[yasr_overall_rating]
A mild-mannered film editor is assigned to cut a series of infamous slasher films and is driven murderously insane by the miles of extremely violent footage he edits.
Nearly every review that exists about “Evil Ed” mentions that the film is a satire of Swedish censorship. Needless to say, it revisits the same premise of fiction blurring with reality as many other films. Filmgoers enjoy films that offer worlds within worlds because they distort the line between the audience and the screen. “Evil Ed” certainly offers this distortion to the viewer, but the question is what else the film has to offer the viewer.
Early on, there is a sequence in a film where we think things have gone violent in an unexplained way when we discover that it is actually just a segment in a film being edited by the main character, Edward (Johan Rudebeck). It is part of a film sequence called “Loose Limbs” which will eventually send Edward into a view of insanity in which he must kill off “unpures” which encompasses nearly everyone he knows. As such, Ed’s real world starts to very closely resemble the world of gruesome horror films.
Many other movies that work with this concept of reality and cinema, including “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and “Last Action Hero,” take this concept and then carry this depiction into something more. “Evil Ed” takes this blurred line and uses it to satire the violence of modern times, which is moving at an increasingly fast pace to catch up with the real world.
As such, it’s a terrifying thing then that the viewer ultimately is not terribly affected by Ed’s decision to kill his family, friends, and law enforcement. The film tricks us into accepting the violence committed into the character. It might be a cruel trick, but it’s a very revealing one.
The film is very much an independent feature, but it utilizes some unique filmmaking techniques and creative direction that create some visually striking images that will stay in the viewer’s mind long after the credits have rolled. The direction is skewed in perspective and uses striking colors. It reminds me a bit of Terry Gilliam.
“Evil Ed” is a unique film with a strange twist told in memorable style. The movie can be distancing at first because it offers an unfriendly world without an identifiable hero. It might not evoke the sense of splendor in blurred fiction and reality, but this is a horror film take on this genre and those are feelings that not directly created by scary or jarring movies.
The more you think about “Evil Ed,” the more you will be compelled to make multiple viewings. That’s about as great a recommendation as I can make to watch a film.
Now available on a 3-Disc Limited Edition Blu-ray & DVD
