If Carrie and The Omen had a socially awkward baby that listened to The Ramones and had a knack for necromancy, you’d get Fear No Evil. This oddball gem from Frank LaLoggia isn’t just a horror movie—it’s a moody, punk-scored, Catholic-goth fever dream about puberty, possession, and the kind of extracurricular activities that involve raising the dead on school property.
Meet Andrew, Your Friendly Neighborhood Antichrist
Andrew Williams (Stefan Arngrim) is a top student, quiet, and just a little… murdery. He doesn’t care about his Ivy League scholarships, he doesn’t have any friends, and his main hobbies seem to be glowering, showering in slow motion, and occasionally psychically humiliating his bullies. When you’re the spawn of Lucifer, gym class is less about dodgeball and more about smiting.
From the moment we see him, Andrew radiates “I’m either going to start a goth band or end the world.” Spoiler: he goes with option B.
Angels in the Outfield (and in Grandma’s Living Room)
Opposing our teenage Antichrist are not priests, cops, or even your standard group of horror-movie teens—they’re female-incarnate archangels. Julie (Kathleen Rowe McAllen) gets visions, hears voices calling her “Gabrielle,” and is mentored by Margaret (Elizabeth Hoffman), a kindly old woman who also happens to be the archangel Michael. You know, just your average small-town friendship.
These two team up with a giant, glowing crucifix to fight Andrew. The good-versus-evil dynamic is made even better by the fact that, in between apocalyptic confrontations, people still have to go to school dances.
Puberty, Possession, and Punk Rock
This is where the film earns its cult status. LaLoggia doesn’t just make Andrew an evil force—he gives him a soundtrack to die for. The B-52’s, The Ramones, Talking Heads, Patti Smith, and the Sex Pistols all show up, making Fear No Evilone of the few Antichrist tales you could almost dance to.
Of course, this is a horror movie, so the dancing eventually stops when Andrew summons an undead army during prom night. One minute you’re slow dancing under a disco ball, the next you’re running from corpse monks.
The “Wait, Did That Just Happen?” Moments
You know a movie’s special when its WTF-meter breaks halfway through. There’s the infamous shower scene where a bully, under Andrew’s psychic influence, kisses him in front of everyone—an act that sends the poor guy into a spiral of fear and confusion. Later, that same bully inexplicably grows breasts. Yes, you read that correctly: spectral gender transformation as a plot point.
Then there’s Andrew’s dad drunkenly announcing to a bar that his son is Satan, shooting his wife in the head, and somehow still not being the weirdest thing happening that night.
The Climax: Three Archangels Walk Into a Castle…
The final showdown is peak ‘80s horror spectacle: fog machines working overtime, lightning everywhere, and undead henchmen that look like they wandered off the set of a medieval zombie movie. Margaret dies heroically, Julie gets tricked by Andrew’s shapeshifting, and Lucifer himself finally emerges—only to be blasted into oblivion by a holy beam of light courtesy of Father Damon’s crucifix.
The kicker? Julie, Margaret, and Father Damon ascend together in a glowing angelic swirl, which is basically the movie’s way of saying, “Yes, that was weird, but trust us, it’s over now.”
Why It Works
Fear No Evil is part supernatural horror, part punk rock mood piece, and part adolescent nightmare. Sure, it’s got low-budget effects and some truly odd pacing, but the atmosphere is pure, undiluted Gothic weirdness. The small-town settings feel lived-in, the Catholic imagery is soaked in menace, and the soundtrack alone makes it worth watching.
It’s also one of the few Antichrist films where the hero isn’t a grizzled old priest but a teenage girl channeling archangel energy while wearing late-’70s hair. That’s progress.
Final Verdict
If you’re into atmospheric ‘80s horror with just the right amount of surreal camp, Fear No Evil delivers in spades. It’s not perfect—sometimes the plot takes detours that feel like deleted scenes from a Catholic School PSA—but its mix of moody visuals, outrageous supernatural touches, and killer soundtrack make it an unholy delight.
It’s the rare Satanic high school movie where the scariest thing isn’t the devil—it’s gym class.
Soundtrack Fear No Evil’s soundtrack featured many punk and new wave bands from the late 1970s and early 1980s. “Hey Joe” performed by Patti Smith “Someone’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight” performed by The Rezillos “Blitzkrieg Bop” performed by the Ramones “Psycho Killer” performed by Talking Heads “Love Goes to a Building on Fire” performed by Talking Heads “Delicious Gone Wrong” performed by Bim “I Don’t Like Mondays” performed by The Boomtown Rats “Lava” performed by The B-52’s “Blank Generation” performed by Richard Hell “Anarchy in the UK” performed by the Sex Pistols “Fear no Evil” performed by Trybe
