The true story behind the making of the horror film The Evil Within is fascinating enough to deserve a movie of its own. Now available on DVD and VOD, The Evil Within is the product of the obsessive work of the late Andrew Getty, grandson of J. Paul Getty and one of the heirs to the Getty fortune. Filming began in 2002, and the movie is only being seen now, 15 years later.
Getty, who passed away in 2015, wrote and directed the movie, which is based on a series of disturbing nightmares he himself experienced. The movie spent many years in post-production, with Getty reportedly obsessing over every frame of the film. He poured millions of his own money into the movie and turned his home into a post-production studio. Those close to the project say that the film eventually bankrupted him.
Getty died at the age of 47 from the complications of many years of methamphetamine abuse…a hemorrhaging ulcer to be exact. The movie itself has been described by critics as a meditation on the horrors of addiction coming from the mind of an addict himself.
The plot centers on one very creepy mentally disabled young man who is ordered to kill people by a demonic creature that appears to him in dreams…and in his own reflection in the mirror. The film is full of hallucinatory, nightmarish images that are hard to forget.
Critics note that the film can best be described as the passion project of a dedicated--but amateur--filmmaker, so fair warning to horror fans ready to dive in. Interested in checking it out before you watch? See the trailer now:
