Evil (2006)

OK it's a low budget film by a first time director & scriptwriter, but even by Z-movie standards this is a bit disappointing. There are a few decent moments which show that there is ability present and though went into it, however these and an occasional laugh is not enough to cover for the cobbled together plot and acting. I can't comment too much on the script as my Greek is not quite up to it yet, but when people just wander off the screen (aka dead in Zombie movies) and re-appear 20 minutes later the film descends into farce. There is a sequel, even a committed Zombie fan like me might just give it a miss. More judicious editing and some re-shooting would have saved it from this miserable score.

So here we have zombies on the bloody rampage in Athens.They were awakened from their eternal sleep during one unfortunate event in a forgotten cave.The epidemic spreads through the bite.The zombies are running fast and killing almost everyone in their sight."To Kako" aka "Evil" plays like "28 Days Later" on steroids.Unfortunately I prefer zombies walking than running like hell.There is plenty of gore,some splattery head-shots,cannibalism,squashed heads and beheadings.There's also the standard horrible acting and amateurish scene construction with several annoying dark comedy moments.Still I'd give "To Kako" 7 out of 10 because it possesses the intensity and charm of a film helmed by a director who firmly believes in his creation.

Let's get to the point. Greek cinema isn't exactly famous for zombie movies. OK? Or horror in general. Thus, such a well directed and technically sound production should be praised. And no, I m not a member of the moviecrew, though that would be so much fun. The movie follows classical zombie flicks paths. When viewing a zombie flick we are not searching for deep hidden truths, existential questions and answers etc. We want to have some fun (though if watching exploding heads is a sane way of having fun,I m not quite sure). A zombie movie is a praise to the grotesque. A sick yet funny distortion of reality. I love humor in zombie flicks and this one has enough of it already. Considering the budget of the movie, and what the directors intended to do, compared to what they did, I d say they pass the test and I d cheer them too. You can create small wonders with so few money and they did! I ll be waiting for their next movie!! (The taxi driver character is HILARIOUS)

~~WARNING! THE FOLLOWING REVIEW MAY OR MAY NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS. USE YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT WHEN DETERMINING A SPOILER~~First off, can anyone say 28 Days Later? This movie reeks (pun intended) of the international hit by Danny Boyle. From the surreal haunting music, the camera work involving abandoned shots of Downtown Athens (more notably the train track sequence when heading to the army.), and the red first person perspective of the zombies as they chase their prey. As far as originality goes, the story is part of the same that has been about through the ages. A group of strangers caught up in a diabolical plague set forth to find others as well as make it out of the infested city and to the country. The Gore meter is maxed out with plenty of visceral decapitations, disembowelment's, and gut munching mayhem. Though effective throughout the movie, the effects seem rather comical and cheesy because they are so overdone. And lets not forget the ever so clever comedic performance that are never absent when it comes to a gore-fest zombie movie. There are some pretty snappy one liners and some scenes just make you laugh out loud. Keep an eye on the cabbie throughout the movie as the laughs usually emit from him. A fairly decent cast with some rough "Follow me if you want to live." action lines that could have not been inserted into the already fast paced action. Tough guy and girl antics run amuck. Some unsuspecting scenes really catch you off guard during the duration of the movie, which makes it not only a action oriented horror movie, but gives elements of suspense. If you think you know whats going to happen during this movie I can tell you that you're wrong from the start. Abolutley GOREgeous shots of Athens abandoned. Some notably scenes are: THE RESTAURANT ALLEY WAY WITH THE WATER PIPE THE SOCCER STADIUMAll in all this movie garnered a 7 overall for mostly the 28 Days Later atmosphere which really wasn't a fantastic choice to base your movie on. Although the Evil Dead and Dead Alive references totally undertake the negative.