31 Days Of Horror Day 18: ‘Evil Laugh’ (1986)

Synopsis: A group of Med students spend the weekend helping their friend fix up a house he intends to buy. Little do they know, a mass murder occurred in that very same spot 10 years earlier. Mayhem will ensue. 

With a title like Evil Laugh you could go one of two ways. So bad that it’s good. Or trying too hard and falling completely flat. After watching this, I’m not quite sure which way we are leaning. Made in the age of the low budget slashers, Evil Laugh lives amongst horror icons of the day. It’s not an equal or even on the same level but it’s there. It had its horror moments but essentially I wonder if campiness is what they were actually trying to reach for. 

A decade prior, an orphanage burned down following the child molestation accusations against the building’s custodian. Flash forward to today and a young doctor with his fiance are intending to buy and restore the building to its former glory. Creating a foster home for children in need. They recruit their doctor friends to stay the weekend and help with the construction. Free labor, that’s what friends are for. Over the course of the next few days they get picked off one by one. At the hands of a masked assailant.

You know this setup. Young virile men and women, a secluded house with a checkered history and a masked murderer on a mission. It all seems like the legit leadup to a 80’s slasher flick that intends to be taken seriously. But throw in a horror fanatic character spouting off the rules of the game and being the only one taking legends seriously. Then you have a meta experience a la Scream (only a decade sooner). 

There’s really not much to this. It just seems like another generic slasher with hopes of riding the coattails of the icons of the day. There are some kills, a bit of nudity, a strange dancing montage to bad 80’s music and a generic killer whose visage doesn’t match the cover art. Hazard of those days.  

This is where the horror fan, Barney (Jerold Pearson) comes in though. When we’re introduced to his character he’s got his nose buried in a Fangoria magazine. Later referencing Friday the 13th and Halloween. Essentially spelling out the rules of the game to the other people in attendance. We’ve seen this again and again throughout the years. Like Randy in Scream or Marty in Cabin in the Woods. It makes me wonder if this is where it all originated? 

That little piece right there, makes me wonder about which way they were leaning with this flick. Without that character all you have is a movie that isn’t remotely memorable. But one thing I will remember is Barney and the possibility that he influenced the “meta” character in films to come. 

Evil Laugh is 80’s cheese through and through. It really doesn’t do anything to separate itself from other slasher offerings of the time. It’s just a run of the mill time capsule that can fill 91 minutes of your time. Average at best. 

If you’re looking to check this one out, I found it streaming on Tubi as of this writing. Vinegar Syndrome did release a special edition Blu-ray too if you’re interested. 

2 out of 5 

So grab your popcorn, kill the lights and join me again tomorrow as we continue our journey on this strange little trip down the 31 Days of Horror rabbit hole. See you soon…