What Is All About Evil About?
The premise of All About Evil in 332 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In a decaying downtown district, a crumbling movie palace that once pulsed with the glamour of classic cinema now clings to survival by showing dusty revival titles of exploitation and horror. The venue’s legacy rests in the hands of a shy, book‑loving librarian who inherits it after her father’s death, finding herself both guardian of a family relic and steward of a business on the brink. The theater’s faded marquee becomes a reluctant stage for a new kind of performance, one that blurs the line between art and obsession.
Deborah carries the weight of expectation while battling an inner timidity that threatens to drown her in the monotony of nightly screenings. Driven by desperation and a flicker of hidden ferocity, she begins to craft ultra‑gory short films within the theater’s shadowy booths, channeling a darker, almost primal creativity that surprises even herself. Her tentative forays into this macabre craft hint at a buried hunger for control and recognition, turning the once‑innocent space into a workshop for visceral, boundary‑pushing cinema.
The theater’s gritty atmosphere quickly attracts a quirky, devoted following—an audience that drinks deeply from the wells of gore‑obsessed pulp and revels in the spectacle of shock. These fans gather night after night, drawn by the promise of something raw and forbidden, their enthusiasm feeding the theater’s precarious lifeline. The mood is a heady blend of low‑budget horror charm and unsettling tension, where the glow of the projector masks an undercurrent of something far more unsettling.
Within this claustrophobic world, Tammy, the controlling mother, keeps a tight grip on family expectations, while Mr. Twigs, a long‑time projectionist with his own grudges, offers a begrudging alliance. A teenage cinephile named Steven becomes enthralled by the emerging auteur, seeing in her work a rebellious spark, and his mother Linda watches with growing unease. These tangled relationships hint at a volatile mix of loyalty, ambition, and dread, setting the stage for a theater where every screening feels like a gamble between artistic breakthrough and uncharted horror.
What Happens in All About Evil?
The complete story of All About Evil, from the first scene to the last, in 782 words (about 3 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 2 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
In 1984, young Deborah Tennis Natasha Lyonne is electrocuted by a microphone during a stage performance at the Victoria Theatre in San Francisco, which her family owns and operates, but she miraculously survives. Sixteen years later, the introverted Deborah works as a librarian while running the theater’s run‑down operation, a venue that mainly screens revival titles of exploitation and horror. With her father gone, Deborah endures the controlling presence of her abusive mother, Tammy [Julie Caitlin Brown]. When Tammy confronts Deborah about selling the theater, Deborah erupts in a brutal rage and stabs Tammy to death in the lobby just as a screening is about to begin.
In a panic, Deborah rushes to the projection booth to start the film, but she accidentally screens security footage of the murder she just committed. The patrons — including Steven Thompson Thomas Dekker, a teenage film buff — mistake the footage for a short film and applaud it as if it were art. Mr. Twigs [Jack Donner], a longtime projectionist who despised Tammy, helps Deborah hide Tammy’s corpse in the theater attic. The unhinged Deborah then commits a second murder with Mr. Twigs, this time of a theatergoer named Veronica [Kat Turner], and films the act; in the footage, Deborah plays a Victorian queen while she and Mr. Twigs cut off Veronica’s breasts with a guillotine. They screen the footage as a short film before another main feature, shocking the audience and drawing a growing cult following to the theater.
Steven’s mother Linda [Cassandra Peterson] begins to worry about her son’s fascination with Deborah’s brutal material, even as Steven becomes increasingly enamored with Deborah, heralding her as a pioneering female horror director. To generate new material, Deborah and Mr. Twigs pose as family members of Veda [Jade Ramsey] and Vera [Nikita Ramsey], two sociopathic twin sisters who are about to be released from a child psychiatric hospital for murdering their parents years earlier, and they manage to take the girls under their wing. Deborah also encounters a violent vagrant, Adrian [Noah Segan], and recruits him to assist in making new films.
Under Deborah’s direction, the group ambushes Evelyn [Mink Stole], Deborah’s librarian coworker, as she is closing up the library, filming as Deborah stitches Evelyn’s mouth shut and locks her alive in the theater attic. Evelyn’s torture footage, titled The Maiming of the Shrew, is shown at a subsequent screening, attended by Steven, who is accompanied by his popular classmate Claire Cavanaugh [Lyndsy Kail]. During the show, Deborah stabs Claire to death in the bathroom and films it with the help of Veda and Vera. Meanwhile, Evelyn tears open the sutures in her lips and screams for help from the attic, only to be beheaded by Mr. Twigs. Steven discovers Claire is missing, but the police dismiss his claims when Deborah accuses him of being an obsessed fan.
