“Evil Takes Root” (** out of four) was a tired supernatural thriller about a paranormal investigator (Nicholas Gonzalez) who arrives in a nowhere Midwestern town to investigate the disappearance of his ex and hopefully atone for many of his own past mistakes but soon begins to realize that she fell victim to an ancient evil that returned home with her from the Phillipines and he subsequently realizes it may threaten to overtake the entire town. Director Chris W. Freeman employs some stylish touches that help this get off to a good start but film soon gets swallowed up in its own hokey absurdism.