Coven of Evil (2020) User Reviews

Coven of boredom...

[paul_haakonsen · 2/10 · 26 May 2020]

Alright, well I sat down to watch the 2018 movie "Coven of Evil" solely because it was listed as being a horror movie. Well, and also because the movie's cover was sort of alluring.

Granted, I hadn't even heard about this movie from writer and director Matthew J. Lawrence prior to getting to watch it in 2020. So I had no real expectations for the movie, for better or worse.

Well, it turns out that "Coven of Evil" was boring, so very, very boring. Yet, I managed to sit through the entire movie. Sure, I wasn't entertained, and I hardly cared about what happened on the screen, but I was hoping that the movie would pick up, change its pacing and direction and become better. That just never happened.

It should be said that the acting in the movie was actually adequate, taking into consideration the severe limitations imposed on the actors and actresses from a lack of proper script, plot and storyline.

Very precious little of any interest actually transpired on the screen from the moment the movie started to the end. It was off to an interesting start though, but then it just fell to pieces when the coven itself was brought into the picture.

I am rating "Coven of Evil" a mere two out of ten stars. This movie was hardly worth the time, money or effort. And it is definitely not a movie that I will be sitting down to watch for a second time.

We don't hex our enemies

[nogodnomasters · 2/10 · 31 May 2020]

The film opens in 1798 England with a human sacrifice during a total eclipse of the sun. FYI There was no Total Solar Eclipse visible from the United Kingdom between 1724 and 1925. We shift to modern-day as journalist Joe Lambert (John Thacker) writes a piece about witchcraft being a front for sex. He is invited to live with a coven (same scene as 1798) where he engages in ritualistic sex.

The acting was sad as well as the research into covens and eclipses. Not much in the way of horror. One girl gets raped and beaten.

Guide: F-word. Sex. Nudity (Laura Peterson)

God Awful

[ferdmalenfant · 1/10 · 26 May 2020]

This is another amateur film that would never see the inside of a movie theater. It's very cheaply made and has no story to follow.

Doesn't even deserve 1 star

[sydneyflynnxx · 1/10 · 7 August 2020]

As a Celtic pagan (use to be wiccan) witch, this movie is EXTREMELY offensive as it paints wiccans/pagans/witches or just people in the occult world in general as bloodthirsty evil people, which is a reputation people of the occult world try to escape, but this movie adds to the reputation and makes it seem more taboo. If Lawrence actually done a simple quick google search on the Wiccan religion he would see that a well known quote that Wiccans go by is "An' it harms none, do as what ye will"(which basically means as long as you are not harming anyone, do what you want)-this is why wiccans refrain from jinxes/hexes/curses or any other darker magick and instead focus on lighter magick,which CLEARLY isn't portrayed throughout this movie. If he actually done his research he would of saw that wiccans(and pagans) do NOT worship Satan as Satan is strictly a Christian construct, instead they worship or work with the God-the god and goddesse is a wiccan construct not pagan as all wiccans are pagan but not all wiccans are pagan (either a horned god like Pan or Cernunnos or sometimes any other pagan god) and/or the Goddess (either a triple goddess like Hekate or sometimes any other pagan goddess like Aphrodite). Long story short it is VERY clear that the creators of this movie didn't even lift a finger to do any form of research on the religion they were giving such a bad name and adding to the bad reputation-which clearly wouldn't happen to any other religion without causing an uproar

If Carlsberg made terrible movies...

[ellisario · 1/10 · 10 August 2020]

Is this the worst movie ever made? Maybe, maybe not. Wooden acting, terrible plot, absolute garbage! Ps "All hail Satani"!

Horrible

[cordelialeite · 1/10 · 9 August 2020]

Wow. Watch this to learn what NOT to do in a movie. And when writing something about a religion or practice, please, so a research first. Wicca is not like that. Such portrayal of a religion is not only slandering but irresponsible because it encourages disrespect and perpetuates ignorance and fear of what society don't understand. A movie, a book, a music, even a facebook post etc, is an opportunity to make the world a little more compassionate and less rotten.

A Journey into Diabolic Mysticism in Ye Olde & Modern Day England !

[timodo · 10/10 · 9 September 2020]

The High Priestess of the Coven , 'Evie' portrayed by Sexy & Lovely Samantha Moorhouse , Invites a Fledgling Columnist 'Joe' played superbly by John Thacker , to Her Farm to OverSee the Coven & its Rituals . Once there the Trouble & Trials Begin & Progress . The Coven Consists of Craig R. Mellor as 'Zandor' , Evie's Husband & the High Priest , Micky Satiar as 'Raymond' , Jacob Kain Prescott as 'Wes' , Tracy Gabbitas as 'Kissi' , & Outstandingly Beautiful & Shapely Laura Ellen Wilson as the Seductress 'Talia' ; & each & every one of them handles their Roles with Skillful Precision ! There just may be a Love Affair abrewin' between Joe & Evie's Sister 'Alice' , played by the Charming & Appealing Laura Peterson , who's Not a Member of the Coven , but subsists a dreadful & dreary existence . The Scene from the Past Exhibits Vicki Glover as the 'High Priestess' , Graham Parrington as the 'High Priest' ; & Comely Alannah Marie as the 'Girl Sacrifice' . Excellent Acting , an Original Story , Intricate SubPlots , & Great Direction by Matthew J. Lawrence makes " COVEN OF EVIL " a Must-See for All Lovers of Horror ! Devil Worship to the Ultimate Master is Always a Tricky Situation ; & This Ferociously Frightening Film leaves a Lasting Impression !

