Movies
Live Evil (V)
“Slightly reminiscent of Near Dark,Live Evil brings enough blood and boobs to the table to entertain even the most jaded horror fan…Woelfel slams down the creative gas pedal and doesn’t let up until the end credits roll. For those willing to ignore sub-par production values, Live Evil pays off in spades.”
Beginning with a diner massacre before jumping directly to a desert car chase, then a nudity-enriched vampire throat-ripping, then a vampire beatdown courtesy of a sword-wielding cowboy/priest, Live Evil bangs from scene to scene like a bat out of hell.
Clearly taking advantage of America’s approval of vampire worship as the new national religion, the low-budget wonder from co-writer/director Jay Woelfel is undeniably bursting with energy. According to Ken Foree’s somber introduction, the drug and lifestyle excesses of humans have rendered the majority unfit for vampiric consumption, provoking the colonies of starving vampires to fight amongst themselves for survival. (Hmmmm…something smells like the Blade franchise in here.)
Live Evil cruises back and forth between two different perspectives: a car-full of vampire buds road-tripping to Hollywood, and the sword-wielding, vampire-hunting priest who is out take care of some…(languorous pause, staring glassily into the distance)…”unfinished business”…(roll snippets of a vague flashback that won’t be fully revealed until at the end of the movie). B-movie veteran Tim Thomerson (Trancers) plays the priest in a wryly funny performance that has him stomping vampire hearts with his boot heel, and (in one memorable speech) comparing vampires to Lamborghinis. In fact, Thomerson is so committed to the character, hiding a whiff of false menace behind his amusingly sincere line delivery, the storyline featuring the vampire buddies pales in comparison.
Slightly reminiscent of Near Dark,Live Evil brings enough blood and boobs to the table to entertain even the most jaded horror fan. The film’s five-person special effects team really pulls out all the stops when it comes to bringing the syrupy wet work. From a vampire party complete with topless waitresses, to the introduction of a pair of cop vampires with fangs in the palms of their hands, to an inevitable confrontation with vampire babies (“Goddamned vampire babies”, intones Thomerson, “they’re the worst.”), Woelfel slams down the creative gas pedal and doesn’t let up until the end credits roll. For those willing to ignore sub-par production values, Live Evil pays off in spades.
A heist turns nightmarish for Lizzy Caplan (Cobweb) in the offbeat comedy thriller Drag, and the SXSW darling now has an official release date.
Briarcliff Entertainment will release Drag in theaters on January 29, 2027.
The thriller follows “two estranged sisters who attempt to rob a secluded home in rural upstate New York. What begins as a simple burglary spirals into a nightmarish ordeal after one sister throws out her back and becomes immobilized on the second floor. As tensions rise and panic sets in, the sisters are forced into a painful and increasingly absurd fight for survival before the homeowner returns.”
It’s described as “Equal parts thriller and physical comedy,” which “explores sibling rivalry, physical pain, and the uniquely chaotic bonds of family.”
Lucy DeVito (“Little Demon”), John Stamos (“Full House”), and Christine Ko (“Dave”) also star.
The release announcement comes with a new look at Drag, introducing the estranged sisters caught in a heist nightmare.
Drag is co-written and co-directed by Raviv Ullman and Greg Yagolnitzer, marking their feature debut.
The film is produced by Danny DeVito, Lucy DeVito, and Jake DeVito through Jersey Films 2nd Avenue.
Briarcliff CEO Tom Ortenberg called Drag “a brilliantly original film that’s suspenseful, hilarious, and completely unpredictable. The cast led by Lizzy, Lucy, John, and Christine are the magic that makes the concept work. Audiences are in for a huge treat.”
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