Little Evil ★★½

HIDDEN amongst all the Netflix branded product are surely some comedy gems…unfortunately Little Evil isn’t one of them.

It’s an efficiently made and acted spoof of the demon child horror films, most notably 1976’s The Omen.

Because it concentrates on sending-up one type of film it’s certainly much more focussed than the shotgun approach of the Scary Movie series.

It raises a half-dozen chuckles along its 90-minute way but is generally dominated by lazy writing. Two examples:

First, several scenes and accompanying lines are virtual copies of the same scenes from source horror films. All Little Evil does is present them in a comic framework and assume that’s enough.

Second, a priest whom everyone knows from the outset is going to be a villain, is unimaginatively named Revered Gospel.

Director and writer Eli Craig fared better with Tucker and Dale vs Evil in 2010 and also helmed the Zombieland television series., which I haven’t seen.

The cast lifts proceedings a fair bit. Adam Scott plays newly-married Gary who starts to believe his new wife Samantha’s six-year-old son Lucas may be the Antichrist.

It’s not one of Scott’s best roles – they are in Big Little Lies, Step Brothers, Knocked Up and Parks and Recreation – but he gives a decent performance considering the script limitations.

Evangeline Lily has a few good moments as Samantha, as does Owen Atlas as the demon kid, while Bridget Everett makes an impression as Gary’s co-worker Al.

The highlights include the step-father counselling sequence and the son’s birthday when the entertainer ends up leaving in an ambulance: “Thanks for setting the bar high Gary. Now every kid will want a burning clown for their party,” is the best line of the film.