Evil Dead

  • 2013-04-17
  • By Laurence Boyce

Director: Fede Alvarez

Yes, that’s right. It’s another remake of a classic movie to get fans of the original twisted in rage as Hollywood sits back and counts the money for doing very little indeed. As easy as it to be cynical, “Evil Dead” – based on the seminal horror flick by Sam Raimi, who also produced this new version – does much more than your average remake as it is ramps up the original while staying respectful to its place in the franchise.

A group of friends – including recovering drug addict Mia, her brother and his girlfriend – end up at an abandoned cabin in the woods in order to help wean Mia from her addiction. But Mia becomes convinced that death is surrounding them – a fact enforced when an ancient book is found and, despite the warnings, its incantations read. Soon it becomes apparent that there is an evil force that is intent on possessing the quintet and the chances of them being able to get out alive will be very slim indeed.

While scary and gory, the original “Evil Dead” had a vein of ridiculous humor, partly thanks to Bruce Campbell’s portrayal of main protagonist Ash. This is a much more serious affair with main character Mia (Jane Levy) and crew not finding much time to add any levity amongst all the relentless gore and violence. And trust me – this IS relentless. Slashings, burnings, knifings are some of the easier things to stomach. This is a gruesome and nasty affair but its sheer force of terror is what makes it interesting. It never lets up and its breathless nastiness (and a willingness to eschew CGI to make everything seem more ‘real,’ as with Raimi’s original) is an achievement. It also tries to negotiate the fine line between being a remake and a continuation (its structure means it could be both) and it just about seems to get the balance right.

Not for the squeamish, but horror junkies will more than get their fix.

 
 

Please enter your username and password.