Steven’s friend Judy [Ariel Hart] visits the theater to interview Deborah for their school newspaper, but she is bound and gagged and locked in the attic when things go wrong. Steven suspects Deborah’s influence, but Deborah taunts him by announcing that she is shooting her debut feature film and has “just started casting.” Steven attends Deborah’s premiere with his mother Linda and Judy, while Veda and Vera prepare punches laced with cyanide to poison the audience as part of a planned toast filmed by Mr. Twigs.
Steven’s bold move to warn others disrupts the deadly plan, and chaos erupts as guests realize they are trapped inside. Adrian is killed when Evelyn’s corpse falls on him from the attic, and Lolita [Ashley Fink], a popular classmate, stabs Mr. Twigs to death as Veda and Vera attempt to start a fire to incinerate everyone inside; the guests nonetheless manage to escape. Deborah kidnaps Linda on the theater’s roof, where Steven confronts her. Deborah outlines her plan to kill Linda as the finale of her movie, claiming that “the audience roots for the killer,” but Steven’s rebuke shatters her resolve, and Linda wrests the knife from Deborah and stabs her in the throat, sending Deborah tumbling to her death.
Outside, the escaped twins Veda and Vera stagger out, each brandishing a knife and ultimately stabbing each other to death. After the smoke settles, the news wonders whether Deborah’s work might ever become a film in itself, but Steven doubts such a thing would ever truly happen, remarking that if it did, Deborah might rise from the dead by now. He then leaves the scene with his mother and Judy, passing Deborah’s corpse as they walk away. The Victoria Theatre remains a place of dark legend, where a killer’s “finale” becomes a disturbing myth in the eyes of those who survived.
All About Evil Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Deborah’s 1984 electrocution at the Victoria Theatre” to “Premiere night ends with Deborah’s downfall”. 12 events name a place, across 7 locations.
- 1
Deborah’s 1984 electrocution at the Victoria Theatre
During a stage performance at the family-owned Victoria Theatre in San Francisco, Deborah is electrocuted by a microphone. She miraculously survives the incident, leaving a lasting fear of violence and a fixation on the power of film. The event foreshadows the dark path her life will take.
When:1984 Where:Victoria Theatre, San Francisco
- 2
Sixteen years later: Deborah’s double life as librarian and theater operator
In 2000, Deborah lives as a shy librarian while running the theatre's dilapidated operation. Her abusive mother Tammy dominates the situation, pressuring Deborah to sell the venue. The theater mainly screens revival exploitation and horror titles, shaping Deborah's taste and future ambitions.
When:circa 2000 Where:Victoria Theatre, San Francisco
- 3
Tammy is killed by Deborah in the theater lobby
Tammy confronts Deborah about selling the theatre, setting off a brutal confrontation. Deborah lunges and stabs Tammy to death in the lobby just as a screening is about to begin. The murder marks Deborah's first step into the killer-director persona the story follows.
When:circa 2000 Where:Victoria Theatre lobby
- 4
Deborah accidentally screens murder footage
In a panic, Deborah rushes to the projection booth and starts the film. However, the screen displays security footage of the murder she just committed instead of a new feature, and the audience applauds it as if it were art. This accidental screening catalyzes a disturbingly devoted following around Deborah's work.
When:circa 2000 Where:Projection Booth, Victoria Theatre
- 5
Mr. Twigs hides Tammy’s body in the attic
Mr. Twigs, the longtime projectionist who despised Tammy, helps Deborah conceal the body in the attic of the theatre. The two work in secrecy to keep the murder out of sight from the patrons. The attic becomes the grim repository for their crimes.
When:circa 2000 Where:Victoria Theatre attic
- 6
Veronica’s murder filmed with guillotine
Deborah and Twigs murder a theatergoer named Veronica and film the act as part of their evolving repertoire. In the footage, Deborah plays a Victorian queen while Twigs directs the gruesome scene. They screen this clip as a short before another main feature, shocking the audience.
When:circa 2000 Where:Victoria Theatre
- 7
Steven’s fascination grows; Deborah hailed as a pioneer
Steven Thompson’s fascination with Deborah deepens, and his mother Linda grows increasingly worried about the brutal material she consumes. The audiences begin to hail Deborah as a pioneering female horror director. The dynamic between the young admirer and the artist becomes a driving force in the film's unfolding events.
