Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Fear No Evil Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 12, 2019

What writer/director Frank LaLoggia is reaching for with 1981’s “Fear No Evil” is an epic showdown between demonic threats and heavenly forces. It’s an antichrist tale, exploring the arrival of evil in the form of a teenage boy, tapping into industry Satanic Panic trends of the 1970s as LaLoggia figures out a way to bring a complex religious story to the screen on a tiny budget. To help entice potential ticket-buyers, LaLoggia elects to pair biblical fury with a high school saga about a bullied kid. The merging of genres isn’t ideal, and “Fear No Evil” often struggles to balance both sides of the screenplay, which always plays like a first draft that lucked its ways into production. The helmer has some intriguing ideas to share on the state of Godly might, and a few B-movie ideas are appealing, but this isn’t cohesive effort, often playing like two separate features competing for screen time.

Long ago, Father Damon (John Holland) fought the Devil, with evil taking its own life, planning to rise again in another body. In the 1960s, that promise is kept with the birth of Andrew (Stefan Arngrim), who torments his family as he grows up, soon reaching 18 years of age and ready to experience powers he doesn’t fully understand. Waiting for a sign is Margaret (Elizabeth Hoffman), a God-fearing woman who believes Damon’s story, trusting him to be the archangel Raphael. As Andrew deals with bullies at school, his inner fury is about to boil over, unleashing his powers on those who challenge or mock him, while Margaret turns her attention to Andrew’s classmate, Julie (Kathleen Rowe McAllen), viewing her as the reincarnation of the archangel Gabriel, sent to help combat Satan as William begins to summon the forces of evil to take over the world.

There’s a lot to take in during the opening act of “Fear No Evil,” as LaLoggia dumps an enormous amount of exposition on the viewer before the movie even properly begins. It’s like a bible class taught by a scholar who’s in a hurry to work through complicated positions of angelic order, skipping pieces of the tale to summarize the basics of upcoming warfare, adding a healthy dose of reincarnation to confuse things, at least for the first hour of the film. LaLoggia doesn’t successfully establish conflicts to come, getting caught up in names and missions without properly establishing characters, and he’s soon off to catch up with Andrew, who’s been driving his parents mad with fear as a problem child with amazing grades finally comes into contact with his satanic purpose.

The high school experience in “Fear No Evil” is clearly more interesting to follow, watching as Andrew deals with bullying efforts in unusual ways. One young man is destroyed by a dodgeball in gym class, while another is literally kissed into near madness, as LaLoggia piles on the homoeroticism for reasons unknown, never offering a payoff for such behavior. The helmer’s depiction of hallway evil is fairly strange too, watching as one creep openly abuses his girlfriend to deal with his lack of masculinity, even shoving a handgun into her vagina. That sort of extreme action is common in “Fear No Evil,” which strives to replicate Euro horror pressure points, only LaLoggia has no sustained finesse as a filmmaker, hitting intermittent highlights with style and scoring big with a soundtrack that includes Talking Heads, Ramones, and Sex Pistols.

Fear No Evil Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"Fear No Evil" has been brought to Blu-ray boasting a "New 4K Master from the original film elements." This is a grungy, gauzy movie to begin with, but the AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation does a fine job supporting the strange visual presence of the picture, maintaining decent delineation throughout, helping with evening sequences and dense costuming. Colors are appealing, retaining period hues for high school clothing and makeup, while more gothic tones are utilized for religious outfits and demon activity. There are brighter flashes of color with some spellcasting and holy war special effects. Skintones are natural. Detail reaches about as far as possible with the original cinematography, delivering a reasonably clear sense of facial surfaces and locations, which retain dimension. Makeup effects are also open for inspection. Source is in fine shape, without major elements of damage. Grain is thick but film-like.

Fear No Evil Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix also finds the limits of the original recording, as "Fear No Evil" wasn't exactly built to wow. Dialogue exchanges are appealing, securing extensive looping and examining emotionality in some of the more credible performances. Screaming matches don't blow out highs. Scoring supports as needed, with adequate instrumentation, and soundtrack hits, while not overpowering, fit scenes as intended. Sound effects are active, with laser blasts, storms, and general atmospheric mayhem. Hiss is detected during the listening event.

Fear No Evil Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features Stefan Arngrim.

• Interview (37:12, HD) with Arngrim examines his early years, developing an interest in acting thanks to his performing parents, working the New York City scene before landing a soap opera gig at the age of six, moving to Los Angeles. With his father as his manager, Arngrim was offered an honest assessment of his longevity as a child performer, also receiving advice from Roddy McDowall, who encouraged him to stay focused on the work. The interviewee details his time on the show "Gunsmoke" and his starring role on "Land of the Giants," which brought him some fame. "Fear No Evil" is examined, with Arngrim explaining how the homoerotic shower scene was shot first, forced to act while blasted with water that hadn't been heated in months. Arngrim offers an appreciation for director Frank LaLoggia, shares the limits of his personal patience with makeup and special contact lenses, and highlights the fun of working at Boldt Castle while surrounded by zombies. Additional production anecdotes are included, along with a first impression of "Fear No Evil," an examination of the movie's cult longevity, and Arngrim's reluctance to join the convention scene.

• Interview (28:23, HD) with special effects wizard John Egget is a slightly scattered conversation, reaching back to his childhood interest in creating explosive devices, putting him on a path to movie industry destruction. The interviewee works through his early experiments in special effects, eventually receiving his first job on 1979's "Gas Pump Girls." His employment on "Fear No Evil" is highlighted, with the production searching for a "cheap effects man." Egget explains his tricks with the dodgeball sequence, the use of actual dead animals on the set, his time with zombies, working around Boldt Castle, and saves a special anecdote about the acquisition of a live white rabbit for his grand finale.

• Image Gallery (3:37) collects poster art, film stills, publicity snaps, lobby cards, and pages from an advertising manual.

• T.V. Spots (3:25, SD) offer seven commercials for "Fear No Evil."

• And a Theatrical Trailer (:39, SD) is included.

Fear No Evil Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kevin Smith's 1999 film, "Dogma," did a fantastic job weaving together biblical fury and comedy, creating a lively, often outrageous fantasy with a consistent tone. "Fear No Evil" never stands up straight, offering two stories of arrival that don't hold interest, as LaLoggia doesn't have the money to successfully examine religious combat. He doesn't have a refined screenplay either, as the feature ends up a collection of ideas and visuals in need of a story that's simplified, limiting laborious exposition in favor of more exciting screen elements.