Evil Dead (2013)
| release date | April 5 2013 |
| studio | TriStar |
| director | Fede Alvarez (Federico Alvarez) |
| writer | Diablo Cody, Federico Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues |
| starring | Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Elizabeth Blackmore, Jessica Lucas, Bruce Campbell |
| rating | R |
| site | evildead-movie.com |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
| trailer 2 | Trailer #2 |
| trailer 3 | Trailer #3 |
1 Comments
Obviously I havent seen the movie yet, but never have i seen such an AMAZING trailer….I’ve seen thousands of horror movies but this just creeps me out to the bone. I cant wait
I have been looking forward seeing this movie for a few months now. The original`s have a special place in my heart & I believe they did a great job of remaking it. This will be pretty much a spoiler free review if you wanna know more about it message me. It was my first pre screening & I thought it was a really cool even, the movie doesnt come out for another 3 weeks the tickets were free which makes it even better. They even gave us a little flyer & a movie poster. It was also strange they didnt even show previews before the movie. The running time was 91 minuites, it seemed like it was timed really well. The music from the movie was really good its not the same from what the trailer which is weird. The trailer honestly doesnt spoil anything big in the movie which is nice because I think alot of movies are ruined from the trailer. The acting was much better then I thought it would be. I have never heard of any of these actors before this movie which is good. The movie is pretty gory, along with alot of strong langage, far more graphic then the orignals. The story is pretty basic 5 friends, Mia, David, Eric, Oliva & Natalie. David & Mia which are brother and sister. They all go to David & Mia`s old cabin help Mia recover from a drug addiction. I thought they did a great job on it which alot of remakes are not as well as the original. It had alot of the elements from the original Evil Dead 1 & 2 yet made it new it. I loved it I would give it an 8 out of 10 If you loved the originals I think you should consider seeing it.
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Fellow horror fans, this is the movie you have been waiting for. This is the gory horror film that is unlike any other film you have ever seen! Most gory films have one or two really gory scenes, but Evil Dead has gore throughout the entire film, beginning to end. Evil Dead is the ultimate bloody rollercoaster that all of us horror junkies have been waiting for and it does not disappoint. Evil Dead is not only creepy, scary and gory, but it is phenomenally perfect. The acting is excellent, the cinematography is beautiful and the minor details are perfection. I am confident that you will enjoy yourself, if you truly love horror and gore. Evil Dead is the ultimate gore-fest!
Here are a couple of tips to prepare you for the Evil Dead experience:
1. Don’t eat before you see the film
2. Stay till the very end. There is a special cameo after the credits.
3. Dress comfortable enough to squirm in your seat
4. Duck Tape is an unexpected hero (you’ll understand after you watch)
5. And prepare yourself to witness the perfect American horror movie!
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This is the best horror movie i ever seen. I Really cant describe how this movie is perfect. I Recomend for all the horror lovers, and i recomend for everyone.
As all of you, I’d been waiting months to see this. The trailer was fast paced and super spooky. The effects were delicious. It looked to be a rip-snorting good time, which I cannot deny that it was, but not because it was a good movie.
The reboot of this beloved (albeit campy) series started off slowly, setting up for some attempts at foreshadowing and character development, however little there may have been. After a good 15 to 20 minutes of “DONT TOUCH THAT BOOK, BRO” from the audience, the film began to descend from “Ok” to “Omg great” to “Wuh…. Wuh?” Don’t get me wrong, it was fun to watch. But I feel that the newfangled effects and cinematics were trying to make up for a lacking group of characters and a very poorly written script. Frankly, I’d have given the film 4 out of 5 stars had the writing not been complete and utter horse dookie.
I’d say that if you plan on seeing it, bring a big group of friend, be a little inebriated, and have some fun. But don’t go into it thinking you’ll be terrified out of your mind, because you will go home disappointed.
I question whether the audience played a role in your review. In my viewing there was hardly anyone in the theater and nobody uttered a blip unless it was out of disgust to the gore. I don’t remember any moment where I felt like the guy reading the book was doing anything moronic. I mean it is a horror movie but characters in this movie are not self aware.
A 2 seems pretty harsh. If this film is a 2 then what other films would you rate on it’s level? Texas Chainsaw 3D?
Thank you, one person in this entire thread who feels the same way about this movie that I did. The movie was technically well made and very brutal, but the writing just killed it.
I shouldn’t be watching an Evil Dead movie with a scowl on my face for half of the time but that is exactly what ended up happening. Some of the stuff that happens in this movie should not have gotten through the first draft revision of the script. I wrote a more thorough review, but it’s long so I won’t post it here. If you’re interested in a non-ass kissing review of this decent but seriously flawed movie you can check it out here:
http://www.sweetooth0.com/movies/evildead2013.html
2 Stars is bang on.
Evil Dead is a prime example of how trailers can be deceiving. Being a hardcore fan of the original you might say that my expectations were high. Simply put, I was disappointed.
There ARE many things that Fede Alvarez did get right here. The gore and practical effects were rather impressive. The cinematography was great, especially at the very beginning when the young thespians arrived.
Unfortunately there were many mistakes. Evil Dead suffers from a very poorly written script.
Crappy dialogue and weak acting in the beginning of the movie did not stop this picture from being an ultimate joy ride of laughs and chills. Once the horror starts, it never quits. The movie is flawless in its entertainment. The visuals are also quite striking. Fede’s Evil Dead is a great remake. The film gets five skulls for the pure roller coaster fun it delivers while watching in a packed theater with an ever-receptive audience. See it.
Comment
4 and a half skulls. This is a crazy, non-stop thrill ride. I loved it! Great effects! and great actors. I can’t wait for the extended dvd filled with all kinds of special features (I hope) By far the best movie i’ve seen this year! I am more than excited for the sequel! 2012 had The Cabin in the Woods, 2013 has Evil Dead, I can only imagine what will come 2014, and I can’t wait! Bottom line, if you love horror movies, Evil Dead is not to be missed.
FUCK YESSSS!!! In a packed theater i just saw the new Evil Dead remake. Best (new) horror movie ive seen in a lonnnngggg time. What a fucking awesome, gory, ride. The audience applauded at the end of 4 particularly awesome scenes. It isnt really a remake, it deviates in all the right ways from the original,and as far as im concerned kicks some serious ass. It went far exceeded the amount of gore i was hoping for. There were moments in while watching this movie i was in utter joy!! You need to fucking see it!
Remake. Reimagining. Reboot. Sequel. You can use many terms to describe this film but this addition to the Evil Dead franchise manages to create a niche all it’s own composed of some appreciated unpredictability, recycled ideas from other films and a plethora of gore soaked goodies. Set in present day the film centers on a group of friends gathered to help a young woman beat her heroin addiction. Mia played by Jane Levy in an uneven but decent performance is that young woman who is the first to fall victim to the notorious necronomicon which of course leads to a night of sadistic horror, the likes of which you’ve come to expect from these films. Solid and sexy Shiloh Fernandez turns up as her abandoning brother with a slightly melodramatic past, handsome Lou Taylor Pucci as his too curious friend Eric, the talented and gorgeous Jessica Lucas as the most believable of the bunch Olivia and Elizabeth Blackmore as Natalie, David’s girlfriend and the not so great actress of the group. The direction from Fede Alvarez is solid I think if a little generic although I am impressed by the enormity of this guy’s balls. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous from it’s heightened suspenseful camera angles and the ones that capture the scenery in just the right way to the beautiful composition of light through out the film, it’s really very commendable. Speaking of commendable the old school nod to practical effects is much appreciated and way more effective than the CGI crap that crowds multiplexes nowadays. But all in all the film feels feels a little recycled with not much an identity of it’s own. it borrows freely from the Evil Dead films and other similar films like it and in truth feels more like a sequel than an actual remake and in that sense it never really feels like it can stand on it’s own. Don’t get me wrong the film has a barrage of wonderfully gory set pieces but when you look up Evil Dead 30 years from now on the net I’m pretty sure this won’t be what comes up. The screenplay however does have some nice touches the reasoning behind them staying is well though out even if the opening is a little hammy and confusing and the constant merry go round effect of who is the films real main character is wonderfully deceptive. That being said, my expectations were set very high I’m a huge fan of the Evil Dead films and I had recently watched them and the buzz on this film has been incredible and I bought into a little against my better judgement. When it first started out I didn’t feel much of anything and than as it went on it was decent enough but the disappointment started to creep in. I can’t say that the feeling ever truly went away completely but the film culminates too such a grand, horrific, entertaining, completely over the top, ickfest finale I couldn’t help it when the slight blues fell away replaced with a childish grin that helped me to remember why I have been such a big horror fan since I was a kid. And for that reason alone it’s more than worth the price of admission a few times. 4/5
The horror film I have been waiting for! I am seriously at a loss for words about how happy I am after seeing this! I applaud Fede Alvarez for an amazing job!
This is exactly what the original was meant to be! Almost a 15 million dollar budget and thousands of gallons of blood go a very long way in this movie. It will not dissappoint anyone. It is not your average predictable remake. It is a modern reimagining of the original concept done right. It will keep you anxiously waiting for twists throughout the entire film. I thank Fede Alverez for keeping the integrity of horror and making this truely pure horror film.
Let me just start out by saying I loved this movie. It is everything an Evil Dead movie should be. The movie is a fun campy blood soaked ride from start to finish. All of the actors bring there A game and the movie is just such a fun ride. But there are some things that keep this movie from being a perfect movie for me anyway. First off, I feel like they could of trimmed alittle time of the first half hour of build up and spent some time on the second act. The two girls who become demons/possessed really should of had more scary or creepy scenes. I just felt like the second act was rushed a bit and could of been more disturbing. My final complaint is not the film’s fault itself, but does every damn trailer these days have to give away the best moments of every horror film. PLEASE IM BEGGING HOLLYWOOD TO STOP MAKING MOVIE TRAILER’S FAST PACED VERSIONS OF THE ACTUAL FUCKING MOVIE. Other than that, Evil Dead 2013 is a great and fun start to a new franchise and it is almost as good as the original which says a lot.
What I like about Evil Dead is that there is no reason. They don’t try to explain why it’s happening, what is the demon’s motivation and whatever. The demon is there and wants blood! And this is exactly what the film delivers, blood, guts, a couple of arms and lots of gore! It’s a feast for any horror fan!
