Diagonaldi Very well executed

SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

jrd_73 Perhaps it takes a certain kind of film viewer to appreciate the charms of A Name for Evil. As has been bemoaned by other reviewers, A Name for Evil has a disjointed story, a hippie orgy, and a full frontal sex scene with past his prime Robert Culp. Yet, for some viewers these eccentricities can be strengths. I have seen A Name for Evil twice now. I was not bored either time. The film kept me watching because, on the first viewing, I did not know what to expect next, and on the second viewing, I admired the film's mixtures of styles as a Gothic horror film is given early swinging seventies treatment, from Penthouse Films no less. According to IMDb, A Name for Evil had a troubled production. It appears to this viewer that certain scenes were not shot, either because of time or because the filmmakers thought certain points were clearer than they were. However, the lack of a linear narrative does lend the film a certain disquieting mood, as the viewer is left almost as confused as Robert Culp's character. There is a certain type of viewer who occasionally tires of professionally told plots and seeks out films not afraid to go off the rails, a viewer who loves when artiness is wedded to exploitation. All my years of watching Euro-horror, where plots did not matter as long as a scene was moody, surprising, or odd, has turned me into such a viewer. A Name for Evil surprises the viewer. From the opening credits over surreal paintings of twisted figures to the abrupt finale, A Name for Evil keeps the viewer off balance. I also think parts of it are well filmed. For instance, unlike one other reviewer, I find the underwater sex scene moody and hypnotic, having some of the off-kilter quality of Let's Scare Jessica to Death (another film I champion). Obviously, I cannot recommend A Name for Evil to most people, yet I will probably watch the film for a third time.

Claire Mojave From the beginning city scenes where Robert Culp's character shows his dissatisfaction with the establishment by throwing a TV out a high window (omg it could have smushed somebody) to the funniest orgy you could ever hope to see this movie epitomizes the spirit of the times. I wish I had seen it then it would all have seemed quite sensible and topical. Today it's a marvelous window to the past, Robert Culp wears beads and The Best Nehru jacket and proudly shows his bits during the aforementioned orgy.The haunted house story is incomprehensible ... well okay the whole movie is pretty much impossible to follow but the visuals and the atmosphere make up for much IMHO. As long as you're looking for an odd slice of history or some giggling nostalgia you can like this movie.

robert_deveau Others have commented on the evidently different versions of this film, the nudity, beautiful cinematography, and scrambled plot. My two cents: "A Name For Evil" looks like a film that has gone through many hands. It definitely has it's strengths: the afore-mentioned photography of some spectacular locations, good performances from Culp and Egger, a stunning evocation of early '70's wackiness, and a few nicely creepy moments.But I have to mention something else no one else has yet talked about: Dominic Frontiere's grand score. If you like Frontiere's work, especially his "Outer Limits" music which this strongly resembles, you owe it to yourself to at least listen to this movie.

Aaron1375 From what I read in the tv guide it sounded like it might be a rather interesting haunted house movie. Instead it is perhaps one of the most boring movies ever filmed. The plot is muddled and really makes no sense, it is very slow paced, and there are very few instances of supernatural going ons. Instead the most we see is a shadow moving here and there and a stupid horse. This makes "The Amityville Horror" look like an Italian horror film splatter fest. The plot, couple moves into an old house that belonged to the guy's great grandfather. You figure out the rest. Apparently, the ghost is haunting the place, but nothing much happens. Even the end makes very little sense. Why this movie was entitled "A Name For Evil" is beyond me. Well that was the name of the book, but I hope the book had more going on than happened here. I have to say avoid this movie at all cost. It is almost to painful to sit through, you will feel like taking a nap in the middle of it and by golly you will not miss a thing. I can not believe this movie was on amc, because it is not an american classic.