Evilution – DVD Review
The Film:
The U.S. military has created a biological terrorist weapon from an alien lifeform to re-animate dead soldiers. A red serum is injected into an individual causing their bodies to become possessed and quite voracious. All hell breaks out in Iraq, so the government drops a bomb on the research facility killing everyone except for nerdy scientist Captain Darren Hall (Eric Peter Kaiser). He returns home to live in a dilapidated apartment to continue his research ala Herbert West. Darren has a few clashes with three gangsters who bust his chops at every opportunity. Salvation is found in his hot Latina neighbor Maddie (Sandra Ramirez), as the two get hot and heavy in no time – sadly – the one great opportunity to see her nude is wasted in a dry hump lap dance.
After Random (Noel Guglemi) is shot and killed in gang violence, Darren makes the colossul error to bring him back and you can guess what happens next. One by one the tenants turn into hordes of zombies as the speedy flesheaters look to quench their appetites with some fresh meat courtesy of some hapless neighbors. Sgt. Gabriel Collins is sent in to take care of the problem but ends up getting trapped himself. Only he knows the right combination to take them out and rid the extraterrestrial for good.
The last decade has seen zombies go into Usain Bolt territory as the undead have become fast and furious. Many horror fans scoffed when this change became popular in films like 28 Days Later and the remake of Dawn of the Dead. Truth be told, it is a natural progression to have them evolve to a point where you can’t simply run past them or push them out of the way.
Evilution embraces all of the cliches of the previously mentioned films as well as the Spanish sensation REC by having a outbreak take place in a apartment complex. This is a Z-Grade ripoff of that film, but it all works as everyone becomes trapped in a hellhole with no way out. Cheesy acting, cheesy FX, and a nice dose of splat adds up to a guilty pleasure for me.
The DVD:
Audio/Video: the sound is average for a DVD release, while the picture is quite sharp as it captures the gloss of the HD camera.
Special Features
Audio Commentary: Director Chris Conlee and Actors Eric Peter-Kaiser/Sandra Ramirez have an entertaining discussion which goes in depth of the labor of love of doing a low-budget horror flm. The apartment building was actually an abandoned hospital which added to the creepiness of the film. Sandra is informed that the online reviewers were disappointed she didn’t take her top of, she says maybe next time –sequel please!
The Making of Evilution: This 25-Minute documentary takes an extensive look at the cast and crew as they talk about the experience of working on the film. Everything from pre-production, the make-up FX, and the breakdown of each of the characters goes under the microscope.
Trailers: Evilution and Basement Jack
Conclusion: More horror fans need to step up and support independent horror. While it is derivative of other films, Evilution is 90 minutes of leave your brain at the door fun.
The Film: Rating: 
The DVD: Rating:
Thanks for the great review. We had a blast making the movie, and it’s gratifying to see people enjoying it. We knew we weren’t reinventing the wheel here. We just wanted to make, in your words, a leave your brain at the door entertaining movie.
[Reply]
You are very welcome Chris! I hope the DVD signing at Dark Delicacies went well.
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