"See No Evil" starring Glenn Jacobs (aka Kane) was WWE Films' first horror film. It was also one of only a handful of films produced by the WWE that landed a theatrical release. Although the reviews of "See No Evil" were mostly negative, the film did manage to spawn a sequel thanks, in large part, to fans of the movie.
The sequel, "See No Evil 2," was not released in theaters and featured a new cast except for Jacobs who reprised his role as the fictional slasher monster, Jacob Goodnight. Any fan of the franchise knows the sequel was far better received than its predecessor, but this list examines 10 things fans might not know about the "See No Evil" franchise.
11 The Cast Of "See No Evil" Appeared On An Episode Of Raw
During an episode of Raw in 2006 three stars from "See No Evil" appeared on an episode of Raw to promote the film. Christina Vidal, Samantha Noble, and Michael J. Pagan cut a promo where they talked about how "awful it was to work with Kane on the movie." The purpose was to make WWE fans excited for Kane's movie debut.
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They also teased the release date prompting Kane to come out of nowhere and choke Pagan as the other two stars faked screaming much worse than they did during the film.
9 "See No Evil 2" Never Explains How A Sequel Was Possible
At the end of "See No Evil," Jacob Goodnight, the killer, had his heart impaled by a shard of glass when he was finally "defeated" in the last act. It was very clear the director of the film was trying to tell the audience he was "dead forever."
In "See No Evil 2" Goodnight returns, and it's never explained if he was supernatural or how he was able to survive a gruesome death at the end of part 1.
8 "See No Evil" Is One Of The Best Performing WWE Studios Films
With multiple major releases, including "The Marine" a few months after "See No Evil," it might surprise fans to learn that the film performed better than most of the other WWE theatrical releases. The film had a budget of 8 million dollars and more than doubled that number returning 18.6 million dollars at the box office.
It performed well when compared to "The Marine," which grossed only $22.5 million against a $15 million budget, and "Walking Tall" (starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) that only earned $57.2 million against its $46 million budget.
7 The Sequel Was Filmed In Only 18 Days
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Despite the second film having a longer runtime and being better received by critics, the entire movie was shot in only 18 days. Jen and Sylvia Soska began filming on September 23, 2013, in Vancouver, British Columbia, and ended on October 11, 2013.
This is an extremely quick window since most studio horror films take a minimum of a month and a half to complete principal photography.
6 The May 19th Release Date Of The First Film Was Tied Into a Storyline For Kane
In an attempt to constantly remind WWE audiences of the release date of "See No Evil," Kane would lose his mind every time anyone around him said the date "May 19th."
Kane's reaction even set up a feud between him and Big Show that lead to a match at Backlash 2006.
5 "See No Evil" Was Once Titled "Eye Scream Man"
The original film, apparently, went through a few major name changes in pre-production. It was first titled "Eye Scream Man" and later changed to "Goodnight."
During these name changes, many thought the film would actually never see the light of day, so the changes felt trivial.
4 "See No Evil" Performed Better In the DVD Market Than In The Theater
Although the film made a decent profit against its budget, in the DVD market the film made more than 40 million dollars in seven weeks. That more than doubled its 18.6 million dollar take at the box office.
This trend continued with pretty much every WWE theatrical release and is likely why the company moved to straight to DVD release for their films.
3 The First Film Was Written By A WWE Writer
Dan Madigan, the writer of "See No Evil" was a writer in the WWE before he wrote the film. Apparently, he also had to take notes from Vince McMahon while he wrote the film.
During an episode of the "Review-a-Wai" podcast, Madigan also said the person they brought in to rewrite his original version of the script brought back all the "horror movie clichés" he purposely took out.
2 The Star Of "See No Evil 2" Is Often Considered One Of The Great "Scream Queens"
With a ton of horror movie credits to her name, Danielle Harris is sometimes considered a staple of the genre. Some even place her a few levels below the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis, which is ironic because Harris once played Jamie Lloyd, the little girl from the Halloween movies and daughter of Jamie Lee's character.
Harris was the final girl of "See No Evil 2" and is a reason why the sequel is so much better than the original. Sylvia Soska, co-director of the film, even once called Harris "the Natalie Portman of Horror."
1 There Is A Novelized Version Of The First Film
Although it was barely promoted, the writer of the first film, Dan Madigan, released a novelized version of the film that was slightly different from the film.
His 368-page book was released a little over a year and a half after "See No Evil" was released in theaters. The book has much more gore and violence than the original film, if you thought that was even possible.