Summary

• History of Evil blends dystopian political elements with traditional horror, creating an intriguing premise but fails to fully explore both genres.
• Ron, played by Paul Wesley, shines as a protective family man, but the rest of the cast, particularly Jackie Cruz's Alegre, feels underdeveloped and underused.
• Good ideas and tension-filled moments are present in the film, but History of Evil ultimately falls short of delivering as a truly scary or thought-provoking horror movie.

Director Bo Mirhosseni's debut feature, History of Evil, presents some good ideas, though it does not end up following through on its promise. The horror movie opens up with a text explanation that lays the setting for its dystopian world. History of Evil takes place in the year 2045, with the United States of America having become the North American Federation, a fascist, totalitarian state following a series of wars. The reality is devastating, with sanctioned militia groups free to roam the country in search of those who oppose the totalitarian regime.

The film follows Ron (Paul Wesley), his daughter Daria (Murphee Bloom), and wife Alegre (Jackie Cruz), a member of The Resistance — the group who fights against the North American Federation's rule — who was imprisoned for writing the rebels' manifesto. The setup for the story consists of Alegre escaping from prison after years, with the character getting reunited with her husband and daughter. The trio, alongside guardian Trudy (Rhonda Johnson Dents), finds refuge in a farmhouse deemed safe because people are scared of it. There, they have to spend a few days until The Resistance can safely extract them.

The film’s political scenario is intriguing, as it feels both way too far out there and extremely real — especially in light of recent events that have unfolded in the United States — at the same time.

History Of Evil's Dystopian & Horror Genres Battle Each Other

History of Evil is ambitious with its premise. The movie starts with an interesting journey by setting up what America has become and what role Jackie’s character plays in The Resistance to topple the authoritarian regime in charge. The film’s political scenario is intriguing, as it feels both way too far out there and extremely real —especially in light of recent events that have unfolded in the United States — at the same time. That concept is not common for a horror movie, and serves to sprinkle a couple of shocking moments throughout the film.

At the start of the film, Wesley’s Ron and his family are stopped at a checkpoint, with officers searching for Cruz's Alegre. Despite being a moment focused on the movie’s political elements rather than the more traditional horror that would soon follow, the scene is easily one of the movie’s best. The tension is palpable as Wesley’s charismatic Ron tries to hide his fear from an officer while the fake identities of his wife and daughter are checked. Every second feels like an eternity before the family is finally allowed to continue down the road.

The movie’s dystopian setting then takes a backseat for some time, giving way to more traditional horror as History of Evil sees its characters reach a safe house, having to stay there for days before rescue arrives. While there are a few jumpscares during the family's stay in the farmhouse, the film is more geared towards evoking a feeling of uneasiness than truly frightening us. The two genres are never fully explored, and the mixing of both results in History of Evil never being as scary or thought-provoking as it could have been.

Paul Wesley's Ron Delivers As A Compelling Lead Character

The rest of History of Evil's cast is underused

Wesley has made a name for himself as Stefan Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries and as the iconic Captain Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The actor brings his usual charm to History of Evil, making Ron a well-rounded character who wants to protect his family. It is interesting to see how Ron is able to escape nerve-wracking situations thanks to his charismatic nature, with Wesley making the character a compelling lead to follow, even though he is not the true hero in his family. That role is reserved for Ron's revolutionary wife, Alegre.

While there are a few jumpscares during the family's stay in the farmhouse, the film is more geared towards evoking a feeling of uneasiness than truly frightening us.

Cruz has a few moments to shine throughout the movie; however, Alegre is never given the same care as Ron. The character, and almost every other in the film, gets very little to do. History of Evil's failure to balance its cast ends up restricting the film from going in more exciting and personal directions than it does. Alegre's relationship with her six-year-old daughter, who basically has no memory of her due to the activist's years away in prison, results in a couple of emotional scenes — and the movie's major jumpscare — but is not given enough focus.

The horror film could have worked better on the relationship between Ron and Alegre before leading up to the film's surprising finale, which spotlights the dark spirits in the house. Speaking of the evil lurking in the shadows, one of the movie's best aspects is the series of conversations Ron has with a deceased older resident of the home, which serve to slowly peel back the curtain on the farmhouse's past and the danger the family is in, although the movie fails to build on that to make History of Evil's ending as poignant as perhaps intended.

History of Evil is now available to stream on Shudder.