This dream came true in 1971 with the cult classic “Duel,” a frenetic story about a traveling salesman and a diabolical truck, encapsulating Spielberg’s raw talent as a storyteller. The success of “Duel” put him on the map, but it wasn’t enough to fund the things he wanted to work on. Although Spielberg wanted to gradually move away from making teleplays and television movies, he had no choice but to dabble in this world to garner more credibility (while having limited artistic freedom). A string of half-hearted attempts mark this period, including 1973’s “Savage,” which the director famously did not jive with at all, but circumstances compelled him to get involved anyway.
That said, not all Spielberg-helmed tele-movies were made with such languid disinterest. His second made-for-television movie, “Something Evil,” is a horror story that genuinely appealed to him due to its suffocating, ominous overtones. It was a non-contractual production, making it a rare foray into something Spielberg wanted to stab at. We get to see some interesting directorial qualities here, including the tendency to let palpable tension speak for itself, along with impressive camerawork that underlines the evil lurking in the corners of the haunted house. It is, however, extremely flawed, carrying all the markers of a television movie that was made between several odd jobs at Universal (which Spielberg was juggling all at once). If you squint hard, you’ll find some thematic seeds that bloom beautifully down the line in Tobe Hooper’s “Poltergeist,” which is based on a story written by Spielberg himself.
Now, it is no surprise that “Something Evil” doesn’t hold a candle to Spielberg’s astounding body of work (or even his feature debut, which is more representative of his artistic strengths than this 1972 horror). Is this Spielberg’s worst film? It is hard to say, as “1941” exists (alternatively, it can also be interpreted as a madcap masterpiece!), along with “The BFG,” which feels uncharacteristically contrived and wooden for a Spielbergian children’s fantasy. But we were to ask the good folks at Letterboxd, “Something Evil” is the director’s lowest-rated feature on the website, sporting a measly 2.5 out of 5 despite some positive reviews.
