So...when it comes to low budget horror, a lot of the time im convinced that they're made predominantly to show naked women under the guise of a more 'acceptable' genre than 'Adult' films...and I think a lot of people will (sometimes rightfully) defend lower budget horror films that do this as being more than just titlation...whether its because of some nice(ish) direction and cine, or some scripting that takes it above and beyond the average porn flick.
But my belief that 'Evil Toons' LITERALLY WAS just an excuse to film women in states of undress and little else, is a hill im willing to die on. Because thats basically all that happens in this thing.
Capitalising on 'Who Framed Roger Rabbits' hybrid visuals of cartoons and live action (but on a SIGNIFICANTLY reduced budget) Here's Evil Toons plot...IN IT'S ENTIRITY.
We open in the past as a mysterious man (David Carradine) is cursing at an old book...at which point he hangs himself (which...in retrospect...ooft.) Flash forward to the present day of 1992 and 4 girls have taken a job cleaning an old mansion house ahead of it's sale for 100 dollars for a days work.
The girls are staying at the house overnight, they explore the house and find a daggar, then someone sends them the same book Carradine was seen with at the start of the film in the form of a mysterious parcel. They open it, look at the book in disgust and dispose of it while one of the girls strips.
The dollar store necronomicon however comes to life and summons a demon! who possesses stripper girl aaaaaand the rest of the film is literally just her running around the house in various states of undress, VERY occasionally killing people (off screen) while the other girls ALSO run around the house in various states of undress...for well over 60 minutes.
Thats the movie. Theres quite literally nothing else here. The 'Evil Toon' (theres only one in the whole movie) is on screen for less than 2 minutes of limited rotoscoping near the beginning and thats it. Realistically, this would have struggled to fill 20 minutes, letalone 70 and once the initial setting up has taken place (basically the first 20 minutes) it devolves into a runaround that takes us right up to the ending 3 minutes.
NOTHING happens in this thing. and if it wasnt for the fact that im fairly nostalgic for this kind of late 80s/early 90s low budget horror stuff, i'd actually be angry this thing wasted my time. I cant even say its humourous because the dialogues SO vanilla and generic.
it looks pretty nice from a direction and cine standpoint for a low budget picture...But thats about the nicest thing I can say. the soundtrack sounds like royalty free music, the titles misleading and the plotting, pacing and tone is abominable. The acting is low quality even for low budget film making and even a breif reprise with Michelle Baur isnt enough to really win me back.
The very definition of 'not as good as the sum of its parts' when you have David Carradine and Michelle Baur on your cast list and Gary Graver and Fred Olen Ray on your crew and THIS is the best you come up with?...Eeesh. Avoid. its a tempting pitch on paper, but its BEYOND dull and they're REALLY stretching the rules of 'Advertising standards' with the marketing on this one...
source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/evil-toons/
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