And, by the way, the effects look so good that only a film without CGI could do it. Seriously, this people don’t see that CGI looks fake? I love the effects done in the “old way” like in this one.
*** SPOILER ALERT*****
original films happened before this movie?
Give me your theories on the questions I posted at the bottom of my review.
The new REBOOT of the Evil Dead franchise is definitely worth the price of admission. I saw it last night and the fan reaction was amazing. This isn’t another average modern horror film like “saw 7″, theirs a whole mythology behind this film that you can really feel if your fan of the original films. I say reboot instead of a full-out remake because after seeing this movie I was able to make connections to the original film in terms of continuity. It’s one of those movies that if you believe or even have a little belief in demonic possession and stuff, you could probably view this film as somewhat realistic ( I say that loosely). It’s not so far-fetched is what i’m trying to say. If you saw the trailer and have read some of the early reviews you know that this movie goes the full mile in terms of its imagery.
The movies begins with a really cool prelude. A girl is walking through the woods when all of a sudden she appears to be kidnapped. She wakes up in the basement of the cabin. The book is in sight and she clearly is in for trouble.( I won’t say more). Fast forward to the present, a group of college friends head to a cabin in the woods to help one of them detox from their heroin addiction. There they find the book and one of them reads it. You can pretty much guess the rest of the movie to some degree.
It really is one of the most graphic mainstream, big studio films of all time. That being said, I think that’s what audiences will really like about this movie in comparison to other modern day horror movies. You believe the story a little more because of the graphic visuals. The dialogue in the movie kind of slacks though, but you can expect that from most horror movies. The main goal here wasn’t to have great dialogue, although their are some pretty memorable quotable lines in the film. Getting back to the whole mythology of the film. I really dug the possession aspect of the movie. I thought the depiction of an evil entity was awesome! It was really one of the best devil representations I have ever seen. I really liked the plot even though you can pretty much guess what the end result might be going into the movie. You can also see certain things coming during the film, but I really was blindsided on how they did those things that I saw coming. I really liked how the filmmakers handled this property. I, like most people hate reboots and remakes of beloved cult films, but I was pleasantly surprised with the way this one. This is the horror film that horror fans have been longing for. A lot of critics have been quick to write this one off because they think its just another torture porn horror film, but it really isn’t!.
*SPOILER ALERT**
Who were those people in the oepning scene? what were they doing at this cabin?
Do you think it had anything to do with their mother who was in a mental hospital when she died?
In terms of continuity of the series. Do you think that the events of the Or do you think this film takes place in a completely new universe?
I actually wanted to give it a 4.5 because it is not perfect but it is a great film and a godsend to horror fanatics.
For starters, the reason our protagonists go to the cabin makes a lot of sense and adds plausibility to a film that doesn’t even need it. It also adds believability to other events that happen in the film and may leave you scratching your head at the end.
I don’t want to spoil anything so I will just say that even though there is no Ash type character the film accommodates the absence of any macho hero with the manner in which it is delivered.
And this film is SCARY. I had some chills can’t remember a single jump scare. This film is creepy and disturbing… and GORY. What a great follow up to a classic series. This is one of the best remakes I’ve ever seen. I will probably see this one again in theaters.
wut? No!
lol, oops wrong reply
Remember the giddy feeling you had the first time you rode a rollercoaster. This movie made me feel the same way. Make it a point to catch it on the big screen; it’s worth it!
(5/5)
+ A constant darkened, eerie atmosphere
+ One of the greatest final kills/kills of all time
+ Plot setup was surprisingly very acceptable, allowing for actions normally frowned upon to be understood
+ Some terrific graphic moments
- Not enough graphic violence
• I feel like the ending segment was just to make up for the lack of blood throughout
• Compared to original
+ More scary/terrifying (though not near any high level)
○ More plot focused
○ Less comical
– Less gore
– The Deadites use their creepy laughter and voice much less
9/10
Well, like you’ve heard the first 20 mins of the film were so, so because it leads up to the good stuff, but it’s not bad at all. However once the book is read all hell breaks the fuck loose! I was real into the movie, it never became boring and the end scene was fantastic. I really adored that scene friends. It was exactly what horror should be like. There was no unneeded nudity like most of horror today and as Bruce said, IT’S NOT TORTURE PORN!Thankfully. Jane, Shiloh and Lou were outstanding however the whole cast was great. If I can I will definitely go see it again in theaters.
Evil Dead remake-2013
First off I totally love the first Evil Dead movie.Its one of my favorites.This movie would have been better as another installment to the series rather then a remake.In fact there’s little that is even similar to the original other than the Cabin setting.If you can get past the terrible no name actors ,Continuity problems,and the stupid and somewhat boring plot there’s some real entertainment to be found here but let me assure you that entertainment is covered in blood, guts, and vomit.Also there are some pretty intense torture scenes so if your squeamish be prepared to look away.In addition to the entertaining intense violence there are some legit scares in this movie as well.I jumped more than once myself.While this film doesn’t show you anything new or smart in regards to the plot or characters you will probably relive a scene or two in your head days after just remembering how fun and intense it was to watch.Director Fede Alverez chooses some cool shots although some are a bit disorienting . To be honest they shouldn’t have made this an Evil Dead.It should have been called something else because the scenes I loved from it were nothing like the Evil Dead films. I went in with really low expectations and was quite surprised to find a really bloody horror movie with some good scares. This one was a cut above the rest of the other horror remakes out there.
first off, a rant of the type of horror fan I am. If you can relate as a similar type of fan, maybe my review will have a purpose:::
I’m A huge fan of the late 70′s horror, all the way up to the early 90′s horror flicks.
I grew up on watching Monstervision w/ Joe Bob Briggs, and I was at the video store every weekend, getting my mom to rent me as many horror VHS’s that I could get my hands on.
I’m not a fan of remakes, and I hate when they try to make an exact replica of a great original(I seen the Psycho remake in theaters years ago, and it was trash. Also the new PG13 looking Carrie movie looks like garbage to me).
A reboot on the other hand, with a fresh take on an older movie can be a great thing. I liked the Hills Have Eyes reboot way better then the original movie.
I also enjoyed the Dawn of the Dead reboot. However, I do prefer the original DOTD. The problem is a lot of the younger crowd will not have the attention span to enjoy the original DOTD for the masterpiece it is, It seems to be all about fast paced movies these days, and big special effects, so that reboot did have a purpose.
NOW ON TO THE REVIEW:::
Evil Dead is easily the best rebooted horror movie I have ever seen! It’s creative, balanced well, and full of gore. The film maker does a great job of making this his own, which does not (in any way) replicate Sam Raimi’s original directing style. It’s definitely a fresh take, and I love how it didn’t feel like any other new horror movie out there, and didn’t have the predictability of most new horror movies.
Once Sam Raimi decides to give us an original Evil Dead sequel (or Army of darkness 2, whatever they wanna call it), with Ash, and that awesome trippy directing style like in Evil Dead 2, the newer generation of horror fans will have a reason to take interest due to this reboot getting there attention.
In the reboot, I’m happy they did not try to re-create an Ash type character. There’s only one Bruce Campbell, and trying to re-create his brilliance would be a slap in the face to us fans. All the characters in this movie were tortured and confused, as where the original Evil Dead feels like it’s Ash VS. everybody.
This movie is a very hard R rating, I don’t even see how they managed the R rating.
I wouldn’t mind a sequel to the reboot. The reboot was entertaining from the beginning to the end.
If you are a big fan of the real Evil Dead series such as myself, just go in with an open mind, or you could be disappointed. You’re not going to see the super close up, quick shots, or handy cam work you would see in the Raimi films.
It’s a fun movie, and worth any horror fans time, even the hardcore OG Evil Dead fans who refuse to see this new take. Give it a chance, have an open mind, and get ready for a lot of bloodshed.
Keep an open mind. That is one of the best things to tell anyone that watches a horror film. I try to go into any movie with that thought, because face it, if you expect everything to be grounded then movies aren’t for you. Sometimes I believe even die hard horror fans have that same problem. Don’t try to compare it to the original, just ENJOY it! I hated the fact that I was sooo pumped to see this movie. I mean who hasn’t been burned by a film that you thought would awesome. After seeing it though I was relieved. It was very good and I really liked it. My big thing was that it made nudges to all three of the other films, but still kept to being its own film.
To quote AC\DC,”If you want blood, you’ve got it.” “Evil Dead” steps up to proverbially take its turn at bat,and by Crom, does it knock the blood soaked ball right out of the park. Director Fede Alvarez says he doesn’t consider this a remake, but rather, another luckless group that goes to the cabin after the nearly 30 year break from the insanity of “Evil Dead 2″. This hapless quintet reawakens the eeeeevil that permeates the all too familiar cabin, and the results are an exercise in unabashed brutality. The premise is familiar to all–a group of twentysomethings on a weekend getaway. But instead of a weekend of partying, they’re there to help Mia(superbly portrayed by Jane Levy) escape the clutches of heroin addiction. I’m sure everyone knows basically what happens next, and Alvarez kicks the violence into salivating overdrive with berserk intensity and maddening tension. This may be the most sanguinary film ever released in mainstream cinema…a few scenes will leave you wondering how the hell they were able to get it into theatres. Mr. Alvarez and company have crafted a ruthless(though slightly flawed)film that, in some ways, outshines the original. Worthy of mention is the solid score, an Omen-esque offering courtesy of Roque Banos that doesn’t putz around. This film is worthy of your attention. Stick around after the credits.
Growing up with mom ‘n pop video stores the original was near and dear to my heart. I originally balked at the idea of a remake but after getting a hold of the script and then seeing the trailer I was all in. Walking out the theater, I knew I didn’t see a perfect horror film but I certainly enjoyed the hell out of it. I thought the beginning was definitely creepy and effective as long as I didn’t over think it (burying the book would have been a hell of allot more effective then barbed wire) As mentioned, some of the characters could have been more fleshed out and I was kinda bummed out by the “abomination,” but that’s only because the script left me with higher expectations. I did however think the setup was really clever and Levy was awesome as the lead. What really sold me on the whole experience were the effects and the sound design. They were both incredibly well done and that’s whats going to put my ass in the seat for round two. The fan service at the end, was so unnecessary but so so awesome.Comment
It FINALLY hit the theater. Don;t act like you weren’t waiting for it. you know you were.
