The Horrific Evil Monsters (2021)

As it is in Hollywood, the indie filmmaking landscape is also largely occupied by two very general styles of filmmakers. There are those who see filmmaking as an art form and create films in the name of art, regardless of what the audience may or may not want to see, who want to challenge the viewers and pass on a message, and there are filmmakers who simply want to entertain the viewers and take them on a journey that may not necessarily have as much depth, but will be a fun experience and thus a rewarding one. Adam Steigert largely resides in the latter group. His films shoot for (by indie standards) epic status. They are filled with very large casts, locations, elaborate settings and costumes… and all under indie sized low budgets. A lot of Adam‘s projects are even interconnected in such a way that they are all within the same universe, lovingly referred to as The GoreVerse. The Horrific Evil Monsters, or simply T.H.E.M., is by far Steigert‘s most epic effort to date.

The story, is obviously not a very original concept, but tries to put a different spin on the source. It simply borrows and puts together several storylines from things we have seen in the past, though not necessarily in indie. There are elements from classics such as The Magnificent Seven and The Dirty Dozen as well as more recent films such as Men In Black, The Avengers series and Suicide Squad, among others. The difference resides in putting those into an indie film setting, fitting it under the available budget and somehow still making it look good. Which T.H.E.M. succeeds in doing.

The script, written by Adam and wife and production partner, Kristin Steigert, does well to stay firmly within the sci-fi/horror/comedy realm and not take itself too seriously. Had they gone for a more stern, serious, dark approach, this likely would not have worked. It also takes away most of any need to pick the plot apart and expose any potential plotholes or script inadequacies, as it was written to take us on a fun journey and entertain. Check and check!

The production value here is above and beyond. The look of the film is fantastic for an indie and to have reached this kind of quality look on a low budget, even by indie standards, is a feat all on its own. The picture quality and sound are colourful, sharp and crisp. The locations are many and greatly enhance the look of the film overall. The cinematography, also by Adam Steigert is of high standard, with some amazing frames and breathtaking shots thrown in to give us that epic feel and larger than life effect. The editing uses almost every trick in the book to help hide away budget-related production shortfalls and keep the pace brisk and interesting. The score, by Ashsha Kin, is epic and cinematic and helps gives this film a superhero/sci-fi feel. Beautiful work.

The film slightly falls short in a few categories, but most are not even worth mentioning. What I will say is that while costumes and art design were great overall, I found that the secret agent extras looked more like Blues Brothers cosplayers than secret agents at times, which gave me a chuckle, whether intended to or not. The battle scenes were also somewhat anti-climactic at times, but that is to be expected from such a low budget production and luckily did not hurt the film much. Also, horror fans who are looking for a gore-filled blood fest, may be disappointed. T.H.E.M. is more sci-fi/action/comedy than it is horror, though it has several horror-related elements and gory moments. I mean, some of the characters included are a reaper, serial killer, zombie, werewolf and… ahem… Death himself.

As far as acting, the core cast did a great job. Bishop Stevens (Alex Creed), Will Nemi (Obji), Kaylee Williams (Anna), Norman Queeno (Gore), the late Michael O’Hear (William Sanders), and Sean C. Sanders (Grim), made for our ragtag, somewhat dysfunctional group of heroes/anti-heroes. All did a great job with their given roles. I was a tad disappointed that a couple of the characters were there largely for comic relief and didn’t get to mix it up much with our group of villains. Also included in this group of pseudo good guys, were Christopher Brechtel (Agent Mick) and Xia Orozco (Mrs. Unknown), who also equated themselves fairly well.

This somewhat strangely thrown together group of potential heroes, were united to go up against The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, or in this case, Horsepeople. Our four villain gods were portrayed by Jennie Russo (Conquest), Gregory Blair (Famine), Jason John Beebe (War) and Michael Zsiros (Death). All were great in their roles and seemed to have fun with their respective characters. Conquest, Famine and War got most of the lines, while Death had none to speak of but possessed a great look. It was also fun to see cameos by Kristin Steigert, producer Christopher Burns Jr., Dawna Lee Heising and Melodie Roehrig, in small, yet substantial, guest appearances. There was another fun cameo, but I won’t spoil this one (hint: stick around for the credits).

Another great thing to see here is Steigert‘s progression. Having seen some of his previous films, I have witnessed a steady upward trajectory from project to project. The films look better and better and are becoming more and more of “a complete package”. I look forward to seeing Adam‘s future films and witnessing first hand how far he can go.

If you are after an entertaining film, filled with fun, laughs and some action, check this out. You won’t be disappointed!

A hell of an effort. 8 out of 10.

Click HERE for viewing options.