It really made me laugh to see so many people seemed to miss the point entirely with this one. Complaining about the special effects, predictability and puns is like... I don't know, like complaining about clichés in an old romance film.
The number one thing to remember when you watch this on DVD is that it was intended to be seen on a tiny little cell phone screen. The directing and camera work are very careful in this regard, and I can really see actually sitting down and watching this on some mobile device. The second thing to remember is that this is not ever, at all, never never never supposed to be taken seriously. Ever. It hearkens back to the awful/amazing horror films of the '80s in its gratuitous gore and nudity. You know, the ones you sit down to now and laugh and play drinking games with. Image what you love about those movies packed into super-mini segments. The only difference here is that those were only slightly self-aware, while When Evil Calls is balls-out mocking of itself. The campy CGI and awesomely bad death scenes only add to this effect.
The predictability factor is only an issue if you have no love for these silly films. Which I guess is possible. (But come on.) It is beyond entertaining to see (for example) a girl wish to never see her ex boyfriend's face again and then, oh my, is that an upturned pair of scissors in her path? Why, I think it is! The eye hanging out of the chick's socket is like an indulgence after an intense tease.
And how. How can you not love these actors. Sean Pertwee as the janitor serves as a modern, angry, drunk Crypt Keeper, addressing the audience as if he is telling the story. As the series progresses, he gets drunker, and actually more endearing, in a bitter kind of way. And my god, Chris Barrie still has it completely. His expressions alone had me laughing out loud shamelessly. So good.
In closing: You really have to see this one. Don't go into it thinking you're going to see a serious flick, don't you dare. This is horror comedy at its best, with blood, guts, boobs, lesbians and an amazing cast. What more could you even ask for?
The number one thing to remember when you watch this on DVD is that it was intended to be seen on a tiny little cell phone screen. The directing and camera work are very careful in this regard, and I can really see actually sitting down and watching this on some mobile device. The second thing to remember is that this is not ever, at all, never never never supposed to be taken seriously. Ever. It hearkens back to the awful/amazing horror films of the '80s in its gratuitous gore and nudity. You know, the ones you sit down to now and laugh and play drinking games with. Image what you love about those movies packed into super-mini segments. The only difference here is that those were only slightly self-aware, while When Evil Calls is balls-out mocking of itself. The campy CGI and awesomely bad death scenes only add to this effect.
The predictability factor is only an issue if you have no love for these silly films. Which I guess is possible. (But come on.) It is beyond entertaining to see (for example) a girl wish to never see her ex boyfriend's face again and then, oh my, is that an upturned pair of scissors in her path? Why, I think it is! The eye hanging out of the chick's socket is like an indulgence after an intense tease.
And how. How can you not love these actors. Sean Pertwee as the janitor serves as a modern, angry, drunk Crypt Keeper, addressing the audience as if he is telling the story. As the series progresses, he gets drunker, and actually more endearing, in a bitter kind of way. And my god, Chris Barrie still has it completely. His expressions alone had me laughing out loud shamelessly. So good.
In closing: You really have to see this one. Don't go into it thinking you're going to see a serious flick, don't you dare. This is horror comedy at its best, with blood, guts, boobs, lesbians and an amazing cast. What more could you even ask for?