SCHOOL bullies are in vogue this week. Wednesday brought us the Japanese thriller “The Neighbor No. 13,” about a kid scarred for life by the class bully.

Now there’s “Evil,” the Swedish saga of 16-year-old Erik Ponti (Andreas Wilson, in a strong performance), who’s always ready for a brawl with classmates.

Blame his evil stepfather, who beats Erik with a belt at the slightest misstep, like dropping something at the dinner table.

When the teen is expelled for fighting (“There’s only one word for people like you – evil,” the school principal intones), Erik’s mother sells off her prized possessions to send the good-looking swimming champ to an upper-crust boarding school.

He may not have Dad to worry about anymore, but there are the upperclassmen, whose arbitrary bullying turns bloody and vicious.

Will Erick snap and let his fists do the talking? Director Mikael Hafstrom – the gentleman responsible for last year’s Jennifer Aniston bomb “Derailed” – keeps us guessing as he confidently builds suspense.

—

EVIL [***] (Three stars)

In Swedish and Finnish, with English subtitles. Running time: 113 minutes. Not rated (violence). At the Cinema Village, 12th Street, east of Fifth Avenue.