When:circa 2000 Where:Victoria Theatre
- 8
Veda and Vera enter as new 'family' to produce material
To generate fresh material, Deborah and Twigs pose as relatives to two sociopathic twin sisters, Veda and Vera, who are about to be released from a child psychiatric hospital. The ruse pulls the twins into the theater's dark orbit, expanding their disturbing plans. The troupe continues to assemble a new cycle of films around the murders.
When:circa 2000 Where:Victoria Theatre
- 9
Evelyn ambushed and tortured; 'The Maiming of the Shrew' filmed
Deborah and her circle ambush Evelyn, a librarian coworker, as she closes up the library. Evelyn is bound and gagged, then locked in the theater attic while filming continues. The resulting clip, titled The Maiming of the Shrew, is shown to the audience at a later screening.
When:circa 2000 Where:Victoria Library
- 10
Claire murdered; Evelyn beheaded
During a subsequent screening, Deborah stabs Claire to death in the bathroom, and Evelyn—still trapped in the attic—tears open her sutures and is beheaded by Mr. Twigs. The violence escalates, drawing a growing crowd of followers and forcing the patrons to confront the line between art and murder.
When:circa 2000 Where:Victoria Theatre
- 11
Judy trapped; casting announced
Judy visits the theater to interview Deborah for the school newspaper, but she is bound and gagged and locked in the attic when things go wrong. Deborah uses the moment to announce that she has started casting for her debut feature. The escalating danger deepens as the theater becomes a stage for real violence.
When:circa 2000 Where:Victoria Theatre attic
- 12
Premiere night ends with Deborah’s downfall
On the premiere night, Linda confronts Deborah on the theater's roof and stabs her in the throat, ending her murderous campaign. In the ensuing chaos, Veda and Vera fatally wound each other as guests escape to safety. Steven, his mother, and Judy flee with the escaped crowd, and the Victoria Theatre settles into local legend as a place where a killer's finale became a disturbing myth.
When:premiere night Where:Victoria Theatre roof
Who Are the Main Characters in All About Evil?
13 characters, among them Deborah Tennis (Natasha Lyonne), Steven Thompson (Thomas Dekker) and Linda Tennis (Cassandra Peterson): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
-
Deborah Tennis (Natasha Lyonne)
Played by Natasha Lyonne
Introverted librarian who secretly runs the theater and orchestrates brutal acts. She evolves into a ruthless, ambitious figure who views violence as fuel for art, manipulating those around her. Her arc culminates in a dramatic, fatal clash between creator and audience.
- 🎭
- 🧪
- 🧠
- 🔪 Debut as director
- ST
Steven Thompson (Thomas Dekker)
Played by Thomas Dekker
A teenage film buff drawn to Deborah's shocking world, he becomes enthralled and protective of her work. His fascination deepens into a fixation that tests his moral compass as events spiral out of control. He struggles to reconcile admiration with the danger surrounding Deborah.
- 🎬
- 🧑🎓
- 💬 Obsessed fan
- Theatre insider
-
Linda Tennis (Cassandra Peterson)
Played by Cassandra Peterson
Steven's mother and a librarian who worries about her son's fixation with Deborah. She represents a pragmatic voice amid escalating violence, balancing concern with a lingering belief in Deborah's artistic potential. Her actions anchor the human stakes of the story.
- 👩💼
- 🧭
- 🗣️ Protective
- Family concerns
- TT
Tammy Tennis (Julie Caitlin Brown)
Played by Julie Caitlin Brown
Deborah's abusive mother who exerts controlling pressure over the theater. Her confrontation with Deborah triggers a fatal act, revealing the cost of power dynamics within the family business. Tammy's presence drives the initial unraveling of the narrative.
- 👩👧👦
- ⚖️ Abusive parent
- Authority
- Domestic conflict
- MT
Mr. Twigs (Jack Donner)
Played by Jack Donner
Veteran projectionist who despised Tammy and becomes an accomplice to Deborah's schemes. He helps hide Tammy's body and participates in the filmic violence that fans treat as art. His grim pragmatism underscores the theater's descent into chaos.
- 🎬
- 🗝️ Accomplice
- Projectionist
- Dark humor
- E(
Evelyn (Mink Stole)
Played by Mink Stole
Librarian coworker who becomes a target of Deborah's increasingly invasive 'films'. She endures captivity and later becomes a brutal component of Deborah's oeuvre. Evelyn's fate underscores the cost of crossing Deborah’s line between reality and cinema.
