Coven of Evil is a 2018 British horror film about an investigative journalist who tries to save an innocent young woman from a Wiccan cult. Unfortunately, in doing so, he is drawn into the bizarre and deadly world of modern-day witchcraft.
Written and directed by Matthew J. Lawrence (Tied in Blood), the Macabre Pictures production stars John Thacker, Laura Peterson, Samantha Moorhouse and Craig R Mellor.
Capsule review:
Beyond the attractive rural locations, there is little to enjoy in Coven of Evil. Performances are uniformly weak (aside from Craig R Mellor as all-round oaf and bad guy Zander), the lighting is poor, the pacing is slow and at 100 minutes the film is overly long.
Even worse, the plot is uninvolving and repetitive to the point where it’s easy to lose interest. A bland score and fade-outs that kill any impetus do not help. Dull satanic ceremonies aside, the scarecrow coming to life was at least mildly diverting.
James Collins, MOVIES & MANIA
Other reviews:
“This final third of the film is, whilst still marred by poor performances, a total dichotomy to what has come before. Maybe Coven of Evil should have been yet another short like the majority of Lawrence’s output, perhaps then the truth of this story, as unveiled in the last 30 minutes of the film, would have had even more of an impact?” Nerdly
“the cast may be variable – something forgivable in a movie at this level – but the story is enough to engage the more ardent viewer. Far from being a clone of Midsommer or a take on The Wicker Man, Lawrence gives us an interesting escape-and-chase-style angle to go along with the pagan rituals and to-be-expected sacrifice, which keeps the attention.” Starburst
“The film’s prologue pretty much gives everything away, the rest is just a matter of connecting the dots. If they’d pushed some of the film’s more exploitable points, Coven of Evil might have been enjoyable in an updated Virgin Witch kind of way. Failing that, cutting some of the endless chatter would have helped, at an hour and forty minutes the film runs slow.” Voices from the Balcony
Cast and characters:
John Thacker … Joe
Laura Peterson … Alice
Samantha Moorhouse … Evie
Craig R Mellor … Zander
Tracy Gabbitas … Kissi
Micky Satiar … Raymond
Jacob Kain Prescott … Wes
Laura Ellen Wilson … Talia
Brian Woodward … Mark
Jayne Buchanan … Sarah
Ian Archdeacon … The Gate Keeper
Alannah Marie … Girl Sacrifice
Vicki Glover … High Priestess
Graham Parrington … High Priest
Steve Kilpatrick … Coven Guard
Technical details:
100 minutes
Aspect ratio: 16: 9
