If you have been hankering for the resurrection of a cult horror film that has been dormant for a few years and that is a tongue-in-cheek love letter to low-budget fright-fare of the past, look no further than All About Evil. This verve-filled gorefest had a limited release in 2010 but is about to find its widest audience ever.
Written and directed by Joshua Grannell — AKA drag performer Peaches Christ, who makes a cameo in the film — All About Evil finds Deborah Tennis (Natasha Lyonne in a grand, deliberate demonstration of chewing more scenery than there is in the sets), a frustrated child actor cum shy librarian, taking over the reigns of San Francisco’s Victoria Theater after her father dies. Her evil stepmother (Julie Caitlin Brown) threatens to sell the venue that Deborah’s dad worked so hard to build, and in a moment of temporary insanity that unlocks the door to a more permanent case, Deborah kills her mother in the theater lobby and accidentally broadcasts the surveillance footage of the crim onto the cinema’s screen — much to the audience’s delight. One of the viewers is high schooler Steven (Thomas Dekker), who becomes a big fan of Deborah, thinking that she has the potential to become the first great female horror director. Little does he know that her weekly output of short films are actual snuff films — and that they will soon involve people close to him.
Deliberate camp, in this reviewer’s opinion, rarely works, but All About Evil is the exception to that rule. This is because Grannell shows his affection for and knowledge about the gore horror flicks of yesteryear and puts a modern spin on things, with wry commentary about such things as the rudeness of using cell phones in cinemas.
The practical effects makeup and gore gags are copious and well rendered, with gallons of the red stuff and some cool makeup effects on display. The eye-popping visuals don’t stop there, either, with cool costumes and fabulous fashion on display, as well.
The cast members give it their all, with Lyonne camping and vamping it up while Dekker plays things in a straighter manner. The supporting players add touches of whimsy and wackiness, including Jack Donner as Deborah’s sidekick-in-killing Mr. Twigs, Cassandra “Elvira” Peterson as Steven’s caring mother, and Mink Stole as Deborah’s library boss.
A valentine to violent excess in the works of such filmmakers as Herschell Gordon Lewis, All About Evil is a blast. From killer twins to sassy drag queens to terrific posters (stick around for the end credits) and beyond, this one has it all.
All About Evil receives a June 10th special edition Blu-ray release from Severin Films and a North American streaming release on Shudder June 13th.
Peaches Christ will present the film at “Peaches Christ 4-D Screenings” along the West Coast, including the Los Feliz 3 in Los Angeles on June 9 and the Victoria Theater in San Francisco on June 11, where the film was shot.