Main cast: Steven Baio (Johnny), Kim McKamy (Connie), Tony Griffin (Sammy), Jody Gibson (Tina), and Johnny Venocur (Freddy)
Director: Dominick Brascia Jr
Evil Laugh is a bit of a hidden gem in the 1980s horror scene. Released in 1986, it’s a low-budget slasher film that blends horror and comedy in a way that feels surprisingly self-aware for the time—almost proto-meta-slasher, before Scream made it mainstream. Directed by Dominick Brascia Jr, who also acted in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, the movie follows a group of medical students who gather to renovate an old house, only to find themselves stalked by a masked killer with an unhinged laugh.
Now, let’s talk plot, or whatever vague semblance of one Evil Laugh has cobbled together. Pediatrician Connie brings along the oldest batch of “med students” known to man. You might think they wandered off the set of Falcon Crest with scalpel props. Their mission is to help clean up the kind of house that screams “Please Don’t Start an Orphanage Here”, given that it was once a hotspot of child abuse and worse. But hey, what’s a little sordid history when there are troubled youths to shelter?
The cast is a fascinating assortment, more notable for their off-screen lives than their acting chops. We have Johnny, played by Scott Baio’s brother Steven, who does his best with a crush on Connie. Connie herself is brought to life by future adult film star Ashlyn Gere, who, in an ironic twist, insists on a body double for her shower scene. Then there’s Jody Gibson, who plays our friendly local “friendly girl”, who would go on to become the notorious madam Sasha of the Valley. Is there something in the water on Evil Laugh? Perhaps!
Evil Laugh keeps you guessing with its unique mix of slapstick horror, absurd kills, and an oddly cheerful tone. The DIY vibe is palpable, partly because Mr Brascia stretched that budget thinner than a dollar-store Halloween costume. Still, you get some twisted laughs, thanks to co-writer Scott Spiegel, who later graced us with the Friday the 13th franchise. As for the death scenes, let’s just say they’re more Looney Tunes than terrifying. One strapping, muscled character ends up with his head cooked in an unplugged oven, and not once does he question why it’s happening. Iconic.
And then there’s Myles O’Brien, who’s just plain cute. If you’re watching Evil Laugh for highbrow thrills, that was your first mistake; watch it for him, who generously provides some male-oriented fanservice. Sadly, he didn’t have much of a major acting career after this, but his time on screen here is a small treasure. If only all horror films thought to balance the scantily clad scales this well!
However, if I may vent one frustration, it’s the movie’s self-proclaimed comedian, an obnoxious joker who spends the entire runtime yammering away, embodying the loud, annoying “buttmonkey” trope. Not only is he painfully unfunny, but he also manages to survive without any comeuppance, which feels like a massive oversight in the slasher genre. How could a movie about evil laughing not dispatch him with a brutal, side-splitting end?
In short, Evil Laugh is a glorious trainwreck of horror, camp, and ’80s nostalgia that achieves a kind of accidental brilliance. It’s bad in the best way, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, with eye candy for everyone. Give it a go, but brace yourself for that one intolerable character who embodies the title with the most excruciating laugh imaginable.
