Evil Comes From Canada
Bask in September of 2010, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil premiered on the Space Channel in Canada. It tells the story of some students at Crowley High who are fighting the Book of Pure Evil, which had something to do with the town being founded by satanists in the 1960s “when satanism was still cool.” It played for two seasons and was canceled. But the producers managed to make enough money with an Indiegogo campaign (and other sources) to create an 80-minute animated final film to finish off the series.
The whole thing consists of 26 22-minute live action episodes and an 80-minute animate film. It’s kind of similar to what happened to Firefly, except that that show was never even given a chance as a series (typical of American thinking) and the final movie was a big budget film. It’s kind of sad, because I’d really like to have seen the final Todd film be live action.
For the record, you can purchase the First Season and the Second Season on DVD. But for some reason, the movie, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil: The End of the End is only available as a multi-featured blu-ray set. And this set sells for $39.99.
The movie includes two Blu-Rays: the movie and the extras as well as a DVD of the movie. So if you are like me and don’t have a Blu-Ray player (I’m purchasing one because this kind of nonsense is getting more and more common), you have to pay a ridiculous sum of money to see the film.
Episodes and Movie Summaries
Eventually, I will get around to filling in this section. The truth is that the film is structured as 4 episodes. And all the episodes are pretty much the same. Someone (generally a student) has a problem, so the Book of Pure Evil presents itself to them. It acts very much like the Monkey’s Paw: their problem is solved but in a way that is far worse than the original problem. And at the end, the person who uses the Book ends up dead with a hilarious amount of blood splattering.
There are two exceptions to this: Todd and Hannah. The reason they are not killed is nicely explained in the final movie. Todd and Hannah are teamed up with Jenny and Curtis. At times, they work with, Atticus, the guidance counselor, but mostly work against him, because his father is the head of the satanists. The final major character is Jimmy. He’s the janitor (and eventually the guidance counselor). He used the Book to save himself from some bullies, but ended up being locked in the school. Why he didn’t die is never explained.
Most of the minor characters are really the same. There is Jimmy’s girlfriend, who, if she isn’t paying attention, turns into three heavy metal dudes, who have apparently been alive for thousands of years. They are also the wolf that raped Atticus as a child. (Don’t ask; it was a subplot that never particularly worked.)
Technical Information
Information about the movie itself:
- Aired: 2010 – 2012, 2017
- Length: 22 minutes, 80 minutes
- MPAA Rating: NR
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Film: Color
Obviously, so many more people are involved in the making of a film. But here are some of the most important:
- Creators: Craig David Wallace, Charles Picco, and Anthony Leo
- Directors: James Genn, James Dunnison, and others
- Producers: Craig David Wallace, Anthony Leo, Andrew Rosen, and Jamie Brown
- Screenwriter: Charles Picco, Craig David Wallace, and others
- Cinematographer: Michael Marshall
- Editor: D Gillian Truster, Stephen Philipson, and Brigitte Rabazo
- Composer: Shawn Pierce
- Actors: Alex House, Maggie Castle, Bill Turnbull, Melanie Leishman, Jason Mewes, Chris Leavins, and many others