“Evilspeak” at the Silent Movie Theater

I’d never been to the Silent Movie Theater before. To be honest, I’m not much of a fan of silents. I prefer talkies. I am, however, planning to see “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” on Halloween at the Nuart. That it’s a horror film balances out the fact it’s also a silent movie.

“Evilspeak,” believe it or not, isn’t a silent movie. Released in 1982, the film stars Clint Howard as a bullied young cadet at a military academy who happens upon some old Satanic texts. He uses a state-of-the-art Apple computer — one roughly the size of a dorm fridge — to translate the unholy bible and summons an evil spirit to help him get revenge on his tormentors.

So why the hell is a “Carrie” ripoff playing at the Silent Movie Theater, you ask? Well, Cinefamily has for the past year or so been screening all manner of talkies in an effort to put asses in seats at the movie house. I must not be the only one in L.A. who generally avoids silent films. But I love a good horrorshow.

“Evilspeak” is great to watch with an audience. And the auditorium was close to being sold out. Mr. Howard and the director were there for a Q&A after the film. Howard has doubtless done these sorts of things hundreds of times; he remembered the shoot like it was last week. Some of his anecdotes (”Some of [the pigs] caught on fire!”) were fantastic. It’s easy to see why he has a cult following. I spoke to him briefly before the screening, asking if he was in line for the bathroom. He said he was not. Yep, kids, I talked to Clint Howard.

The film in and of itself is probably better than you’d expect something called “Evilspeak” would be. I think it’s still a bit draggy, though. The movie opens with a beheading that match cuts to a soccer ball soaring through the air. It’s just difficult to sustain that level of technical brilliance for 80 minutes. Howard’s character Coopersmith doesn’t become possessed until the final reel. Then he floats around the inside of a church in some kind of trance, lopping people’s heads off with a broadsword. I wanted more of that throughout the film.

On a completely unrelated note, I noticed that you can rent out the Silent Movie Theater for your wedding. If I ever meet someone who found that idea to be as awesome as I do, I’d marry that girl. I wonder if I could get Clint Howard to preside over the ceremony.

-Brad Lohan

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