This is exactly how a re-do should be done, as in with the involvement of the original man with the plan for the first movie. Hollywood, take notes on that and then remember it. That being said, was Evil Dead as amazing as the original? No. Was it a good enough movie to drop your money on? Yes. Was it worthy of the title Evil Dead? Yeah but some things are missing.
Not to say that this wasn’t a good movie or even the best horror movie out in a very long time, it really is worth seeing. The actors are fine. The way the ED are unleashed is believable. The surprises along the way are very surprising and all around it really is a cool movie but what was missing, for me, that always really put The Evil Dead over the top for me and made it a favorite since I first ever saw it way back in high school were the insane camera effects that were used. That, coupled with the nutso sound effects, i.e banging gong on clock while the camera flashes to and fro back and forth, overhead camera shots that make whooshing sounds while passing over rafters, cameras flying through the woods with crazy sounds of the dead, was all missing. I think that may be the one major flaw. It never felt that the characters were being watched for this reason. that tension was never built and hence that fear was never made. It just never became a scary film, it was more along the lines of seeing who gets it next.
I’m not saying it was bad or not worth seeing. You will likely enjoy it, but I think it missed it’s mark on what made the Evil Dead so great to begin with and therefore missed how great this film could have been. Still worthy of seeing and still better than most, and I am sure the uncut version to be released on video will be great, but really I thought it would be better.
I have been anticipating this movie for months and being a huge fan of the original Evil Dead I am happy to say this is a very good remake. I love how many nods they have to the original, the music, the necklace, and of course(warning spoiler!)the awesome Ash cameo after the credits! Well this movie was just what I expected it to be and it was a great gory ride that has to be put in the list with one of the best remakes in a while. I don’t see why there is so many bad reviews for it. Whats the problem with the film? the gore effects were, for the most part cgi free. And the story was pretty much the same as the original and the acting was alright. But all in all its a movie that you should watch in the movies with other fans of the evil dead series.
Although I have only read one review for it, my opinion is that it is reviewed bad because most horror films just don’t get critic praise. It seems rarely that any horror film gets good reviews other than from horror fans. The review I read stated that it substituted gore for story. Umm..this is supposed to be that kind of film right? As story goes I thought it was very good, and whether its suppose to be a sequel or remake I really, really, liked this movie, and agree that its a film to watch with other fans of the franchise.
As far as remakes go this is top notch. It’s bloody, well acted, disturbing, and has just enough nods to the original without coming off campy (aside from the post-credit scene).
The score was really great and the inclusion of the siren during the finale was perfect.
Now, I don’t think it was particularly scary but the couple sitting next to me (mid 20′s) walked out halfway through, the girl was balling. Definitely a fun film to see with a crowd.
My fellow horror fans and aficionados, Deadites, it is finally here. Evil Dead is alive and well; a veritable force of madness, mayhem, horror, gore and brutality the likes of which will keep horror nuts salivating for months. It is everything as to be expected. I saw it last night and the minutes it picks up, it will hit you with a full haymaker of brutality.
Now, it’s not a perfect film. There are some definite rough spots and a few moments that leave some more to be desired. Unless you’re nitpicky over every aspect, you won’t feel cheated. The biggest thing is does it measure up to the original?
No, it doesn’t, but not in a bad way.
I am the type that never expects remakes to measure up to their predecessors. There’s just no repeating of what was done previously. This is an entirely different and fresh approach to a horror classic. While there are definite nods and allusions to the original Evil Dead, it can’t be expected to surpass or meet the original.
Nonetheless, this is everything we have wanted in a remake. The producers did not let us down. THIS is the year that horror dominates and Evil Dead is along for the ride.
Yes Yes I know there are MANY original evil dead fans out there clamoring to watch this movie. When you get to this movie I would say you will be upset. I would say what they have copied from the origianl is the “name” of the film. The basic “premise” of the original film. Thats about it the rest has been changed up and yes not for the better. This movie I know is not known for the acting so you can forget that when you watch this movie. For all the gore fans out there yes you will love it. There is gore all over the place which I guess helps to cover up the lack of originality of the script. Its sad really because with a good story like evil dead they just kill it with a crappy rewrite. There is a part of this movie that will just leave you shaking your head. There was so much that could have been done here. I liked the original evil dead but this one not really so much. I would say unless you are a BIG TIME evil dead movie fan skip this one.
This shit was cool for a remake/reimagining of the first two films. I’m sure all the squares on this site are gonna bitch about this and that cause they’re lame to begin with, but this film delivered when it comes to being a part of the Evil dead legacy. That Alvarez dude did a good job considering how tough it would be to make a film even close to the first two. No other Hollywood director or studio would have even come close. I’m looking forward to those sequels for sure.
This was the BEST Evil Dead film by miles and miles! One of the best horror movies I’ve seen in theaters. Such an amazing movie. I loved how the last 20 minutes of the film you couldn’t guess what was going to happen. Incredible acting by Jane Levy and Shiloh Fernandez. The gore was out of this world insane and I loved every minute of it. Loved the after-credits scene, too. I cannot wait for part 2. Hopefully they can make that one just as awesome.
Ok, first of all, let’s pretend you’re an Evil Dead fanatic and you’re planning on seeing this movie. This is not going to be satisfying enough for you to forget about the original. Don’t be like me; throw the original Evil Dead out of your mind when going to see this. Compare this to Star Wars. If you go see the new one thinking it will match the originals, you are going to let yourself down. In fact, that’s a perfect way to describe it. It’s the horror equivalent to Star Wars. But, if you are wanting to see this, I highly recommend it. And don’t read the rest of this. There are spoilers.
I think because the last two highly anticipated horror movies for me [Insidious, Sinister] had such a creepy vibe to them that actually scared me in their own ways, I went into Evil Dead the same way. I thought it was going to be scary even to horror fans. But, this wasn’t a movie that would give me nightmares. Not that the original did. But that’s where I made my mistake. Evil Dead movies are more fun than scary, but this one’s trailer made it seem so creepy… I don’t know. It wasn’t bad, I was 100% satisfied. But I went in with my head too high on it. I also was kind of disappointed it didn’t play to the original in a few direct ways. The demon peeking out of the cellar didn’t happen enough. And they totally cut the “We’re gonna get you” dialog… I guess I can say if I did a new Evil Dead I would’ve done it different.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s just say if vampires had a Food Network, this would be a primetime event.
You could even say the story was like: Here’s 5 kids. Here’s a cabin in the woods. Here’s a demon. Here are some sharp objects. Here’s some blood. Here’s some more blood. How about a little more blood, huh? Want some blood? Here’s some. Take a little blood, you don’t have enough.
Blood.
Blood.
Blood.
Lol
I’m usually not one to praise a ton of gore, or at least praise movies that have nothing but gore. Don’t get me wrong, it has a place in horror, but it has to fit in in the right way. It did here, considering it was needed to be an actual Evil Dead film. I mean there were 3 severed limbs, a split tounge, a sliced cheek, tons of stab wounds that included plenty of nails, and it rained blood. IT RAINED BLOOD. That was pretty insane. I also loved how realistic it was when the girl used the electric slicer on her arm. It never cut away and the detail was incredible as far as her arm actually having give and being fleshy when the blade touched it. Good stuff. [My family members are gonna read that last deal and get me a straight-jacket] I really liked this movie. They didn’t want a remake, they made a reboot. And you can see how this story is going to continue.
Mia [Jane Levy] is a badass. She’s gonna be awesome as the new main character. The scene where she loses her hand was expected, but not that way. I figured, if they’re gonna do it, it’ll be in the sequel, just like the originals. Then when the jeep fell on her wrist, I knew it was coming off. But I thought she’d use the chainsaw, not just rip her hand off from under the car. That was totally raw. The ’81 version was so state-of-the-art with gore, and this one was too. I mean the dude gets his hand tore up by a crowbar. If you like gore, this movie was amazing.
I will definitely have to wait to give my full opinion until I see it again [and not in the 3rd row of a packed theater]. But as of now, I really liked it. And I think this trilogy is going to be awesome. That’s all I can really say at this point.
Evil Dead is very, very groovy.
I finally saw this, after seeing the trailer months ago and being blown away and after knowing about the production since last year. I just got back from the theaters and thought I’d give my two cents… I’m a big Evil Dead fan, I own Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness. The first Evil Dead is a classic. I was pretty excited knowing that Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi were on board to produce this remake. The remake is good, but has some flaws. First thing that sucked for me was that they showed basically every gore shot from the movie in the trailers, which ruins all element of surprise. I liked the nods to the original such as the old car Ash drives, the cabin looks very similar even down to the porch swing, the “boomstick” and chainsaw, the deadite being locked in the cellar. However, this is Evil Dead meant for a modern audience. The movie is very slick and clean looking, not as gritty and dated as the original movie. I don’t want to go too much into so I don’t spoil anything for those who haven’t seen it, but if you like Evil Dead I would suggest giving this a shot with an open mind. Don’t be like the cynical douche bags that automatically dismiss a movie if it’s a remake. 3 out of 5 for me. (Nice little cameo at the end of the credits too…)
I liked this film!I didn’t find it scary.The gore was beautiful.The acting was very good.The lead actress kicked ass.Good humor in small doses.The end credit cameo was kind of pointless.It didn’t blow me away but I was still happy with what I saw.Go check it out!4 out of 5 skulls!
EVIL DEAD LIVES AGAIN
By Nathan Waters
Sitting in a crowded theater at one of many pre-screenings several weeks before its release, elbow-to-elbow with a room filled with blood-thirsty horror fans like myself, we were told by staff about special heat-sensing cameras in the theater which would be running during the film to tape our extreme reactions to the images onscreen. We were also told that if anyone was picked up on those infrared cameras taping the movie on their phones, they would spend the night in jail. And so the movie began.
