The Evil Dead trilogy is a beloved cult classic series praised by horror fans from around the world. The original 1981 Sam Raimi film was gory, low budget, sloppy and pretty extreme. There is something about the torture and independent nature of the film (along with Bruce Campbell) that draws audiences to the original flick, and that’s what inspired this updated, but very serious take of Fede Alvarez’s rebooted Evil Dead film.
If you’ve ever seen the original, the plot is practically the same. For those that haven’t, five young adults go out to a cabin in the woods in order to help their friend Mia get sober. When one member of the group discovers something called the Book of the Dead, he reads a passage that releases a demon living in the woods who possesses each individual, starting with Mia, until it can kill everyone off, with each death being more gruesome than the last.
The tagline for Alvarez’s film claims it will be “the most terrifying film you will ever experience,” now for some that actually may be true but terrifying isn’t the appropriate word in my book. Sure there were scares but most were the result of quick, in your face creepy appearances and loud noises. While I definitely jumped throughout the film, the proper phrase to describe this film is fucking intense.
The Evil Dead is gore porn in its finest form and it doesn’t hold back at all, its mission is to gross you out and to reach the extreme end of the horror spectrum. If you watch the red band trailer you’ll easily get a sense for what you’re in for but for those who want an idea now, expect a knife to cut a tongue in half, a girl to cut half her face off, watch people rip their arms off of their body and creepy possessed woman yelling devilishly sadistic dialogue like “watch your little sister being raped in hell.”
Staying true to the style of the original, the acting and dialogue isn’t that great and is very campy making for a pretty enjoyable experience. You get the opportunity to laugh at certain lines and actions because some people do some ridiculously stupid things like read a passage from a book that says “do not read this” or going into a dark basement with a possessed woman. It’s those things that the audience has come to appreciate from these particular movies but hate in every other horror film.
What’s great about this film is that you can tell Raimi’s protégé Alvarez loves the material and whil
e he wants to stay true to the story, he also wants to add his own signature and that’s where the tone comes into play. Unlike the unintentional comic nature that resulted from trying to be serious in the original film, Alvarez’s version is legitimately serious (minus the comic relief) and maintains that very dark and serious tone for a majority of the film. The tone coupled with the foggy and grungy atmosphere and the intense brutality makes it a film that will stress you out, tighten you to the core and get you sweating without even realizing it. His ability to build the suspense outside of some of those cheap scares is where he really thrives, making the brutality that follows even more epic.
To appeal to the hardcore fans, Fede makes sure to include some references to the original such as the appearance of the car Ash drives but, most importantly, he makes a really fun, gory and suspenseful horror film that most people will love, especially the midnight crowds. If you’re going to see this make sure you see it in a theater, the experience will be probably one of the best in a public theater for most regular movie goers and will likely make you wonder” how the hell did this get a ‘R’ rating?”
Overall, Evil Dead was an awesomely bloody and intense time at the movies. It lived up to my expectations and I think it surprised the skeptics. The crowd was roaring when it ended and it more than does the original justice. This is one of those rare instances when a reboot actually succeeds, though it’s more than just a reboot, it’s an exciting “rebirth”
Rating: An intense, fun and ridiculously bloody gore porn that more than delivers on its promise (7.5/10)
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