleep), and this one plays into that well.

At nearly 20 minutes long, 2016’s “Carving Season” gives the Coleman Brothers a chance to take a – err – stab at the slasher genre, as they introduce a masked killer who carves the likeness of his victims into a pumpkin before introducing them to his machete. For a short piece, there is a nice introductory segment that flows quite well into the actual story; this is nicely handled in a swirling fashion. There is no explanation as to the why this is happening, though there is a hint of the supernatural, if not The Omen (1976) meets Halloween (1978) influence.

The last story is “The Midnight Man” (2015) another Coleman Bros special clocking in at 17 minutes. At a party, a Wiccan (Goth) woman is mocked by the group, and she enacts revenge by conjuring up the titular demon to avenge her hurt feelings. This could have been a comment on bullying, but rather it’s a take of gore and burning flesh… and something involving a body orifice I have never seen before that was quite enjoyable.

There are three extras, including the Wild Eye Releasing gaggle of Trailers, which are always appreciated and enjoyable (one of my fave things about their releases). But the first is an “Intro From the Directors,” a 3:32 three-way Q&A with the Coleman Brothers (and their muscles) and Del Rossa. They play it cute and uncomfortable being in front of the camera, but what they say is interesting. Next up is the full length commentary, again with all three directors and three of the crew. It gets a bit noisy here and there as people want to contribute their thoughts at the same time as others, but mostly James Coleman and cute actress Laura Morelock, who appears in many of the shorts, take the lead and keep the info going.

The “Squatters” short is a multi-award winner at festivals, and it’s not hard to understand why. The other three were part of the “Viral Fear Fest” television mini-series in 2015-16 (which I did not see). The muscular Coleman Bros. (et.al) have shown they know their way around a script, a camera, and get some really fine work out of their actors, so there is no reason not to believe they are on their way up. I look forward to the ride.