Saturday, April 6, 2013

Evil Dead Review

Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead, a remake of Sam Raimi’s cult-classic The Evil Dead, is one of the best horror remakes of the past decade (though I don’t think that is saying much). In an era of Saw VI and Texas Chainsaw 3D, it was refreshing to see a film that embraces the (at times) ridiculous plot points and character choices present in horror movies (e.g. going into a creepy, dark basement alone). During many of the scenes, however, I wasn’t sure whether the movie was trying to be silly, or if it was actually that outrageous. By the time I saw the scene where a character is brutally stabbed and the others run to get water and sugar to help with his blood loss, I knew this had to be a joke. At least, that’s what I hope. It must also be noted that the film is not as scary as the trailer makes it out to be. I only jumped a couple of times, and the “scary” scenes were more gruesome than they were frightening. Though Evil Dead isn’t as terrifying as I had expected, true horror fans (especially fans of the original film) will not leave the theater disappointed.


Much like Raimi’s The Evil Dead, the remake begins with five college-aged students who decide to spend the weekend at an isolated cabin in the woods. However, in this version of the story the main character Mia (Jane Levy) is a drug-addict, who is using the cabin as a place to battle withdrawal under the watchful eye of her friends and brother. Because Mia almost died from a recent overdose, the group decides they will not leave the cabin until she has successfully sobered up. Unfortunately for them, the cabin has a history of demon possession. When one of the characters finds a variation of the Book of the Dead in the cellar, and of course reads aloud from the books pages, a powerful demon is awakened and the bloodbath begins.

I really enjoyed the inventive new premise of Evil Dead. The drug withdrawal storyline is a good way to tie the characters to the house just long enough for the demon to possess Mia. Additionally, it gives the characters an explanation for her erratic behavior (at least until others fall victim too). The film also gets points for being the goriest movie I’ve ever seen. In comparison to its low-budget predecessor, this film spares no expense when it comes to gruesome makeup and special effects. If you ever wondered what it would look like if someone licked an extra sharp box cutter, or cut off a limb with an electric carving knife, this is the movie for you. However, if you are a bit squeamish, you may want to skip this film (or at least prepare to shield your eyes). Full disclosure, I am not a big fan of gore and had to look away from the screen many times. Isn’t that the fun of a horror movie, though?



In terms of entertainment, Evil Dead was pretty solid. I love movies (horror movies especially) where you feel compelled to yell out to the characters on screen and tell them how stupid they are acting. However, due to the fact that I was underwhelmed by the lack of truly scary moments and that the ending carried on way too long, I wouldn’t suggest you run out to theaters to see it. This is definitely a movie you will enjoy via Netflix.
My Score: C


Evil Dead Trailer

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