Penned by director Alvarez (with uncredited touch ups by script pro Diabo Cody), the story here hangs its skin on a similar structure as the original: a group of five twenty-something’s retreat into the woods, headed to a desolate cabin. Once there, the kids uncover the Book of the Dead, and despite clear warnings from past readers/victims, they still open it up and read out of the damn thing. And boy, are we glad they do. The story for Alvarez’s version is notably more character-driven. Mia (the gorgeous Jane Levy) is a drug addict, and along with her estranged brother and long time friends, heads to the now infamous cabin to “play cold turkey” and save Mia the shame of admitting herself to a public hospital. However, once Eric, the smartass, tenure-seeking schoolteacher among them uncovers the book and inscribes its passages, the demonic shit hits the fan, and heroin withdrawals suddenly become the least of their problems. This new plot provides an excellent groundwork for the group to initially not believe Mia as she is first tormented by the forest (in a twisted update of the original’s famous “tree scene”), feeling she is saying anything to get them to let her leave. However, as Mia’s possession becomes worse, the level of physical brutality she inflicts on herself and others increases, and things quickly reach a fever pitch that doesn’t let go until the credits roll.
So now let us breach one of the biggest factors that Evil Dead fans weigh on when thinking of the film: does it live up to the gore of the original? I think without saying, this film matches Raimi’s classic pint-for-fucking-pint. I have never seen an R-rated film so drenched in blood. Characters eviscerate each other (and themselves) in some of the most brutally creative ways in recent memory, making me think that the writing meetings here consisted of the creative team trying to think of the most painful ways they could come up with to hurt people onscreen. But none of it is there just to disgust. The Evil Dead films are known for their over-the-top sensibility, in which the violent horrors happening to the characters serve to push them closer to insanity and desperation, which allows them to be possessed. That is definitely a big element here, and the suspense here lies in the question of who is going to be possessed next. The effects are full-stop (and mostly practical!!), pushing the limits of what you’ve seen in an R-rated movie, making us squirm in our seats with images so deliciously twisted that they’ll be lodged in your brain long after the movie is over. The trailer does a pretty good job at showing some of these moments, but if you think they put it all out on Front Street, think again. They saved the best parts for the actual film. A moment with a slow-dragging machete slicing across poor Mia’s leg and a darkly comedic gag of a severed limb (ala Evil Dead II) falling to accent the beat sticks out as being especially squirm-worthy and examples of the pitch black sense of humor this film often takes on.
But to compare 2013’s Evil Dead with Sam Raimi’s universally beloved classic tit-for-tat would be missing the point of what first time director Alvarez and original producers (Raimi, Campell, and Tapert) had intended. In no way is this film meant to replace or exceed what we love about the original. Rather, it feels like the version Raimi would have made if the first film wasn’t put together under the wonderfully shoestring fashion that it ultimately was. This new film is its own beast entirely, with a slick, new direction, and a filmmaker at the helm who clearly loves what he is doing. However, the movie runs at a brisk pace, and as a result, one of my favorite moments from the original (and one of the coolest moments from the trailer) is missing from the theatrical cut. These gripes aside, I loved it, and if you are a fan of the originals, it basically goes without saying that you will too.
Even though I didn’t particularly like the ending, this movie was very nicely done! I really liked it.
The best remake I’ve ever seen. Great pacing and many references to the original. The after credit scene was amazing as well. Doesn’t replace the original but definitely goes hand in hand with it.
No spoilers here.
I had an absolute blast with this film, so much so that after seeing it on opening day, i went back and saw it again the very next day. Everyone wants to complain about how it’s not scary, but I didn’t believe it would be. I got exactly what i thought i would, a cool, nasty horror film that’s just meant to be a fun ride in the theater. I know some are upset because it’s not what they wanted from an Evil Dead remake, but think about a lot of us who love Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street. The remakes we got were absolutely atrocious. So i’m thankful for this movie and i definitely hope we get a sequel. I’m actually giving it 4/5 out of 5 because it’s not perfect, but I agree with Evan Dickson that it’s “a near perfect experience”. And say what you will about the characters, but they were way better written than the idiots in the aforementioned NOES remake. And the practical effects, FUCKING AWESOME!
If I had to choose four words to sum up what I thought of this film, they’d be none other than: a damn good time.
As a Deadite, I knew exactly what I should expect: gore, humor and even more gore – and this film most definitely delivered. What I did not expect, was to have as much fun as I did. I had high hopes, certainly, but given the track records that remakes have, I was waiting to be let down. I was waiting for that moment where I would just want to get up out of my seat and leave, but that moment never came. If anything, I wish this movie were longer.
I won’t say more, because I don’t want to go onto some massive rant and give away spoilers of any kind. But I will say that this is most definitely worth a watch. I laughed, I cringed in my seat, I was grossed out at more points than I can count, and the tiny references were made me smile. This is by far my favorite in the series (and I dare say I enjoyed it more than the first) and one of the best horror films I’ve seen in a long time.
DON’T READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE FILM!!!!!! I am honestly surprised by all of the good reviews on this site. This movie was actually starting to win me over, but the ending completely BLEW IT! I mean this is/was one of the only franchises where the male protagonist was the one who survived. Not being sexist, I am a huge Friday 13th fan and women kick ass in those. Same for Hellraiser, Jamie Lee Curtis Forever. But ED was different it had Ash. The ending ruined this movie for me. And i wish I hadn’t payed for it. Bruce, Sam, and Rob Love the fans, they put a lot into making this the best they could, and I respect the hell out of that, but I would rather see EVIL DEAD 4!!!! (with Bruce)
It’s a reboot of the series, not a remake. They don’t have to make everything the same.
I think it was a fantastic twist, letting us think David was going to save his sister and become the ‘Ash’ of the film, while Mia remained a weak, strung out junkie, but instead SHE rises to the occasion and kicks some Deadite a**.
She’s an awesome heroine – how many movie characters can go from being the victim, to being the villain, to being the hero in ONE film? This was a great, unique take on the female heroine role, and I appreciate the boldness behind it.
Ash went from victim to hero to deadite to hero in ED II. I didn’t feel the ending was a nice twist. It was Crow-barred in to the film. It could have ended when David set fire to the cabin. The blood rain and the ripping off of the hand and her “little” one liner were way too forced. Gore is awesome, but the original had gore MOTIVATED by the story. this was Just “gore porn”.
Finally someone who doesn’t like the ending. This should have stopped at the decision to burn down the cabin with MIA in the basement, or at least at the burial scene. MIA coming back to life, for me, is total disregardement of the evil dead franchise. Yes ash was a deadite but he wasnt fully possessed at the time and broke out of the trance himself. The only ways of curing a fully possessed one all involve death and yet they disregard the rule. The way they handled the revival scene is terrible and unnatural. Also, did they count the dog as a death because even though 5 souls are needed, only 4 humans died not counting the girl in the beginning. I honestly dont know why everyone’s praising it either. Horror means frightening scares, not just blood thrown on the screen.
I can understand why so many people have been ecstatic about evil dead being the #1 box office movie, because it goes to show that horror, and gory horror has an audience that cannot be ignored. Which is awesome. But EVIL DEAD (the real one) was a slightly different breed from the rest of the pack. Its creativity, motivation and execution was beyond the sum of its parts. Beyond its budget. It was a perfect storm of enthusiasm, McGuyverism, story, gore, naivete, and the right amount of bad acting in a good way. It was from the heart of Sam, Rob, Bruce, and everyone involved both on screen and off. And it can’t be reproduced by any other director or cast… ever. Trying to remake/reboot something that has meant so much to so many including my self will always feel like a betrayal even in the smallest ways, and that is unfortunately the reality. None of us should get defensive or angry because other fans don’t feel the same about, or agree with us on the issue of the remake. Personally I do not like this new one and probably never will. I will continue to voice my opinion, and preference on seeing EVIL DEAD 4 FOREVER!!!! with Ash/Bruce FOREVER!!! MUAH HA HA!
EVIL DEAD was a lot of fun! The little twist at the end, I wasn’t a huge fan of, but really liked the approach to the horror class!! BRAVO!
PS. Stay ’til the end of credits!!!
Classic*
Before I begin my review, I want to stress that I am not a huge fan of the original Evil Dead. I do like it and I will admit that there are certain parts that are truly great, but I don’t agree with the longstanding comment that it’s the “scariest film ever made”. It WAS innovative for its time but recent horror films have overdone the weak jump scare factor, so by the time I finally saw the film I knew what was going to happen. With that being said, Fede Alvarez’s remake of Evil Dead is phenomenal. I would dare go as far to say that I like it more than the original film.
*SLIGHT SPOILERS BELOW*
I only have a few pick points with this film, the first being that the dialogue and acting in the first fifteen or so minutes is pretty weak. Secondly, I can’t lie when I say that I was disappointed in the infamous tree rape scene. The black tentacle was creepy, but we all know what should have happened. Third, I really wish we saw more of the possessed Mia under the trapdoor. If I recall correctly, we only see her once.
But that’s all I can complain about. I loved the Deadite Natalie attack with the nail gun as well as the fight with David and Deadite Mia. The gore was done well and the jump scares were pretty effective at times. I was wincing and shielding my eyes several times, mainly when Natalie cut her arm off and Mia ripped her hand from beneath the jeep. (How a film this brutal got an R rating escapes me.) I like the original ideas the film uses rather than retreading the course of the original film. Had the film makers given me a shot-for-shot replica of the ’81 film with better effects I would have been pissed.
All in all, Evil Dead is a blast. The first few minutes with the main cast may turn you off a bit but stay in your seats and you’ll get exactly what you’re hoping for. I can’t wait for the unrated Blu-ray version so we can see exactly what they had to cut!
This movie I have been anticipating for months now and I was not disappointed at all I mean the gore was off the chain and I watched a pregnant lady walk out with her bf and I don’t believe they came back after a gory scene.. I love this movie I can’t wait till this comes out on DVD Im gonna watch it over and over and over and over again.. I agree with BD review the characters were kinda stale, the 3 main characters were amazing in the film they had great chemistry but the other 2 girls just seemed like they had no chemistry with any of the 3 main characters… This movie is highly recommended for audience that needs and wants a bloody f’n mess you will get your thirst quenched and wait for the end it ain’t much but possibly things to come !!!??
Evil Dead made a big mistake by having a bold statement printed in large letters across its poster, saying THE MOST TERRIFYING FILM YOU WILL EVER EXPERIENCE. Unfortunately for the more experienced horror fans this film is not that terrifying, with not much true scares delivered, to me it failed in that department.
