Shudder is the best place to go to when you are in the mood for a good horror film. History of Evil takes us into the future with a delicious blending of The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Shining.
History of Evil
XYZ Films and Two & Two Pictures offer us a peek into our country’s future with History of Evil. Written and directed by Bo Mirhosseni and starring Jackie Cruz (Orange is the New Black), Paul Wesley (The Vampire Diaries and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), Rhonda Johnson Dents (Queen Sugar), Murphee Bloom and Thomas Frances Murphy.
The year is 2045. The constant corruption and civil wars have transformed these United States into a Neo Fascist state called North American Federation. Religion is the law. The patrolling state sanctioned militias carry their handy dandy bibles and hunt down anyone who is not in step with their vindictive restrictive laws.
Alegre Dyer (Jackie Cruz), who is part of the Resistance, has escaped from prison and is on the run with her husband Ron (Paul Wesley), their young daughter, Daria (Murphee Bloom), and resistance fighter, Trudy (Rhonda Johnson Dents). While waiting for the extraction team to take them to safe ground, they hide out in a house that is not only is haunted, but its former owner was part of the KKK. It isn’t long before the former owner (Thomas Francis Murphy) begins to fill Ron’s head with hatred.
Conclusion
I read where Bo Mirhosseni, writer and director, was inspired by the Iranian Revolution where his own parents were activists who fought for human rights. The world has witnessed what happened to Iran. It is not a pretty story when religion controls governments.
History of Evil is intense for many reasons. Yes, the film is about a haunted house and its occupants. It is a good old-fashioned ghost story, but the real monsters are the living. The fascist government hunting down people in the name of God is a nightmare that we are facing right now in this country. There is a reason that our Founding Fathers separated state from church. This film is a wakeup call hidden inside a ghost story.
History of Evil is now streaming on Shudder. I suggest you watch it.
