Very well executed

Overrated

Lack of good storyline.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Ben Watkins (a solid and likable performance by Michael Parks) and his wife Ruth (winningly played by the lovely Jessica Harper) move into a creepy old house in a small Louisiana town. They find out that said abode has a violent history attached to it. Director Charles B. Pierce, who also co-wrote the engrossing script with Garry Rusoff and Paul Fisk, relates the compelling story at a steady pace, presents a flavorsome evocation of the 1940's period setting, offers a strong feeling of the rural region and its people, builds a good deal of tension, stages the shock set pieces with aplomb, grounds the plot in a believably sleepy everyday rustic milieu, and delivers a couple of neat surprise twists at the end. The sound acting by the capable cast keeps this picture humming: Parks and Harper make for appealing leads, with fine support from Vic Morrow as friendly, yet shifty real estate agent Jake Rudd and Sue Ane Langdon as pleasant and chipper crippled neighbor Olie Gibson. Familiar character actors Bill Thurman, Dennis Fimple, and Jimmy Clem pop up in cool minor roles. Chuck Bryant's handsome widescreen cinematography boasts lots of gorgeous sepia-tinged black and white for the flashback scenes. Jamie Mendoza-Nava's spirited shivery score hits the stirring shuddery spot. Worthwhile fright fare.

Charles B. Pierce directs this spooky yarn about a young newlywed couple(Michael Parks & Jessica Harper) who rent an old house from a helpful real estate agent(Vic Morrow) in Louisiana reputed to be haunted(there was a police shootout there that opens the film). Couple discovers strange things going on, and after a mysterious disappearance, seek the help of some friendly neighbors and the real estate agent, only to find the truth to be more complicated and sinister than they realized...Reasonably suspenseful film isn't particularly original, but does create an eerie atmosphere around the old house, and final revelation is surprising, if a bit disappointing, though still works modestly well.Released on DVD as a double-feature with "The Town That Dreaded Sundown".

Cheaply made, plodding horror film that should have been much better considering it's based (incredibly) on a true story. Justifiably forgotten today, this only has a couple of effective moments. The scenes that are set in the past are filmed in an awful, yellow-tinted black-and-white that makes the film look even cheaper than it actually is. Jessica Harper deserves better. (*1/2)

The Evictors, like Charles B. Pierce's other efforts (The Legend of Boggy Creek and The Town That Dreaded Sundown) is a spooky story based on actual events. This story centers around a house with a violent past. That past, however, does not stay dead. Instead it comes back to terrify any new occupants seeking to live in that same house. There are fine performances, some truly spooky scenes, and several twists towards its conclusion to keep the viewer entertained. Fans of this film should definitely seek out Pierce's other titles mentioned above. Happy Hunting!