When I first saw the original The Evil Dead I was in 6th grade and I remember really being spooked by it and could never get that pencil in the ankle part out of my head. I think The Evil Dead was the first really gory movie I’ve ever seen at the time and made me love horror films even more and really check out the classics. The acting in the original was laughably bad, but in an entertaining and charming sort of way, with a charismatic protagonist Bruce Campbell as the iconic Ash. Of all the old horror films I’ve seen in the past The Evil Dead wasn’t a true favorite of mine, Poltergeist is still number 1 on that list, which is also being remade to my dismay. The original also hasn’t aged too well either and watching it now is more for laughs than anything else, but I always admired its atmosphere and DIY gory and brilliant practical effects. You can’t deny that The Evil Dead much like Halloween before it, paved a way for horror films and unknown horror filmmakers trying to make a breakthrough, it made a lasting impact for sure.
The new Evil Dead isn’t a horrible remake and in fact it’s the most loyal and not watered down ones out there and amps the violence and gore up to the brilliant extreme! It gives several nods to the original but makes it its own, some scenes though happen too fast and there wasn’t enough suspense and I never thought I would say this but the pace was way too fast making the experience all too predictable. I absolutely loved the look of the new Evil Dead atmosphere; it stays true to the original’s atmosphere but polishes it to perfection. The remake doesn’t surpass or improve and fix the originals problems but didn’t quite fall below it either; it can proudly stand side by side. This isn’t groundbreaking again or will help the horror genre move forward but it could of been way worse. Also the last 10 minutes of the film was insane and much better than the first half.
The acting for the most part was uneven but an improvement over the original. This is Jane Levy’s movie though, she delivers a memorably creepy and to me breakthrough performance as Mia, who is fighting a heroin addiction and agrees to go to a remote cabin in the woods with her brother and friends to finally kick this shameful habit to the curb for good. Right away strange things start to happen, which leads to the discovery of the book of the dead and the controversial and still uncomfortable tree rape scene, which isn’t as prolonged this time around but just as sadistic. The evil dead soon takes over Mia’s body and all hell breaks loose and blood covers the screen. Jane Levy is really put through the ringer in this film and has such a challenging and layered role to take on and she succeeds in flying colors. Jane stole every scene she was in and her character is the only one worth rooting for, as the other characters seem like cardboard cutouts of unsuspecting horror film victims. A new scream queen is born and that’s Jane Levy! Shiloh Fernandez who plays Mia’s brother David, Lou Taylor Pucci who plays Eric, Jessica Lucas who plays Olivia and Elizabeth Blackmore who plays David’s girlfriend Natalie all do their best, but their characters fell flat to me and underdeveloped to give a damn and their characters made some pretty idiotic moves and common horror movie mistakes. None of them where annoyingly distracting though and their demises were very brutal, I just wish their characters had more to do than to just serve the plot especially Jessica Lucas, who they totally underused here.
It’s pretty amazing that this is director’s Fede Alvarez first major and full-length film as it’s expertly and confidently crafted, his future as horror filmmaker looks promising as it’s permanently planted and can’t wait to see it grow. You can see his love and inspiration for the original film and with guiding hands like the original director Sam Raimi and original star Bruce Campbell who are the producers, they couldn’t do that much damage from the get-go. The writing is a different story as it all came up flat to me. Fede collaborated with Rodo Sayagues and Diablo Cody who she wrote the sleeper hit Juno and made a semi comeback with Young Adult. Diablo Cody seems to be delivering hits and misses, Juno was great, Jennifer’s Body was ok but fell flat, Young Adult was again great but once another horror movie comes along her signature sharp, witty and meaty dialogue disappears. Of all horror movies Evil Dead deserved to have that kind of dialogue, it was all just too damn serious and if you are not going to back up the bold statement in your poster at least bring on the twisted laughs and sharpness.
Overall, Evil Dead’s downfall is that it was much too over hyped and overrated much like The Cabin in the Woods. There was also a scene or two that was shown in the trailers that weren’t in the film, like for instance a possessed Mia saying, “We’re going to get you. We’re going to get you. Not another peep. Time to go to sleep” bit, which is one of my favorite creepy lines from the original film. I’m curious to see what the DVD uncut version is going to show. Most of the characters came up flat thanks to a flat screenplay but expanding the mythology of the book of the dead was intriguing and Jane Levy as Mia stole the show and came on top. They got the atmosphere, practical yet polished gore effects down to a T that was gloriously brilliant and intense in some scenes. I never felt the terror, fear, and suspense, excitement that the amazing trailer brought to me but maybe this is a start of something much greater in the future if they continue this new saga. For now I wouldn’t call it an unnecessary remake but also never made a great point to exist either but for the sake of gore and lots of it. Wait for DVD where the uncut version will be hopefully available.
Couple of almost spoilers…Gory, yes. Scary, no. IMO, the two creepiest bits (both lines from possessed Mia)were in the extended red band trailer and cut from the final release. “We’re gonna get you…” not in the film. “Cut it! Cut it!” is replaced. On the upside, the makeup is phenomenal. The acting is serviceable, however, Jane Levy is fantastic. I think the non-stop relentless pace hurt the film…
When we got home, we immediately put on the original. Yeah, it’s low budget and campy, but it’s just paced perfectly. A lot of build and release, build and release. This new film is like getting kicked in the scrotum over and over again. You don’t really feel the third and fourth kick. Call me crazy, but there’s something about a low-tech pencil stab to the ankle that is far more terrifying than a nail gun. That, and Ellen Sandweiss as Cheryl under the floor still gives me nightmares. Overall, I really wanted to love the film but just couldn’t get past my own overblown expectations.
The trailer for this looked amazing. I have to say I was disappointed in the movie itself. The makeup was good and the illustrations in the book were cool. The plot and characters were anything but. Too many elements I have seen a million times before. Here’s hoping “You’re Next” doesn’t disappoint.
Fans of Sam Raimi’s 1981 horror flick “The Evil Dead” have undoubtedly felt apprehensive about the recent reboot of the series. However, as a devoted Deadite myself I can assure those fans, Fede Alvarez’s reimagining is well worth the hype it’s been building for the past two years.
“Evil Dead” brings us a new premise, new characters and new special effects that create a film capable of standing on its own, so viewers who haven’t seen the original needn’t be concerned. The film centers on Mia (played by Jane Levy), a recovering heroin addict who is staking out in a cabin with her friends in an attempt to quit the stuff cold turkey. The film starts with a bang and really never gives the audience a chance to breathe before plunging back into the brutal violence and endless gore that makes up the bulk of the story.
What I really enjoyed about “Evil Dead” is the fact that, although the film is heavy on blood and guts, character development is never sacrificed for gore. Every character is unique – there are no “stock characters” to be found. Shiloh Fernandez and Lou Taylor Pucci bring strong performances as Mia’s estranged brother David and her best friend Eric, respectively. There is real emotion between the characters, which is something I feel the original “Evil Dead” lacked. Also absent from this new “Evil Dead” is the humor of the original, with the filmmakers instead going for a darker version.
Overall, “Evil Dead” is an unrelenting thrill ride. There is so much to look at on screen (what you can look at without cringing away, that is) and the imagery is striking. This is a horror film that will stick with you, and it definitely lives up to its advertising tagline, “The most terrifying film you will ever experience.”
No, this movie did have unintentional humor just like the original did (with Ash being thrown like a ragdoll constantly into bookshelves)…and the funniest thing in this remake was the “Duct Tape”. It was the unsung hero of the movie…and it was hilarious. Also, the part when Natalie wants to remove buckshot and says “I have Tweezers in my purse”. Finally, the comments by Eric about how they keep saying everything is going to be fine but everything is getting worse…and “does that sound fine to you”…that was classic.
Okay, so I was ready to rail at the film. I was sitting in the theater preparing myself to be absolutely pissed about another remake wrecking the spirit of the original. I went with a group of about 11 other people. We ranged from those really into the genre to those who came because everyone else was going. At the end, all of us agreed that we liked it.
The thing is, I didn’t think it was scary…but I fall into the range of “she who watches nothing but horror”. Two of my friends had their eyes covered for some of the film and a guy friend took off his glasses to make it through. Chickens.
In any case I was really very satisfied with where they took this remake/re-imagining/sequel/prequel/what the hell ever. I had a little trouble at first because I was looking very intently for the “Ash” character. I was not disappointed in who they chose to fill the hero role, but I was disappointed that there was no actual “Ash”. For me, the name feels iconic and forever attached. That’s a pretty shallow complaint though.
It felt unfinished, which I think is my biggest complaint. If it is just a remake then I guess I am a little disappointed. If its a sequel then I am super jazzed. There were so many little things that felt like Easter Eggs you know? Things that make me want to believe that its a sequel.
Either way, this movie deserves a sequel and when it gets one I will be warming a seat in the theater on opening day.
It is not and cannot be a sequel…mainly because the cabin is different…the cellar is different…and mainly the book and it’s design and pages are completely different from the original.
This is in my opinion a reboot…plain and simple. Just with some fan nods to the original movie thoughtout…but that does not mean it is a sequel…just fan-nod easter-eggs like the post credit’s scene. Nothing related…just for fun for original Evil Dead fans.
The new Evil Dead film by Fede Alverez isn’t exactly a remake…it’s more like a re-birth…a re-imagining…or as I like to call it: a RE-ANIMATION.
Even after its release and MAJOR box office success there are still some fans of the original films and some regular movie goers (whom most of these fancy-pants think they are film critics when they tend to know two things about film: Jack and sh!t..and Jack left town..) who either still have no interest in seeing this film, or after seeing it are a bit disgruntled and unhappy.
In this review I’m going to explain why as a huge hardcore fan of the original films and as a “critic” why this movie is worth seeing.
I’ll mark any spoilers off with “SPOILER ALERT” and when its over end with “END SPOILERS”
But first…a little background on the original Evil Dead films:
BACKGROUND (skip down to “ACTUAL REVIEW” for the self explanatory)
In the 70s Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Rob Tapert set out to make the scariest horror film ever with just a very small budget. A film that was meant to be brutally shocking and violent. The Ultimate Experience in Grueling Terror. And they succeeded, for that film was deemed so over the top it wasn’t even released until 1981, and even then it didn’t have a wide theatrical release like movies do today. Eventually Sam and Co. went on to make 2 sequels which each differed in tone compared to the first: Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, which was a horror/comedy film. A “Splatstick” type of movie (which many confuse it to be a remake of the first when it is in fact a sequel) and a third film Army of Darkness which has a drastically different tone than the first two. Its more of an action-comedy than a horror film.
