Movie Review: Evidence

Evidence is a movie that has been on my radar ever since I read the first review on Dread Central sometime last year. The film was praised for its balls-to-the-wall second half by DC, as well as several other reviewers. Apparently the film happened because writer Ryan McCoy purchased a copy of Paranormal Activity and felt he too could add to the ever growing "found footage" genre. While the film definitely earns its reputation, it also had me split in a few areas.

The film begins with Ryan picking up his friend Brett for what will be his first camping trip. The two pick up Ashley and Abi and head out to what appears to be a destination located in Southern California (although we’re never told exactly where the film takes place). The premise literally begins with four unlikeable characters taking part in a documentary…about camping. Do we care? I sure didn’t. Luckily the film’s pace moves right along and it isn’t too long before we move into the good stuff. On the first night, the characters hear inhuman screams coming from deep inside the woods. During a hike the next day, the group spot something at the cliffs below that is definitely not human. As if two days of weird stuff isn’t enough, they spend another night which is also accompanied by more screams, which happen to be closer than they were the night before. Sometime during the night, one of the guys is taken. It isn’t long before the girls are left alone to discover just what is hunting them, and it is here in the third act that the film’s tagline delivers in a big way: "it isn’t what you think."

What started as an average (at best) horror movie soon becomes a well-executed "what the fuck just happened?" sort of experience. It’s hard for me to elaborate on this without giving anything away exactly. Trust me when I say this is almost two different movies when looking at the first half compared to where you are by the time the movie ends. I went in knowing a little about the movie, but even I was surprised with where we ended up.

What keeps this from being a perfect "found footage" movie is the poor setup. The idea of a documentary about a guy camping for the first time is laughable. If they had simply went with a group of people video taping what was supposed to be a wild weekend outdoors, it would have been fine. The four characters in this movie are also very unlikeable. Granted, the film ends up being more about what happens around them other than being a character focus, but would it kill writer Ryan McCoy (who also stars) to make these people identifiable in some way. By the time the movie ends, not a lot is laid out for you to clearly get an idea of what just happened. It’s very open ended in terms of letting the viewer piece it together just as the survivors must do. This can work for and against the film depending on the type of person you are. If you need every last detail explained for you, then Evidence probably isn’t going to be your cup of tea.

Despite these complaints (which now seem minor in the grand scheme of the movie), Evidence is a movie well worth sticking with until the very end (the credits offer a lot of story). Ryan McCoy has stated that he’s had a favorable reaction to the film, and has since written a follow-up. Personally, I’d like to see a prequel helping to explain a little of what we saw in the film’s final half an hour. Despite its flaws, Evidence earns a spot among the best in the genre and is well worth your time.