Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Abbigail Bush what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Mr_Ectoplasma Charles B. Pierce directed several films in the 1970s, two of which were potent mixtures of crime and horror. The first was the overly-clinical, coldly effective "The Town that Dreaded Sundown," based on a string of real-life murders in mid-century Texas; the second was "The Evictors," which follows a young couple in 1942 Louisiana who move into a rustic farmhouse in the woods. Little do they know, the house has a dark past as the site of numerous unsolved murders. Before long, the wife finds herself being continually stalked by a man prowling on the property and threatening her life.As a thriller, "The Evictors" works quite well—it has intrigue, mystery, and a truly effective twist-ending. What shocked me in watching it however was how much it functions as a horror film, in some ways even more so than Pierce's "The Town that Dreaded Sundown." The film is anchored at the rustic farmhouse, which leaves poor Jessica Harper at her own wits, a candlestick telephone her only lifeline. Since the bulk of the film is centered around her and the time she spends alone at the house, there is considerable opportunity for thrills and suspense that Pierce cashes in on. There are some phenomenal sequences in which she is confronted by the ominous stranger (played by Vic Morrow). One encounter occurs late at night in a window, and is possibly one of the most effective "jump" scares I've seen. A second masterful scene has her looking up while using the phone in the foyer; the camera shifts to her point of view, and the audience watches as the edge of the villain's hat creeps around he corner at the top of the dimly-lit staircase. It's these simple domestic terrors that have been the fodder of numerous horror films well into the twenty-first century—one needs to look no further than "The Strangers," "High Tension," or even "The Purge" to see that these scenarios still scare us. Home invasions are perhaps some of the scariest kinds of encounters with evil because they occur in our own sacred space, outside the realm of public life; we expect to be safe there, and the illusion of four walls can trick us into forgetting that this isn't necessarily the case. Pierce realizes this, and presses all the keys in placing his thrills. There are a handful of sepia-toned flashback sequences detailing past murders in the home that are likewise effective and predate Fulci's "The Beyond."Atmospherically, the film is sublimely Southern Gothic, very colorful, and the period setting is nicely done. The B-movie budgetary limitations do show a bit, but they weirdly melt into the tapestry of the era. A hazy and at times piercing score punctuates the film's more intense moments. One pitfall is that there is some rather choppy editing throughout, which does distract at times. Harper is very likable in her role despite some instances of hammy acting, and Vic Morrow turns in an unexpectedly chilling performance. The final reveal is less obvious than it should be, and the penultimate scene riffs on a moment reminiscent of "Psycho."In the end, I was colored surprised by how much I enjoyed "The Evictors." As a low-budget thriller, it is nicely photographed and offers some finely-tuned moments of legitimate horror that is unexpected and familiar. Ultimately, it is a B-movie, and thus has some of the limitations that come along with that—but then again, the material itself doesn't necessitate much of a budget anyway. I was no less taken aback by how astutely Pierce is able to play on universal fears; there are moments in this film that are still chilling over forty years later. 8/10.

savanna-2 This turned out to be a slow paced, tension filled thriller, in the old timey meaning.Feeling of menace, oppression and deliberate pacing. Filming location adds much to the film. You get that old south, small town, outsiders need not apply feeling. The smiles and welcomes are all fake.Plus the old cars. If you're a fan of cars from the later 20s to early 40s there here aplenty.The acting is good. I would say this was probably made for TV and if it wasn't, it was just a couple of years shy of bring TV fare. In some ways it reminded me of the 1970 Bloody Mama about Ma Barker and her gangs crime spree (with a young Robert De Niro.Flashbacks aplenty to show the history of the house and what happens to the occupants over the years.I would recommend it except for the most faint of heart. Also, there is one scene that some may feel triggered by.

kapelusznik18 ****SPOILERS**** The movie starts back in 1928 with an eviction notice for the Monroes who've been behind in not paying their state & property taxes for the last five years. Refusing to go quietly and join the legions of homeless people in and around Shreveport La. The Monroes decide to fight it out with the evictors made up of mostly state police and end up getting blasted by them in return. It's now 1942 and this young married couple the Watkins Ben & Ruth,Michael Parks & Jessica Parker, move into the former Monroe house not realizing what's waiting for them there! It was the real-estate agent Jake Rudd, Vic Morrow, who sold the house to the Watkins who kept from them not only the deaths of the Monroes but a number of other strange and unexplained death that occurred there over the last 14 years to people that lived, and later died violently, there.Predictably strange things started to happen to the Watkins that included this tall and creepy looking farmhand who showed up at all hours in the day and night to terrorized the couple. He even went so far as murdering with a ax in his back to kind and elderly junk-man who just happened to show up to sell Ruth some of the trinkets he found rummaging through the neighborhood garbage dump! It's the Watkins's next door neighbor the wheelchair bound and widowed Olie Gibson, Sue Ane Langdon, who goes out of her way to make both Ben & Ruth to feel at home in the neighborhood. But you soon notice that their something that Olie's is keeping from them as well as we in the audience that explains the terror what the Watkins are going through! And it all has to do with the shootout back in 1928 with the state police that left the Monroes dead and buried. ***SPOILERS*** "The Evictors" has already after some 35 years reached cult statues with the movie considered among the best of the slew of 1970's horror movies in it concentrating more on story not on special effects as well as blood & gore which is mostly absent in it. The shocking ending that leads to an even more shocking double ending, when you thought the movie was finally over, makes what at that time was a better then average horror movie to an all time classic one!

Cujo108 In 1942, Ben and Ruth Watkins have just moved into an old Louisiana farmhouse. It's a beautiful place, but they soon learn of it's morbid past. Apparently, the previous few tenants all died in ways that raise suspicion. This doesn't sit well with Ruth, who stays at home alone most of the day while Ben is at work. As if she weren't spooked enough already, it isn't long before she finds herself menaced by a prowler who keeps showing up.Charles B. Pierce, the man behind such southern-flavored gems as 'The Town that Dreaded Sundown' and 'The Legend of Boggy Creek', scored again with this outstanding mood piece. Atmosphere always was Pierce's strongest point, and 'The Evictors' features it in spades. The slow-burn pacing works brilliantly here, allowing the ominous tone to fester. The 1940's setting and impact of World War II on the financially struggling town are also well-realized, the former all the more so thanks to the lovely scope photography Pierce so expertly utilizes. Some effective sepia-toned flashbacks further the mood, as does the hushed nature of the townspeople in regard to the house's history.Jessica Harper and Michael Parks play the married couple, and there is an obvious chemistry between them. It was great seeing the lovely Harper in a horror film other than 'Suspiria' for a change. Vic Morrow is on hand as the shady real estate agent who sales them the house and has eyes for Ruth. His role isn't the largest despite him getting top-billing, but it's an important one. Sue Ann Langdon also deserves mention as the crippled neighbor whom Ruth befriends.The film offers up it's fair share of surprises as it heads toward the climax. There's one aspect of the story that was easily predictable, at least in my case, but others not so much. This is one of the true unsung gems of the 70's. The thought of it either not getting a release or being relegated to a shitty MOD DVD-R disgusts me to the core.