After the original three films classic-cult success the series turned into something of a franchise spawning various video games, comicbooks (which are still published today. One comic is even a sequel to the “Freddy V.S JAson film titled: “Freddy V.S Jason V.S Ash”) t-shirts, and action figures. Bruce Campbell (and his infamous character Ashley J. Williams) went on to become a pop culture icon among horror fans and Same Raimi has become famous director having made 3 major moon pictures based off the Marvel comics hero Spider-Man,and creating a film adaptation of one of the Wizard of Oz stories “Oz the Great and Powerful”.
For years fans have wanted a fourth installment of the Evil Dead series in movie form. Begging and pleading for Sam Raimi to take them one another wild ride filled with blood, guts humor, and Ash slaying Deadites with his chainsaw and boomstick. For a while it seemed like we wouldn’t be getting another Evil Dead film. Until 2011 when it was officially announced that the original Evil Dead was going to be remade…..Fans screamed in outrage out of fear and disgust, but with each bit of news, many began to calm down and accept the new film. And with good reason:
It was announced the film would be a straight horror film like the ORIGINAL (FYI for all you so-called “fans” who complain about the serious tone of the new film..re-watch the first Evil Dead…it’s not funny…at all. Sam himself said it was intended to be scary and it is. Only thing humorous about it is the cheesy campiness of it. Thats all).
The film would not include the Ash character whatsoever (Again..addressing those who whined: “No Ash, no cash” think about it..as a “remake” would you really want to see the character Ash played by anyone other than Bruce Campbell himself?).
The film would have a bigger budget than the original (basically like a “What if Sam, Bruce and Rob had a budget to make Evil Dead more like they envisioned it to be?”) but not as large as many major motion pictures of today, which means you could basically say it’s a modern low-budget horror film in a sense.
Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Rob Tapert, who were all producers of the original film, are producers for this movie. They still own the rights to Evil Dead and it wasn’t a studio that said “hmmmmm were outta ideas so what movie can we do a remake of now? Hmmm……” No. Sam Raimi HIMSELF decided to “remake” Evil Dead and hand iced Fede Alvarez to write and Direct it.
The cast was made up of unknowns like the original. Sure they had worked on stuff before and SOME people knew of them/are fans of them..but they aren’t well-known A-listers like you see in the news all the friggin time.
Practical effects were being used rather than tons of CGI ( it was said that there was ZERO CGI in this film by man attached to the film however some fans call “B.S” on that…more on that later)
All that in more, helped fans become more and more interested in the remake of what some consider the Holy Grail of horror films.
ACTUAL REVIEW
So, is this movie any good? Does it deliver on the advertised tagline “The most Terrifying Film You Will Ever Experience”?
It depends on the person.
Ever since I saw the original Evil Dead I personally have gained an interest in horror films but have yet to see many of the popular and infamous hour films people deem extremely scary. I cans ay however of the ones I have seen (which are still quite a few. both older and newer) none of the films I’ve seen thus far have actually scared me like the original Evil Dead. That is until I saw this movie.
Depending on who you are you will either genuinely be freaked the eff out while seeing this movie or you will feel its not scary at all due to be desensitized from so many other films you’ve watched. I personally like to pretend as if I’m actually IN the film either as one of the main characters or as if I’m my own character experiencing the terror right along with everyone else. IT helps a lot actually to get more invested in whats happening. And makes the experience that more terrifying.
The film starts off with a bang and then after the intro title moves a little slow when setting up the characters and plot. Most people would complain about how slowly things move before the book is found and read from BUT think about it: The film HAS to set up the characters and whats going on. Otherwise people would complain about a flat plot and zero character development…OHHH WAIT some people did that anyway…I’ll go more in-depth about that soon enough…
once the first character becomes possessed and all Hell is unleashed the film is one crazy friggin roller coaster ride of blood and gore that is unrelenting and just death grips you and doesn’t let you go until the very last moment of the film. IT quite honestly becomes a series of shocking horror after horror after horror with each moment more brutal and shockingly violent than the last.
As a fan of the original series while watching this movie you can’t help but realize that Fede himself is a huge fan and sprinkles nods both small and large to all three films (but mainly the first) here and there. Literally from the start of the film, to the after credit scene, the film is FULL of references to the original series but not so much that it distracts from the film itself and its originality.
One of the main things I loved about this movie is that its almost like Deja Vu in the sense that here is a guy making his first feature-film debut and its a horror film. Fede is essentially like a new Sam Raimi but doesn’t try to copy what Sam did with the original film. Instead he takes wheat Sam did and expands upon it making his own movie while staying true and respectful to the heart and soul of the original. Mixed with a fantastic soundtrack by Roque Banos, Fede uses interesting camera angles and effects to create feelings of dread, anxiousness, and fear at all the right moments, and paces the script brilliantly with a nice blend of horror, humor, and plot/character development.
Speaking of the plot and characters:
The plot is much like the original film:
Five friends go to a cabin in the woods (btw the film “Cabin in The Woods” is a parody of the original Evil Dead for those who didn’t know) where they discover a Book of the Dead and unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods that posses them in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival.
The main difference(s)?
The original film, being an 80s movie, can be viewed as a flat, cheesy, sometimes boring film with zero character development. Depending on how you look at it and who you are.
I personally love the film but have to admit its a typical cheesy 80s horror flick that has a decent plot and very little if any character development at all aside from Ash being a coward and manning up towards the end.
Unlike the original film, in this one the kids have a legit reason for going to the cabin other than to just “party down”. In this film one of the characters, Mia, is attempting to kick her addiction to heroin with the help of her big brother David and their friends which consist if Davids girlfriend Natalie, and Mia and David’s mutual childhood friends Olivia and Eric.
We learn that the cabin itself is actual the childhood family cabin of David and Mia.
As the story begins and unfolds we learn that David had moved away from his sister and friends a long time ago in order to escape his mother’s mental health issues. His sister Mia, as mentioned before, used a different method of escape: drugs.
Upon his return he brings along his girlfriend Natalie, who in the film is mostly just kind of there and not really featured but in an early draft of the script (which I’ll provide a link to) has much more development and is even engaged to David. We get the sense that David has been absent for quite sometime through the greetings he receives from Olivia, who is the nurse for Mia through the whole ordeal, Mia, who is shock dDavid actually showed up, and especially Eric, the high school teacher and inquisitive douche bag that just couldn’t leave the damn book alone, who throughout most of the film is quite pissed-off at David for running away and basically ditching them.
Without getting too spoiler heavy, as the film progresses David goes from being the coward who runs away from problems instead of facing them, to the guy who grows a pair and finally decides to do what he’s gotta do (even if it is a little too late) and more or less admits he was wrong for running away instead of facing the situation and being there for his sister and their mom in the first place.
Eric goes from being the complete asshole who wants little to nothing to deal with David, to finally in a sense forgiving him and letting him know how much he missed him in the end.
Mia goes from being the junkie who is reluctant to kick her habit to the crazy demon possessed girl who drives everyone nuts to
SPOILER ALERT
the kick-ass girl who comes out sober and stronger once free of the possession having killed the physical manifestation of the Evil Dead( the abomination).
END SPOILER
Olivia’s development is that of going from a “registered nurse” who thinks she knows what she is doing but once things get way too out of hand begins to realize she is in over her head (again, even if it is a little too late)
Natalie unfortunately is just kinda there. Her development is weak in the film itself and she is basically just the concerned girlfriend who tries to help and get along with her boyfriends friends and sister.
The actors themselves truly bring their A-game in this film. From Jane Levy, the star of the film, to Elizabeth Blackmore, who despite her character not being featured enough, most reviews don’t give her enough credit for working with what she had.
Jane Levy plays Mia and is EXTREMELY convincing as the tortured girl suffering from withdrawals, the crazy demon possessed monster who wants to kill everyone, and
SPOILER ALERT
the sole survivor who ends up kicking major Deadite butt in the film’s climax.
END SPOILER
When she is possessed, boy is Jane absolutely scary. Make-up effects can only do so much, the rest is all up to the actor, and lemme tell ya, Jane was terrifying! She was just fantastic.
That’s not to say the other actors didn’t do a good job when their were in Deadite mode either.
Jessicca Lucas as Olivia was jus as frightening when she was possessed and
SPOILER ALERT
was cutting her face off with a piece of glass, screaming like a banshee, and stabbing Eric over and over and over.
END SPOILER
She did a good job portraying the caring friend who tried to nurse Mia during her withdrawal symptoms but was clearly in over her head even if she was a “registered nurse”.
Elizabeth Blackmore, who despite not having much to work with, did quite well with her character. During intense frightening scenes she seemed genuinely scared and OMFG at the scene where
SPOILER ALERT
her hand is possessed and rotting and she cuts it off with an electric kitchen knife, -shudders- so gruesome and her reactions to everything going on felt real.
and then when she was possessed and shooting Eric and David with the nail gun..oh man that was a freaky effed up sequence.
END SPOILER
I just wish her character was as well developed in the final cut of the film as she was in the early draft of the script is all.
Lou Taylor Pucci was just great as Eric. From his facial expressions, to the delivery of his lines, Lou did a grate job portraying the sarcastic jerk who reads from the book and also serves as the comedic relief. You can feel his pain every time he gets brutally beaten by a deadeye to the point where you almost feel bad for him.
Shilo Fernandez was awesome as David. Again, I wish things from the early draft of the script would have stayed for the final cut of the film, but Shilo worked with what he had and he brought it. You get the sense that he truly does feel bad for ditching his friends through the corse of the film and is a bit cowardly at first but then towards the end mans up and does what he can to get things through.
One particular scene I felt he rally shined through was
SPOILER ALERT
He finally realizes he needs to kill Mia in order to give her peace and end the nightmare but right as he is about to set her on fire, she begins to sing a lullaby their mother use to sing and you can just see it in his face as the tears begin to swell how conflicted he is. He knows what he HAS to do, but he is so tortured he can’t go through with it. At least not EXACTLY how the book describes it.
END SPOILER
All in all I thought the cast did a fantastic job as each of their characters.
The film had a great plot that is not nearly as flat as some have described it.
There is ACTUAL character development.
The music fit perfectly with each scene.
The camera work was awesome.
