 | MOVIE DETAILS • Name: Evil dead • Year: 2013 • Country: USA • Director: Fede Álvarez • Main cast: Jane levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Jessica Lucas • Runtime: 91 min (96 min. extended cut) • Production companies: TriStar Pictures, FilmDistrict, Ghost House Pictures • TRAILER |
This is a remake, so before starting with this review, please ask yourself the following question: “Have I ever watched the original Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead (1981)?” If affirmative, please skip to the next paragraph, you already did your homework. If you haven’t yet, please do yourself a favor, go buy or rent the movie, watch it and then come back again and keep reading.
Evil Dead (1981) is probably one of the most relevant horror movies ever made so this 2013’s remake was a quite difficult one. The hype was enormous and after seeing the red band trailer I remember to be absolutely thrilled by the amount of blood and awesome non CGI FX on screen. But, did the movie meet the expectations?
Sam Raimi (director and producer of the original Evil Dead trilogy), Bruce Campbell (main and iconic character and producer of the original Evil Dead trilogy) and Robert Tapert (producer of the original Evil Dead) were the ones pulling the wires behind this new installment of the Evil Dead mythology but this time only as producers, raising some key questions. Surprinsingly, they chose the newcomer Fede Álvarez (“Don’t Breathe” – 2016) to direct it and they changed the approach about the characters to avoid the “Only Bruce Campbell can be Ash” complains. And to tell you the truth: it worked. They managed to make something remarkable and fresh from the not-original-anymore idea of people going to a cabin in the woods to drink, smoke dope and get laid. This time is just the opposite, actually.
Mia (Jane Levy) and her friends (Shiloh Fernández, Jessica Lucas, Elisabeth Blackmore, Lou Taylor Pucci) go to a cabin in the woods to help her fight her drug addiction, but something unexpected is in the basement: the book of the dead. Curiosity kills the cat, and Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci) starts to read some of the passages unleashing the evil within. Five human souls and the Abomination will walk again the earth. The rest, is pure horror madness. Solid acting, amazing sound edition , top notch FX and a splendid camera work (including the now classic first person “creature in the woods” view sequence) helps to enhance the feeling of being back to the original cabin, but this time, with a way more darker tone. Prepare for lots (and I mean: LOTS) of blood and very (and I mean: VERY) graphic and explicit violence on screen.
But, while being a enjoyable horror film, there are some quite noticeable script errors that may leave you scratching your head. And some of them are important ones, so it feels like there’s almost no room for surprises here because you already know what has to happen in order to trigger the next disgraceful event.
So, after reading this review, if you’re asking yourself “Is the new Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead (2013) worth of my time?” here is the answer: “Of course!”. Forget about the “remake” tag or if it stands to the original version. Just sit through the movie and enjoy the bloodiest comeback to a cabin in the woods ever!
RATE: 7/10
IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1288558
