Netflix Horror Comedy About The Son Of The Devil Inspired By Classic Thriller
There have been countless parodies of The Omen in the past, but I can’t say that any of them have been as effective as Little Evil, which was released by Netflix in 2017. While shows like South Park, American Dad, and The Simpsons have all taken shots at the timeless horror classic, Little Evil is the first feature-length parody I know of that builds its dramatic tension at the same pace as its setups and punchlines on the comedic front. This is not a serious film, but it’s shot and scored as if it were a legitimate horror film, which makes the jokes land in such a satisfying way.
Raising The Antichrist
Little Evil centers on a series of miscommunications between Adam Scott’s Gary Bloom, and Evangeline Lilly’s Samantha Bloom. After getting married, Gary has trouble bonding with Samantha’s son, Lucas. Lucas has supernatural powers that have caused a number of incidents resulting in deaths at his school, but everybody is blissfully unaware of the fact that he may actually be possessed by some sort of demonic entity.
No One Sees What Gary Sees
While it’s obvious to Gary that Lucas is the Antichrist in Little Evil, Samantha, the school staff, and even a representative from Child Protective Services have reason to believe that Lucas is simply lashing out because he doesn’t have a positive male role model in his life. Despite Gary’s efforts to be the step-father he needs to be, Lucas sets party clowns on fire with his mind and tries to bury Gary alive. When Gary goes to an all male support group to talk about his problems, most of the men in the group suggest that all kids are evil, and that Lucas is no different than any other child his age.
The Mom Is Oblivious
As Little Evil reveals more information about the suspicious circumstances in which Lucas was conceived, Gary becomes increasingly frustrated because it’s so painfully obvious that Samantha was part of a Satanic ritual before Lucas was born, but she’s too blinded by her love for her child to put two and two together. Trusting nobody but his best friend, Al (Bridget Everett), Gary knows that he has to figure out how to prevent the apocalypse from occurring on June 6, Lucas’ sixth birthday.
Miscommunication Is Everything
The family dynamic and insane level of miscommunication in Little Evil leads to so many laugh-out-loud moments that you need to watch this movie. While some horror movies have the potential to mess with your perception because the protagonist is unreliable, Gary is the only reliable person in Little Evil, which drives the humor from start to finish.
Gary is not going insane because he suspects his step-son of being the Antichrist after living through sort of traumatic event that makes him afraid of children. Gary is going insane because his step-son is, without a doubt, the Antichrist, but nobody wants to believe him despite how obvious it is.
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REVIEW SCORE
Little Evil is a perfect horror parody that celebrates its source material while simultaneously branching out into new territory. In fact, it stays in its own lane in such a way that I don’t even think you need to be aware of The Omen to actually enjoy this movie. However, it definitely wouldn’t hurt if you watched the 1976 version of The Omen ahead of Little Evil the next time you want to have a double-feature.
Little Evil is available for streaming on Netflix.