The special effects were fantastic in every single scene. As for whether or not there truly was ZERO CGI it’s hard to tell exactly. I know from watching behind the scenes footage some of the stuff that looked like CGI was actually practical. But I can neither confirm nor deny that there honestly was absolutely no CGI. I personally will try to find out either by asking Fede himself or watching more BTS footage once the film is released on DVD and Blu-Ray.
In terms of the blood and gore, holy frigid chainsaw, does this film deliver on the gore, and then some.
How this film scored an “R” rating without cutting too much out is beyond me (originally it received an “NC-17″, but SOME stuff was cut to receive an “R”). The bloody and gory scenes are so over the top I couldn’t help but cringe and even grab the parts of my body that were being harmed on screen.
As for references to the original films…oh man there are too man to even list and this review is long enough as it is. I can say including the obvious, and the somewhat obscure references, there are at least 30 different nods to the first three films.
Bottom line this is the American horror film the industry needed and that horror fans have been waiting for…not that sissy PG-13 crap that isn’t even horror but just suspenseful and thrilling…No this is TRUE horror at its finest folks.
Go see this movie and see it with a crowd, bring your friends, no matter how much of a sissy they may be. This film is meant to be enjoyed in a theater with a large group of people.
It’s one GROOVY ride!
Man, you basically almost described the entire movie story and events in your review…the entire thing show have been a Spoiler Alert. LOL!
But seriously though, I am a huge fan of the original first Evil Dead movie. THAT movie still to me is the most terrifying movie EVER made. But you should know that already if your read my Bloody Disgusting Reader review and comparison between the reboot movie and the original version. (Here for those of you who didn’t check it out: http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3224357/reader-review-scorpionsy-compares-the-new-evil-dead-with-the-original/). But it was not scary to me and others because of the gore…not at all. It was because of the creepy music, Deadite makeup (especially Cellar Cheryl) and Deadite characters/personalities. It is because of the freaky music and the claustrophobic/alone feeling that this reboot was lacking and was it’s major flaw. And also amazing Camera angles and shots that even this reboot could not replicate in originality and style.
I am a critic too as much as a hardcore horror fan..especially when it comes to Evil Dead territory..my favorite horror movie ever…I will criticize it to death if it is not up to expectations. This reboot was blood and gory and an excellent fun ride…but was NOT scary. I cannot believe you call yourself a horror fan and you got scared by this movie (disgusted or grossed out…i can understand but scared by this gore-fest? Really?). Fede did a good attempt with the movie but failed in the main element of FEAR and TERROR. Oh and by saying…SPOILER ALERT…that Mia kicked major deadite butt in the end is incorrect…she was escaping most of the end scene…she just had enough at the end and then reacted to the abomination. So…only 1 deadite was taken care of by her…where as Ash who was a coward took on 3 Deadites in multiple scenes (Linda…both forms…Cheryl….then Cheryl and Scott in the end). Don’t compare Mia to Ash…who REALLY kicked Deadite butt near the end of the original. Most people are blinded by the whole BLOOD RAIN background in the final scene…take away that and you have have a scared girl running away from a Deadite clone of herself (who should have been a proper abomination like the script with different faces and body parts of all the victims/souls…another fail in the makeup department.) and she just got lucky with the chainsaw…in fact David felt more like Ash all the way till he was done (and done by his choice too)……END SPOILERS.
To answer your inquiry about the use of CGI…yes the movie did use CGI….SPOILER ALERT…the first drop of blood falling on to Mia’s hand at the end scene was 100% CGI…you can see that clip in the raw from the B-Roll footage that was released …they hung a camera that was dropping slowly from above Mia holding her hand out (with the neclace) while the camera was twisting and focusing mainly on Mia’s hand. That scene just had the blood drop added by CGI later. ….SPOILERS END.
Also, they used CGI to enhance the practical effects by removing background images …like shown in the B-Roll footage also with the Arm cutting scene. That was not the actresses arm that was twitching as she was about to cut it off…it was this other girl (hiding behind the actress (as if behind the sink’s lower cupboard) with her infected arm makeup twitching…while the actress had her arm behind her and the upper arm and shoulder were prosthetics that was where she cut with the electric knife…both prosthetic upper arm (and a blood tube) and the hidden stunt F/X lady’s arm were separate from the beginning. When you watch the scene in the movie…CG was used to clean up the background behind and underneath the arm as it was being cut…so you could say it was enhanced with CGI. The same thing with the Tongue splitting scene…there was a black taped tube on the side of her mouth that was cleaned up and removed by CGI (that pre-CGI cleanup scene is actually in the Red-Band trailer if you look closely…as they forgot to remove the tube until someone noticed it in the trailer). So the answer is YES CGI was used to enhance the practical effects in the movie.
We have a girl. A girl with an addiction to drugs. Mia (Jane Levy) decides to better herself and quit her addiction cold turkey. With the help of her brother David (Shiloh Fernandez) and her friends, she is determined to get through the withdrawal process once and for all. They choose a remote cabin deep in the woods with no outside influence to help Mia recover. While cleaning up the cabin, Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci), one of Mia’s friends, finds a book and decides to read it. Not knowing the evil he is about to unleash, Eric reads the book out loud. The fight for survival now begins.
Not really sure where to take this one. I am kind of on the fence. Director Fede Alvarez teeter totters from a brilliant really dark horror movie to an average film. I believe if he would have stayed on track with the way the movie started out and focused on the darker side of evil, he would have had a masterpiece.
The character development was sparse. We picked up bits and pieces about the characters as the movie went on but nothing that really impacted how the story was told. Even with the lack of background, the actors did very well. Their reactions to what transpired were very believable and true. Shiloh Fernandez could have played a stronger character. He lacked the take charge attitude a lead actor should have and kind of got lost in with the others at times but overall they all did decent.
Any GORE fans out there? Well we have some gore for you! Minus one scene, Fede Alvarez kept the gore coming. He was able to throw more and more gore into this movie without making it a grindhouse featurette. It was very well done, believable and as tasteful as gore can get.
I also want to give credit to the entire makeup department. I absolutely loved the disfigurements they came up with and were able to put together. The cuts, bruises, missing limbs and hacked-up faces were outstanding looking. I am looking forward to the special features on Blu-ray for this.
I did not compare any part of this to the original Evil Dead as I believe every movie should have a fair shake. I found the movie very enjoyable to watch. The way the demon plays with the characters and unique gore scenes are a huge draw. What the movie lacks in story and guidance, it makes up for in cinematography and good ole fashion gore.
LOL maybe I should have put “SPOILER ALERT” over everything.
In fact SPOILERS AHEAD for this whole post lol:
And yes I read your review, and I have to strongly disagree with you on many points mainly because your nostalgia and fandom for the original Evil Dead makes it nearly impossible to enjoy the new film as much as you could have.
I already explained in-depth how it was possible for me to be scared during the film. And technically flinching jumping in your seat is considered as being scared by many people.
You mean to honestly tell me you didn’t jump in your seat AT ALL during the film? Not for a single scene? I don’t buy that lol. I read the script and listened to the soundtrack over a month before attending an advance screening and I STILL got freaked out.
I don’t think its fair to have judge every nook and cranny of the new film so harshly like you did. Even if you do consider yourself a “critic”.
The make up effects were actually pretty damn good in this film. Mia looked worse and worse as the film went on and the “sit”-like eyes honestly I prefer over just the blank white ones. I’ve seen the blank white eyes used plenty of times and I’ve only seen the “sit” eyes used for..well..siths. the make up on Olivia, Natalie, and Eric were pretty damn good too and creepy. At the end of it all it mostly relies on the actor’s performance. MAke-up can only cary the creepy factor so far. And each actor did an excellent job as a Deadite.
It wasn’t fair to compare completely to TWD make-up effects (which, if ya didn’t know, are primarily done by Gregg Nicotero) cause those guys are zombies who have been dead and rotting for days, months, and weeks. These guys in ED have only been dead for like a few minutes to a couple of hours. So the make-up effects are gonna be drastically different. In terms of being perfectly fine after being freed from possession that only happened once in the film and that was after Mia was buried alive.
True Fede said the film was meant to be more grounded and less supernatural but cut them some slack at the end of the day its still a supernatural film. Roll with it bro! (And asking which looked scarier with picture comparisons also wasn’t entirely fair since the way the scenes actually looked in the film visually looked creepier due to adjustments of lighting and contrast etc. compared to trailer screen caps..also in terms of having realistic make up effects, the new film succeeded in creating a slightly creepier look than the original)
To say the music was only “OK” is just ludicrous. The music did a great job at accenting the calm and frighteningly intense moments throughout the film.
In terms of me saying Mia kicked Deadite butt. Uhm She did. Just cause she didn’t fight multiple Deadites at once like Ash and she spent most of her time running away at first didn’t mean she didn’t kick butt. After all when she ran away it was when she sins’ have a weapon. and when she did she wasn’t in a position to fight…like literally….not only that she needed time to get the chainsaw to work (also the way she dispatched the Abomination was definitely more kick ass than the original film, although to be fair its more like Ash vs Henrietta in ED2).
This actually CAN be compared to Ash seeing as how he was a wuss throughout most of the film and was freaking out like crazy whenever somebody got possessed. In the final battle he had to close, lock, and barricade the doors after he ran out of ammo for the shotgun. He was scared and RAN through the house. He then hurried down stairs to get more ammo then returned to the living room still scare out of his mind but ready to fight. (Speaking of Deadites, you were mistaken in your review…Mia isn’t the only Deadite to speak but she was the only talkative one)
Ash wasn’t THAT much of the bad ass you make him out to be in the original film. And wasn’t truly badass till the end of Evil Dead 2.
In terms of changes from the script I agree it sucks they altered certain things and cut stuff out but hey thats showbiz. Here is hoping we get all those cool scenes on the blu-ray.
In terms of CGI, yes, I saw the b-roll. multiple times, and even watched other bits of BTS footage. I don’t think digitally removing stuff is considered CGI..CGI =computer generated imagery. meaning the objects and environments would be completely made up of computer graphics. Taking REAL imagery and using it in post via the computer to be but in place of something isn’t really CGI.
As far as the blood drop on the pendant. I can’t fully agree or disagree. For all we know a device could have been mounted to the camera and timed to release a drop of blood as the camera defends. (Far fetched but hey it could happen). However I will agree the effect did look like CGI, but so did some the blood when Natalie cuts her arm off and that was all practical.
