South America — a continent with several rich traditions of black magic; not to mention Catholicism, magic realism and a recent history littered with political and social upheaval — has yielded a steady stream of genre fare. Interesting, accessible horror films have emerged from Uruguay (Silent House), Venezuela (The House at the End of Time), Colombia (Hidden Face) and Argentina (White Coffin).
To that growing list, Brazilian writer-director Samuel Galli contributes his assured debut feature Our Evil (Mal Nosso), a genuinely original horror movie that proves unpredictable, provocative, affecting and creepy. A shoo-in for a remake rights sale, this may also become a break-out cult hit with discerning fright fans already proven willing to embrace the subtitled likes of Martyrs, Let the Right One In or Under the Shadow. Using impressive physical effects, Our Evil features gruesome gore sequences which never descend into gratuitousness.