I want to clear something up

[matthewjlawrencefilms · 6/10 · 9 August 2020]

As the filmmaker of this film, I want to point out a misconception that seems to be causing great offence to some people:

The villains in this film are NOT a Wiccan coven. They are satanists pretending to be a Wiccan coven.

I thought that this was made very clear in the film, but quite a few people seem to have missed this so I wanted to clear things up.

I set out to make a simple horror film about a young guy trying to save a women from some bad people. I didn't intend to cause any offence.

Not too bad...

[axelsmith · 6/10 · 12 August 2020]

Don't let the other negative comments fool you, this popped on my amazon and turned out to be decent flick. Yes, it is not a big budget high-fi Hollywood horror, however the movie has a decent story line, it does offer some creepy moments, in terms of editing, It could have been shorter at some places. The mystery element is presented well, it kinda reminded me of the wicker man. The acting and special effects are OK. Overall a decent mystery thriller that might be too much for some people.

Dark Is The Sun

[Pairic · 6/10 · 21 March 2021]

Coven of Evil: Low budget English horror film, mostly filmed o the Yorkshire Moors. Opens in 1798 with a Occult sacrifice during a total eclipse of the Sun, a Gateway is opened. Flash forward to the present day and a young journalist who has written an article about a local (supposedly) Wiccan Coven is mocked by their High Priestess but is invited to observe an actual ritual. His journey to their house is itself a bit of a ritual as he has to seek directions from a Benny (Crossroads) type character. Things get complicated when he reaches the Coven's farmhouse as ends up participating in the Ritual and gets involved with Priestess's sister. An interesting story but the pace is a bit uneven and not all of the acting is great. The horror is there though with sacrifices, throats cut, cannibalism and the bleakness of the Moors. Especially the sacrifice site, a natural outcrop but it resembles Standing Stones. It could easily have lost 10 minutes from it's 100 minute running time. Written & Directed by Matthew Lawrence. On YouTube pay to view. 6/10.

Low Budget. Could be Worse. Worth a watch at least.

[DavieSmithMovies · 7/10 · 3 June 2020]

Stumbled across this on the horror section and enjoyed it, not the best film I'll see this year, but not the worse. it's a low budget film, the story is a bit mashed up, and the effects are poor, would have been a stronger picture without them. The driving force of the film is the score and the locations add Mystry to the piece, the cast also seem above par for a low budget horror like this, considering the quality of the diologue they did a great job bringing it to life. I predict big thing for the ensemble and only a few poor performances, which is unusual for a low budget such as coven of evil

The film starts very strong as John Thacker who plays Joe is introduced, he plays Joe as the guy next door perfectly, naturalist lead that drives the story almost discovering things as the audience does, i enjoyed his sarcastic eye glances and charisma add to the piece, bringing to life a character that could have been over performed, it's like he felt as we felt watching this madness unfold, although questionably it's never mentioned again that he's a journalist. Laura Peterson as Alice is very strong and solid, steeling the scenes she is in, would have liked more of her, although the spanking scenes were a bit unnecessary. The entire picture has a strong ensemble that I predict some will go on to do things and leave this in the back catalogue of their filmography.

The main issue is the story, it takes a while to to get there and never really does, the strongest section of the film is within the first act, it opens strong and with such Potienal, but as much as the actors, the haunting score, and admittedly not-awful cinematography try, they can't give the picture the full Potienal with the uneven story.

Overall, yeah it's a c-grade back end of amazon prime horror film that was made on the cheap, but of you're into that kinda thing, it's a easy watch, fun in parts, respectfully well done in parts, and worth a watch... although I wouldn't be in a hurry for a second

Don't believe the trolls

[jamesharding · 7/10 · 2 June 2020]

From hearing some of these reviews, you'd think this was Birdemic or something. Ignore the ignorant and/or lying trolls, this is a pretty good movie. It's not exactly "Night of the Demon/Curse of the Demon", but it has some very good performances, a good plot that has a good few twists and turns, a reasonable pace and plenty of flesh (both being exposed and slashed).

Without giving too much away, it's a modern take on the sort of themes you'd find in films like "The Devil Rides Out", "The Virgin Witch" and "The Dunwich Horror", but not "modern" as in "feminist tosh". Modern as in shot on modern cameras with modern effects. Give it a chance.