Review
Gruesome new twist to ‘Evil Dead’
April 18, 2013
The movies are rought with undead witches and plenty of gore in “Evil Dead,” the remake of the horror-cult classic, and I was relieved to find this horror film didn’t stink.
In a cabin in the middle of the woods lies dark secrets, residue from a dark ritual, and a book bound in human flesh with strange writings and warnings all written all across it. This cabin happens to be the place where five friends will come together to help one of their own, but this getaway trip may prove to be their last.
When one friend reads aloud from the skin-bound book all hell breaks loose. The spirit of an ancient witch is awoken and possesses one of the friends.
With the witch inside her, these friends will need to ban together against the vile force that haunts the cabin to find a way to end this vicious and evil cycle, and free their friend from the supernatural forces that persist.
Horror is not something I am very passionate about, usually because it doesn’t hold my interest, but I admit to at least seeing the classic “Evil Dead” trilogy and loving it for all its campy horror goodness. If you have not seen the classics, definitely check them out for a good shoddy, horror time and for a major laugh in “Army of Darkness.”
As for the remake, I am very thankful that not only is it decent, but it’s a fairly good horror film for someone who has not indulged his gory side for a while.
The film hits pretty much all of the main points of the original: friends go to cabin, find book, book is evil and brings dead witches to life, they fight them off and get a few good lines in. “Evil Dead” takes that original concept and goes with it, which reluctantly feels well put together by the end, with no characters coming off as too whiney or irrational, a problem I have heard many horror film characters go through.
One thing the movie does better than the original is in the gore department. For those who are squeamish at the thought of a cut finger, this definitely isn’t the movie for you, but if you’re the gore fan, then this movie will be like a breath of fresh air to you. If you’re OK with blood spraying everywhere, “Evil Dead” uses it to a satisfying level for horror fans.
The direction of the movie also helps with relating the picture to the original, if only slightly. Fast close up shots and pan outs accompany the gore and horror that help make it feel as campy as the original, to an extent. The music also uses nice horror stings that parallel the original “Evil Dead” which set the mood pretty well. For the most part, the movie does its own thing while trying to be relatable to the original, which I can respect and enjoy at the same time.
Despite how much I actually enjoyed a horror movie for once, there were, as always, some problems. The film did an OK job with establishing the characters, but near the end the flick seemed to have trouble keeping the focus on who the hero/heroin was. In all, the ending was the part that felt the most jarring to me, as it ups the gore factor to 11, changes the character focus and made me feel uneasy. Oh the gore didn’t do that, but the whole ending did feel like the movie was self-indulging itself with its special-effects.
For the rest of the flick, it does succumb to other horror tropes, like jump scares and tactics, which don’t scare, but rather annoy the audience member.
In general, while it was at fault, it was also in the right place for most parts as “Evil Dead” manages to be an OK horror film, and that is saying a lot for horror movies today. So rev up your chainsaws and ready your one liners for “Evil Dead” in theaters this week.
Ryan Funes is a lover of all things movie, TV, video games and stories and wants to become a television writer someday. In his spare time he enjoys hanging with friends, tapping into his imagination, and watching cartoons of all kinds.