There's just something about the films of Charles B. Pierce that I find eminently endearing and rewatchable.

He had a distinct and pronounced regional flavor to his various low budget offerings, but it never felt pandering or gawking like so many of his contemporaries (and those that followed) who you could lump into the "hicksploitation" subgenre...a descriptor that never exactly fits with any of Pierce's films, anyways. He was always a bit less trashy, a bit more ambitious. He also had a keen and much appreciated sense of atmosphere (as well as being a much more skilled visual stylist than I believe he's ever gotten credit for), and "The Evictors" is a prime example of what I mean.

Deep shadows swallowing characters to create an almost claustrophobic sense of the walls closing in, patient and well-staged long takes that subtly build into wonderfully executed scares, endlessly interesting choices of angles and framing, frantically kinetic chase scenes where the (excellent) music loses its ever-loving mind...it was a film that until tonight I'd never seen, but its myriad charms had me falling for it pretty swiftly out of the gates.

It's a modest little genre piece, not breaking any particular new ground...but it's very well acted (including a softspoken Michael Parks wearing nice sweaters!), suitably moody and unnerving (with some nice twists and a great final shot), and the aforementioned music is indeed perfectly evocative. Highly recommended, especially for those who appreciate their regional horror just a bit more tastefully seasoned.