Jacob Goodnight Lives: ‘See No Evil’ Turns 14!

May 19, 2019

See No Evil was released in theaters on May 19th, 2006, and many can still remember watching the slasher flick from WWE on the big screen. Coming out at a time when the horror genre began relying on remakes of classic movies, See No Evil stood out for introducing into the mix a new villain in the form of eyeball-obsessed murderer Jacob Goodnight. Starring in the role was WWE Superstar Glenn “Kane” Jacobs, who still competes as an in-ring wrestler in the company.

Since 2006, WWE Studios (then called WWE Films) has produced many movies of varying genres. However, it all began with See No Evil, as this was the very first movie to be made as a part of WWE’s shift into producing feature films. Some other flicks to be released by WWE Studios over the past several years include a Jingle All the Way sequel with Santino Marella, a Leprechaun reboot featuring Hornswoggle, and a series of Marine movies starring different wrestlers. Even still, however, See No Evil is perhaps the most remembered of them all.

One particular aspect of making See No Evil so memorable was the marketing campaign WWE used to promote the film’s release. When it was given an official premiere date of May 19th of 2006, the date was written into Kane’s WWE storylines by way of explaining it as a very traumatic day in the wrestler’s life (it’s a long story). The mere mention of the date would always set Kane off on a frenzy, leading to other wrestlers (and the crowd) doing it purposely to agitate him. The goal was to ensure everyone watching would remember the May 19th release date leading up to the premiere of See No Evil, and you could definitely say that the marketing campaign was successful, as longtime WWE fans still think of this movie whenever May 19th rolls around.

Directed by Gregory Dark, the film itself is set in the abandoned Blackwell Hotel. A group of juvenile delinquents are brought in to help fix up the place with the goal of eventually transforming the building into a homeless shelter. Unfortunately for them, there’s still a murderous guest staying in the hotel by the name of Jacob Goodnight. The teenagers are then picked off one by one as Jacob wants to take their lives… and their eyes.

There are many memorable scenes in the movie, highlighted with the brutality of some of the death scenes. Jacob arguably knows his way around a meathook even better than Leatherface, and you can almost feel the pain of the victims impaled with one. It was also hilariously ironic and simultaneously vicious when a pack of wild dogs feasted upon the animal lover Melissa (Penny McNamee, Home and Away). The scene where Zoe’s (Rachael Taylor, Jessica Jones) hiding spot is given away by the ringing of her cell phone is pretty intense as well, even if it is a bit of a horror movie cliché.

However it’s perhaps Kane’s portrayal as Jacob Goodnight which is the film’s most enjoyable aspect. Fans of the wrestler and his WWE character’s dark history may find See No Evil to be an appropriate gig for the Big Red Machine. After all, Kane always came across as a horror movie villain on WWE television, so it was a natural transition for him to star in a slasher flick.

Despite an awesome marketing campaign, See No Evil didn’t light the box office on fire. Still, it garnered enough of a cult following to earn the movie an official sequel eight years later. With Jen and Sylvia Soska directing, See No Evil 2 was released directly to video in the fall of 2014. Co-starring with Danielle Harris and Katharine Isabelle, Kane is back as Jacob Goodnight, now taking his killing spree to a morgue where a birthday party is being held. Because it’s as bloody and brutal as you would expect from the Soska Sisters, it’s a satisfying sequel in its own right.

Since the start of the new millennium, we haven’t seen very many original slasher movie killers. Of all of the ones introduced in more modern years, Jacob Goodnight is certainly among the most memorable. See No Evil is not a perfect film, but it is enjoyable for what it is, thanks mostly to the presence of Kane in the lead role. You can support the man called Kane by going back and revisiting this film – just be sure not to ever say “May 19th” around him.