Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Evil Laugh Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 10, 2023

Trying to cash-in on the slasher cinema craze of the 1980s, co-writers Steven Baio and Dominick Brascia (who also directs) deliver 1986’s “Evil Laugh,” which, once again, details the survival instincts and bedroom activities of young people with limited situational awareness. The screenplay doesn’t take many chances, refusing to bend the genre, going the self-referential route instead, with Baio and Brascia providing a slightly cheeky take on horror entertainment, keeping the characters clued into potential dangers to help navigate a murderous weekend in a remote house. “Evil Laugh” actually goes for laughs while trying to summon scares, but Brascia can’t manage to balance tone and pacing is slack, creating a stale viewing experience with only a few crazy highlights.

Jerry (Gary Hays) is about to finish medical school, preparing for a celebratory weekend with his friends and fellow students, renting a large home for the occasion, with real estate agent Burns (Howard Weiss) happy to help. Joining the festivities are Jerry’s girlfriend, Connie (Kim McKamy, aka Ashlyn Gere), and her friend Tina (Jody Gibson). Barney (Jerold Pearson) is a horror movie fan arriving with alphas Johnny (Steven Baio) and Mark (Myles O’Brien). And there’s Betty (Karyn O’Bryan) and Sammy (Tony Griffin), a rich couple. The gang gathers to feast on exotic foods and enjoy some freedom, but all is not well inside the dwelling. When Jerry disappears, confusion arrives, mixed with amorous activity, helping to distract the students as a killer rises to power, picking them off one at a time. The brutalizer is known as Martin, who slaughtered children in the house, returning to defend his domain from new residents.

Jerry has big plans for the weekend, keeping his intentions secret from the group as he organizes a buffet of strange food for his guests, with hopes to charm his pals with meals that include various animal organs and extremities. Jerry is an unusual foodie, but he’s not long for the world, with his disappearance triggering the commencement of the slasher side of “Evil Laugh,” as a masked killer is on the loose, stalking characters primarily concerned with sexual conquests. Characterizations are distinct, which is helpful, finding Tina a ditz, Mark vain, and Barney is obsessed with horror, keeping up on all the genre trends. “Evil Laugh” has perhaps too many players in this game, with the writing struggling to make time for everyone, including Betty and Sammy, who provide a little class tension to the story. And Burns has a mean wife to manage, pulling the endeavor out of the house to deal with his henpecked experience.

Connie is the most reasonable member of the group, offering some leadership as the whereabouts of Jerry are questioned. She’s also in possession of backstory, delivering (in chunks) the tale of Martin and his horrible treatment and horrible ways, taking his rage out on children inside the rental house ten years ago, and his murderous appetites remain. “Evil Laugh” already battles with inertia, with the production content to linger on DOA scenes of character interactions and tepid bedroom adventures. Slasher events don’t magically jolt the picture to life, with participants facing routine murder weapons, with a microwave torture sequence the only real inventive offing of the effort. And even that takes quite leap of logic, even for a horror film, to digest.

Evil Laugh Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

An introductory message details the state of "Evil Laugh," with Vinegar Syndrome unable to locate materials for a full uncut version of the picture, forced to combine 16mm vault elements of the original cut and a video master for extra gore sequences added to the movie during reshoots. The AVC encoded image (1.33:1 aspect ratio) presentation does what it can, and while dips into video are noticeable, they don't disrupt the viewing experience. Wear and tear is encountered as well, with scratches, speckling, and some jumpy frames. Detail goes about as far as possible, offering a sense of frame activity and facial features. Interiors are also reasonably dimensional, along with occasional exteriors. Colors are respectfully refreshed, exploring period costuming and red blood. Decorative additions also provide varied hues. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is heavy but film-like.

Evil Laugh Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix offers some unevenness, with occasional dips in quality. Age is apparent during the listening event, finding dialogue exchanges slightly muddy at times, but never unintelligible. Scoring offers basic synth support, and soundtrack selections supply a livelier pop sound.

Evil Laugh Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "The Joy of Laughter" (77:32, HD) is an extended making-of for "Evil Laugh," featuring interviews with producer/co- writer/actor Steven Baio, associate producer Joe Barnard, first assistant director Eric Brown, associate producer/actor James Daurio, assistant to the producer Johnny Venokur, makeup effects artist David Cohen, cinematographer Steef Sealy, and actors Jerold Pearson, Karyn O'Bryan, and Tom Shell. Career origin stories are offered, with Baio traveling to California with his brother, Scott, who was becoming a popular actor while his sibling struggled, soon becoming buddies with director Dominick Brascia. Brown also battled with the business after starring in "They're Playing with Fire," looking to Brascia for work to remain in the industry. Scraping up a small budget, "Evil Laugh" was in motion, turning to Cohen to supply all kinds of gory events. Casting is examined, with plenty of focus on Kim McKamy, who refused to do nudity, ending up a few years later in the adult film industry as "Ashlyn Gere." Technical challenges are explored, with a seven-day shooting schedule handed to a crew largely made up of first timers, with Sealy the seasoned professional. Locations are identified, with the primary house providing septic issues for the crew to clean up, and permits were ignored, with the production claiming "student" status to avoid paying extra fees. Mishaps are identified, including a rice pudding disaster, and the tone of the material is celebrated. A celebration of Brascia is offered, and violence is analyzed, with strange events and bloody encounters recalled, and some of the interviewees still have props from the shoot. The feature's release adventure is shared, and cult longevity is treasured.

• Image Gallery (3:34) collects BTS snaps, theatrical release memories, magazine articles, production information, and poster art concepts.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

Evil Laugh Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Evil Laugh" works to pad the run time, including the addition of law enforcement characters who bring nothing to the story. And the final act is heavy with leaden stalking events, finding the production directly refusing tight editing to draw everything out for as long as possible. It's a frustrating viewing experience, and one not helped by stabs at cleverness, as Barney is endowed with film nerd powers, allowing him to navigate terrors in the night. It's "Scream" before "Scream," but the writing doesn't commit to the idea in full, only using it sporadically to bring laughs to the feature, making sure this assortment of blood and bodies is lighthearted enough to appeal to the average moviegoer. It's a strange creative choice, but "Evil Laugh" was shot in a week and looks it, with Baio and Brascia more concerned about finishing the picture instead of fine-tuning it.