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The Evil Dead franchise is one of the most popular among cinephiles and horror fans. Everybody loves Ash and Sam Raimi's groovy mixture of blood and laughs... except for me. For some weird reason, it's a franchise I haven't clicked with, even though I love horror films and I enjoy a lot of horror comedies. It happened with The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and even Drag Me to Hell.
Despite this, I've always been curious about this remake. Maybe because I've read good things about it, or maybe because I appreciate Fede Alvarez' approach to horror, but I finally decided to budge and it didn't disappoint. Similar to the original, the remake follows a group of five people that visit a remote cabin in the woods and end up being terrorized by a demonic supernatural being.
Unlike the Raimi entries, this remake leans more into horror than it does into comedy as there is little humor in the film. Instead, Alvarez maintains a constant sense of dread through the film where nothing feels quite right. Obviously part of that is because they are five people in a remote cabin in an Evil Dead film, but I think Alvarez direction does a great job of transmitting that uneasiness and discomfort.
The catalyst for them being in that cabin is to help Mia (Jane Levy) as she tries to overcome her addiction problems by going "cold turkey". Other than her estranged brother David (Shiloh Fernandez), you can sense that the rest of the cast is pretty much doomed, but they all do a solid job within the boundaries of their characters. The relationship issues between Mia and David, as well as their parents, is barely brushed upon but it works to make the backstory feel a bit more organic.
Other than that, one of the main reasons to watch such a film is the gore and there's plenty of it. From stabbings and slices with needles, knifes, and shards of glass, to gross vomits and multiple dismemberments; there's a bit of everything. The last act does stretch credibility a bit with one of the characters building an improvised defibrillator and resurrecting a certain character with it, but I was already on board.
Four films and one TV show into the franchise, and this is the one that works. Looks like the powers behind the Evil Dead franchise are not gonna let me leave, and they're not gonna stop till they have me. Well, after this one, which probably guarantees that I will check Evil Dead Rise at some point, I would say they finally got me.
Grade:
EVIL DEAD
(2013, Alvarez)
(2013, Alvarez)
"He's not gonna let you leave, and he's not gonna stop till he has you. Until he has all of you!"
The Evil Dead franchise is one of the most popular among cinephiles and horror fans. Everybody loves Ash and Sam Raimi's groovy mixture of blood and laughs... except for me. For some weird reason, it's a franchise I haven't clicked with, even though I love horror films and I enjoy a lot of horror comedies. It happened with The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and even Drag Me to Hell.
Despite this, I've always been curious about this remake. Maybe because I've read good things about it, or maybe because I appreciate Fede Alvarez' approach to horror, but I finally decided to budge and it didn't disappoint. Similar to the original, the remake follows a group of five people that visit a remote cabin in the woods and end up being terrorized by a demonic supernatural being.
Unlike the Raimi entries, this remake leans more into horror than it does into comedy as there is little humor in the film. Instead, Alvarez maintains a constant sense of dread through the film where nothing feels quite right. Obviously part of that is because they are five people in a remote cabin in an Evil Dead film, but I think Alvarez direction does a great job of transmitting that uneasiness and discomfort.
The catalyst for them being in that cabin is to help Mia (Jane Levy) as she tries to overcome her addiction problems by going "cold turkey". Other than her estranged brother David (Shiloh Fernandez), you can sense that the rest of the cast is pretty much doomed, but they all do a solid job within the boundaries of their characters. The relationship issues between Mia and David, as well as their parents, is barely brushed upon but it works to make the backstory feel a bit more organic.
Other than that, one of the main reasons to watch such a film is the gore and there's plenty of it. From stabbings and slices with needles, knifes, and shards of glass, to gross vomits and multiple dismemberments; there's a bit of everything. The last act does stretch credibility a bit with one of the characters building an improvised defibrillator and resurrecting a certain character with it, but I was already on board.
Four films and one TV show into the franchise, and this is the one that works. Looks like the powers behind the Evil Dead franchise are not gonna let me leave, and they're not gonna stop till they have me. Well, after this one, which probably guarantees that I will check Evil Dead Rise at some point, I would say they finally got me.
Grade: