The Field Guide to Evil

 

Name: The Field Guide to Evil

Directed By: Various--check the IMDB page linked below, as each of the segments in the anthology were directed by a different director.

Subgenre: Anthology, Foreign

Series: Spooktober 2019 entry #26; review #57

Review: The Field Guide to Evil is an anthology of 8 tales of dark folklore from 8 different countries. While the US is included (with one of the weaker entries), most of the other tales are in their native languages--get ready for some subtitles! And, on the topic of representation, the majority of entries are from European or English-speaking countries, so don't expect tales of the penanggal, jiangshi, kongamato, or the like; that said, the monsters or tales in the film will likely be new to most viewers, including the US entry. They may be new, but are the entries interesting and/or spooky? For the most part, yes--at least to the former. Like The VVitch before it, these entries aim to evoke other emotions beyond the mere horrifying, and many of them contain monsters or other dark and tragic content; they are dark fairy tales and legends and not horror in the most stereotypical movie-going sense. The first entry in The Field Guide happens to also touch on the same themes of religiously inspired guilt, fear, and women's liberation like The VVitch, while other entries touch on forbidden love, transformation, and the like. Like every anthology, The Field Guide is a mixed bag (and I'll find some different comparison for anthologies at some point in the future), though most entries are fairly interesting in their own right even if they're not particularly effective--the last tale is particularly disappointing (but with an admittedly great cinematography), and the American story is unintentionally campy. That said, a horror movie doesn't necessarily have to be scary to be entertaining. If you're looking for something a bit more exotic than your typical werewolf, vampire, or masked slasher--then you'll probably have a decent time. The pacing, subversion of typical expectations for a horror movie, and fairly tame resolutions in most of the tales might be off-putting to the average viewer, however. Points for bringing something new to the table.

Overall Score: 3 out of 5 multicultural Chads behaving poorly. Did The Field Guide to Evil scare you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

IMDB: Here

How to Watch: The Field Guide to Evil is available on these platforms.

Official Trailer