Will (Taylor Girard) has hit rock bottom. Addictions have destroyed his life and left him living in a tent in the woods. But things are about to change. He’s struck by lightning, and like in the comics, gains new abilities. Nothing super, but suddenly he can do things he never could before, like play the piano.
Offered a gig playing piano at a party Will sees it as a sign to turn his life around. He reconnects with Carrie (Rebecca Hope) and begins trying to rebuild his life. But there are complications, nightmares and shadowy, half-glimpsed figures that seem to be haunting him. Are these figures real, or a side effect of the lightning strike? And are Mr. Donovan (George Vricos) and his job offer as benevolent as they appear?
SEEING EVIL mixes medical thrillers and ghost/shadow people lore with interesting if mixed results. At times it resembles a drama more than anything else as Will and Carrie try to put their marriage back together. These scenes are actually fairly effective and make us relate to the leads.
The supernatural elements are more suspenseful than frightening, give or take a jump like the appearance of the library ghost. SEEING EVIL does keep you interested, wanting to find out just what’s going on. Unfortunately, the ending seems very rushed and underwhelming. It makes sense, it just needed to be handled a lot better.
Directors Jason Henne, (who also wrote the script), and Christopher Leto (DEAD RESIDENCE) have worked together in various combinations on a number of previous films. They co-directed CRAZY LAKE and Henne worked sound on DIE, DIE DELTA PI which Leto co-directed with Sean Donohue (The Hart-Break Killer, Death-Scort Service Part 2: The Naked Dead). They work well together and the film looks good for an obviously low-budget film.
They also get good performances from Girard and Hope. Their performances help sell what could have been a pair of rather cliché characters in less talented hands. David E. McMahon (AMERICAN GUINEA PIG: THE SONG OF SOLOMON, BONEHILL ROAD) also deserves a mention as Doctor Farmer.
While not everything it could be, SEEING EVIL is an enjoyable film. And despite my love for the sub-genre, it’s nice to see its directors take a step away from their slasher dominated filmographies.