- 🔒
- 🗣️ Victim
- Resilience
- Inoffensive collaborator turned victim
- V(
Veda (Jade Ramsey)
Played by Jade Ramsey
One of two sociopathic twin sisters posing as family to gain access to Deborah's circle. They are cunning, violent, and eager to propel Deborah's project forward. Their alliance intensifies the theater's appetite for danger.
- 👯♀️
- 🧪
- 🗡️ Deception
- Duo of danger
- V(
Vera (Nikita Ramsey)
Played by Nikita Ramsey
Veda's twin sister who shares her ruthless temperament. She supports the duo's schemes and participates in escalating acts of violence. Together, the twins amplify the theater's cultish atmosphere.
- 👯♀️
- 🧪
- 🗡️ Duo of danger
- Complicit
- V(
Veronica (Kat Turner)
Played by Kat Turner
A theatergoer who becomes a victim of Deborah's sadistic 'art', filmed to heighten impact. Her brutal end is staged for the audience and later incorporated into Deborah's cinema.
- 🎟️
- 🧑🎤
- Victim
- Target of ambition
-
Adrian (Noah Segan)
Played by Noah Segan
A violent vagrant recruited to assist in making Deborah's films. He becomes entangled in the theater's deadly plans and meets a grim fate as the plot thickens.
- 🧭
- 🗡️ Recruit
- Subaltern ally
- Danger
- CC
Claire Cavanaugh (Lyndsy Kail)
Played by Lyndsy Kail
A popular classmate who attends Deborah's premiere and becomes a casualty in the mounting chaos. Her disappearance raises questions about the line between fandom and danger.
- 👧🏻
- 🧼
- Victim
- Popular student
- J(
Judy (Ariel Hart)
Played by Ariel Hart
Steven's friend and school newspaper journalist who investigates Deborah. She is captured during the events and becomes part of the theater's grim narrative.
- 📰
- 🧲
- Journalist
- Curious
- L(
Lolita (Ashley Fink)
Played by Ashley Fink
A popular classmate who becomes entangled in the theater's brutal schemes and ultimately strikes back during the chaos.
- 🎒
- 🗡️ Classmate
- Conflicted ally
- Sudden violence
Where and When Is All About Evil Set?
All About Evil is set in Victoria Theatre and San Francisco (1984, early 2000s). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
1984, early 2000s
The story begins in 1984 when Deborah is electrocuted on stage at the Victoria Theatre. Sixteen years later, around the turn of the millennium, the theater becomes a hotspot for extreme cinema and a growing cult following. The shifting years anchor the narrative from a family tragedy to a notoriety‑driven rise of a controversial horror director.
Where
Victoria Theatre, San Francisco
The Victoria Theatre in San Francisco is a family‑owned revival venue that screens exploitation and horror classics. It houses a dim projection booth and an attic where secrets linger behind every screening. The venue draws a devoted crowd who treat the brutal on‑screen acts as groundbreaking cinema, turning the space into a cultish hub for extreme performances.
- 🎭 Theatre
- 🗺️ City
- 🌉 Bay Area
- 🎬 Film venue
What Are the Themes of All About Evil?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Violence as Art, Performance & Identity and Cinema as Mirror.
-
01
Violence as Art
Real acts of violence are repurposed as cinematic material, blurring the line between spectator and participant. Deborah and her collaborators stage and film brutalities, presenting them as art to an audience that applauds. The film probes how sensationalized violence can distort morality and fuel a dangerous fan culture.
-
02
Performance & Identity
Deborah adopts multiple roles within the theater—director, performer, even impostor—turning personal manipulation into a public performance. The venue becomes a stage for reinvention, where private abuse and public display merge. Identity is forged through spectacle, often at the expense of others' reality.
-
03
Cinema as Mirror
The story questions whether audience desire shapes what counts as cinema, rewarding brutality as genius in the eyes of fans. The boundary between movie and murder blurs as real violence is immortalized on screen. The film itself mirrors the temptations and dangers of the horror industry.
What Kind of Film Is All About Evil?
Dark in tone, with fast pacing and a straightforward story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Dark
- Pacing
- Fast
- Story
- Straightforward
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Bittersweet
A fast-paced, darkly comic horror descent into madness, where a timid librarian’s transformation into a murderous filmmaker creates a sleazy, unhinged atmosphere of gore-obsessed chaos and gruesome suspense.
- macabre
- sleazy
- unhinged
- darkly comic
- gruesome
- obsessive
- descent into madness
- artistic obsession
- horror filmmaking
- fandom culture
Content notes: graphic murder, torture, dismemberment, domestic abuse, psychological trauma, mass poisoning.
Quiz
How well do you remember All About Evil? Test yourself on the story.
