‘History Of Evil’ Review – Dystopian Commentary Meets Haunted House In This Unbalanced Feature

A family of refugees and freedom fighters living in dystopian America has to hide in a remote, shambolic, haunted house where no one is ever going to dare look. It sounds like an intriguing premise for a movie, even more so because it’s (partly) based on actual events. Writer/director Bo Mirhosseni chose this personal story – his parents were refugees and freedom fighters – and turned it into a dystopian commentary meets haunted house feature. Sadly, because History of Evil doesn’t fully know what it wants to tell, it sometimes feels unbalanced, despite a strong turn from Paul Wesley (The Vampire Diaries) and a great set design.

While History is Evil is based on Mirhosseni’s personal experience, the movie doesn’t hide that it also took some inspiration from The Hunger Games and The Shining. While The Shining influence only seeps in mid-movie, The Hunger Games aspect is present straight from the get-go. Not so much story-wise, but certainly when it comes to the world-building. The somber, bleak colours and the abundance of soldiers promise nothing good for America in 2045. After a civil war, the country is now ruled by a fascist government and helped by a gun-wielding militia. The people who are trying to stand up against the regime are being imprisoned.

One of them is freedom fighter Alegre Dyer (Jackie Cruz). After escaping prison with the aid of her fellow revolutionary, Trudy (Rhonda Johnson Dents), she reunites with her husband Ron (Wesley) and their young daughter Daria (Murphee Bloom). The happy reunion is short-lived as the family has to instantly find shelter in a remote, haunted mansion because “nobody comes here because they’re terrified of this place “—Trudy’s words, not ours.

From then on, you not only see how this dystopian feature becomes much more of a horror house movie but also how great the work from the set design team and cinematographer Jon Peter (Money Fight) actually is. During our interview with Mirhosseni and cast members, Wesley and Cruz, the writer/director mentioned that most cracked walls, torn-down wallpapers, old-looking pictures, and broken frames were already present in this house. Still, with some additions and rearrangements, the mansion fully came to life. As did the cinematography. Peter mainly uses dark colours, dim lights, and some brown/beige accents to give the movie the horror and dark aspect it deserves.

The storyline itself becomes even darker, as it doesn’t take long before the mansion’s unsettling past reveals itself, especially to Ron. He discovers that the previous tenant, Cain (Thomas Francis Murphy), was a racist and misogynist who killed his wife and child because they didn’t agree with his dogmatic way of life. The more Ron discovers about Cain and the house – including finding a Klansman’s hood in the basement – the more he’s sucked into the misogynistic philosophy of Cain’s ghost (Lloyd the barman and Delbert Grady from The Shining, anyone?) roaming around the house to the point that he becomes a bigger threat to his family than the fascist American government.

While Ron’s increasing presence in the storyline isn’t great for his family, it’s very good for the audience watching History of Evil. That is because they get to see much more of Wesley’s multilayered performance. Initially, Ron is a caring and kind-hearted man/husband/father, but the more the dark past takes over his mind, the more violent, sinister, and evil he becomes. Wesley embodies that dramatic change perfectly.

There’s one major downside to Ron taking the forefront, and that’s the fact that Alegre feels significantly underdeveloped and unexplored throughout the film. While Cruz (Orange is the New Black) provides the film with commendable and touching acting, we don’t know enough about her character to believe her performance fully. We never learn much more about Alegre’s beliefs, why her daughter didn’t know much about her before the incarceration, or why she finds it so challenging to reconnect with Daria. Mirhosseni focuses much more on delivering his political messages than creating relatable and believable characters.

Another aspect the writer/director overlooked is finding the right balance between the dystopian story and the horror element. Because he wants to focus on both aspects, he has to divide his attention between the two, resulting in neither aspect fully coming to life. There are some compelling sci-fi scenes, especially when the soldiers force the people to swear on the Bible, but they are pushed to the background when the unconvincing horror takes over. The few tense sequences in this movie are too scarce to make History of Evil a gripping horror/thriller.

While Mirhosseni’s movie indeed features a solid lead performance and an eye-catching set design, the unbalanced script and the overcomplicated storyline make History of Evil a poorly constructed debut feature.

History of Evil is now available to stream exclusively on Shudder.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk4JNYV7Y1U]