I think the confusion comes from the fact that Fede meant there was no CGI for effects that could be done practical. He did say “NO CGI” but I believe he was really referring to all the effects that he wanted to be as real as possible.
Others like JAne herself said she was sure there was SOME CGI.
In all honesty it doesn’t bother me personally. After all in today’s world we can tell when something is done with crappy CGI. And sometimes not EVERY SINGLE EFFECT can be done 100% practical without looking a little wonky.
Only scenes that looked like CGI were the slimy thorny vine coming out of the Deadite clone of Mia’s mouth. SOME of the blood coming out of Natalie’s shot off arm. And the blood drop on the pendant.
In terms of trying to replicate everything of the original thats just silly to want that in this film.
Why the hell would you want a remake/reboot/re-imagining/re-birth/re-animation of a CLASSIC horror film you love so much to be spot-on shot for shot, scene for scene, line for line, cue for cue, yadda yadda for yadda yadda JUST like the original?
There’d be no point…you’d might as well just watch the original.
Which is why this film IS awesome. It’s not a straight remake. Even though its essentially Sam, Rob, and Bruce making their movie again, for a wider audience, in modern times with modern tech and a bigger budget, they do it vicariously through Fede Alvarez.
And true to the spirit of the original film, its a first time director whose previous work had been short films.
And instead of trying to replicate every little thing Sam did,
Fede makes references to Sam’s style and many other elements of the original series while putting his own stamp and unique flavor/spin on it.
He may not have crazy out there camera angles like Sam did. (my favorite camera angle(s) in the original was during the start of the climax where Ash looks at the clock, closes the cellar door, turns, and starts walking towards the mirror. I loved the angles in that shot/sequence)
Fede still did a very coo job with the POV scenes and there was still a slight low grumbling noise.
Some of the camera angles and force-perspective effects during scenes were unique.
The Deadites in the first film used weapons almost, if not just as much as the did in this film. only times a weapon WASN’T used in the original were:
The start of Shelly’s attack.
Linda when she rose from her grave
And Scottie.
The Evil Dead was my #1favorite horror film of all time as well. Even after the numerous horror films I had seen over the years since, it was still #1.
However, NOSTALGIA ASIDE (cause really at the end of the day thats what causes people to be in the mindset of “the original of -insert franchise here- is ALWAYS the best..NOTHING will ever surpass the original! Damn anybody who tries or thinks differently!” Nostalgia) THIS Evil Dead film has officially become my favorite horror film. IT’s NOT perfect, but it’s damn near it. Nostalgia factored in? Both the original AND it’s re-animation are tied for #1.
I know you may now have a sting dislike for my viewpoint and quite possibly me myself but thats ok.
We are passionate hardcore fans who truly LOVE The Evil Dead franchise and have our own likes and dislikes of certain aspects of it. No one person is right cause its all opinion (unless of course somebody waves their opine like its a fact and their opine is based on something they are confused/mis-informed about lol,)
This film SUCCEEDED in doing what Sam, Rob, and Bruce originally intended to do with the original: Be scary and extremely shocking, brutal and violent.
Bashing the film for doing it’s job its just absurd.
And one off the main reasons why I feel this film ended up surpassing the original is Sam Raimi and Bruce themselves feel that way and they wanted the film to do so. IF they didn’t want it to or didn’t think it could there would have been absolutely no point in making this film.
Sam wanted a new experience based off his original film to be brought to life for audiences to enjoy.
And this film DELIVERS!
It was GROOVALICIOUS!
my bad my reply went in the wrong window..stupid lag.
This is a fun movie.
Fede Alvarez has done an excellent job for his first big motion picture. I appreciate the natural talent this guy has for visceral cinematography, the film is beautifully shot. Toss in delicious practical effects and you have something real special — I seriously hope future horror follows the same.
I really liked the concept/metaphor of drug addiction with demonic possession and how it played out, it grounded the movie some for me. Some of the acting was tepid, but it did not distract from the whole for me too much. Mia and Lou Taylor Pucci were great in their roles, and I thought everyone did good when it came to the gore.
The score was fun too, and I was happy to hear some reminiscence atmospheres/inclusions of the originals in it — cinematography of course also had a hand in doing the same. Evil Dead I feel stands on its own apart from the original to a certain respect. The whole tone and practicality at which it approaches the story/unfolding of events, reigns it in some from the spontaneity of the original into a more serious mold.
Some of me missed that spontaneity, and would have liked to see a lot more crazy than what was given. Not that it lacked crazy, but I would have liked to see more — I await the uncut BR/DVD release. Loved the film and look forward to the sequel — which of course will have to out-preform the first!
/evil grin
Groovy.
A new horror classic!!!!!!!!
I thought this was a pretty decent remake/sorta kinda sequel to the original classic. I didn’t love it, but I don’t hate it. The gore and special effects were great! The setting and atmosphere were very creepy, but it’s not ‘the most terrifying film you will ever experience’ A group of friends are meeting up at a cabin to help Mia quit her drug problem, cold turkey. When Eric reads from the Necronomicon (in this film, it’s called Naturom Demonto) all hell breaks loose, unleashing demons to possess the souls of the group. There were a few scenes that made me cringe. If you want a bloody gory creepy good time, you’ll love EVIL DEAD!!!
CommentHardly deserving of all its praise. Evil Dead is much more a Evil Dead 2 remake than the very beginning Evil Dead. Gory fun but never scary. The best part is why they are there in the first place. Could have made for one scary hallucinogenic road to hell but just gives us gory fun.
Now, let’s start off by addressing the elephant in the room. Evil Dead is not as good as the original, The Evil Dead. The original is a true classic in my opinion, although I am biased being a big horror fan. The idea of a remake intrigued me because something truly exciting could come out of the same set-up with a bigger budget and Evil Dead is that! I was hugely excited from the moment I saw the intense red band trailer which promised one hell of a horror film! Unfortunately, hopes started to deflate when Luke-warm reviews came out amidst a horde of rave reviews, so I scaled my hopes down and I’m glad I did because it isn’t as great as the trailer. It is however one of the most hardcore horror films to come out in mainstream cinema in years, so it’s no surprise that it’s been a huge box office hit in America!
What’s great about this film is that it isn’t a complete carbon copy of the original. It has new characters, new set-pieces and a whole horde of differences. This is how a remake should be approached in my opinion, as I see no point in doing something shot-for-shot such as the Psycho remake, because it’s already been done! Of course Evil Dead does feature some of the iconic scenes such as the infamous tree rape, but it’s largely approached refreshingly differently. One thing I loved was that it wasn’t about a bunch of dumb kids going to an old cabin to party at the weekend, rather about friends trying to help someone go cold turkey. This also allows for different interpretations, as it isn’t clear how much of it is in the main girl’s head.
Evil Dead thrives on its break-neck pace. The film gets into the action extremely quickly, even more quickly than the original I’d say, which is a huge plus for me. There really is not one dull moment and once the demon chaos starts, it really does not stop. It’s a non-stop thrill ride with some really exciting and memorable moments, making it a film to be watched more than once. Like the original, the film feels like an ordeal, with some extremely tense moments. Also, like the original, it isn’t afraid to shy away from the gore. It really isn’t afraid to shy away at all! It’s one of the bloodiest films I’ve seen in recent years, which makes it great fun and much more intense to watch. There’s loads of cringey moments with a finale to die for. In fact, the finale features one of the best kills I’ve seen in any horror film, almost reaching the heights of THAT kill in Frontier(s).
My only real grip with Evil Dead is that the characters weren’t particularly likable or that memorable, aside from main girl Mia. One of the great things about the original is that you could like all of the characters, but here it’s difficult to feel sorry for them when they die (which sounds like a really awful thing to say). I would’ve liked to have seen more character building during the action, to really make the film strong, however as it remains it’s still a very much above average horror film. The demons were also less memorable and far less frightening than the original, aside from the creepy Exorcist-styled demon of Mia. I also think the film would have benefited from some dark humour, as there were one or two moments of very dark humour which fitted the film well and would’ve added to its entertainment factor.
However, Evil Dead is still a pretty amazing remake, although probably not as good as Mother’s Day or Last House on the Left, you can rest assure that it’s better than the likes of The Hitcher and such. It’s refreshing to see a real horror throw-back with outstanding practical effects, instead of cheap and lazy CGI (I say cheap, it’s probably really expensive, but it looks cheap!). The amount of blood and gore is unholy, and makes for a very memorable horror film. I heavily enjoyed it, but non-horror fans will probably find it hard to like. It should certainly knock some sense into inexperienced kids who get freaked out by Paranormal 26 and the likes! I look forward to seeing it again, and it’s definitely a film every horror fan should have proudly in their collection!
If you watched me online, you would know how passionate I was to see Evil Dead (2013). I remember seeing the original when it was released in 1981. At the time the experience was like a rollercoaster ride and I recall this cherished memory like it happened recently. 32 years later and I hardly slept last night,absolute bleedinganticipation. The memory of the classic film camera shot gliding across the swampy forest, the mist and the foreboding darkness surrounding that cabin…Am I going to relive that original feeling from all those years ago?
Nine rows from the front, dead center block, with six seats either side…I’m sat right in the middle of the cinema as I always do. Then it dawned on me that I’m sitting down 35 minutes before the adverts start, let alone the bloody feature film. I’m that excited, I haven’t changed since I was a teenager – always getting to the cinema far too early because I love sitting in a large dark empty cinema space with no one else eating, talking or existing. I just wish that the music they pipe through the speakers before a film starts would set the atmosphere up for the audience…1960′s rock n’ roll doesn’t quite do it before Evil Dead. I remember going to see a double bill of Dalek films and the music before was Jean Michel Jarre’s ‘Oxygene’ album, setting the tone just right and forever being Dalek music. Earlier today in the empty cinema with time to kill – I chill and think about the original Evil Dead, I think about the recent Trailer and its hidden promise of something visually wonderful, that will hopefully thrill, shock and awe me.
The opening scene starts in a very nice gear, I like it…the introduction of the characters and cabin is right on the money. The cabins location, look and feel is wonderful, all is normal and dormant…I felt that excitement similar to when you get an unwrapped present and you just know it’s going to be an awesome gift. The actress Jane Levy who plays Mia is the stand out cast member here, her characters fragility and sense of awareness of something bad is worth the ticket price alone. Almost every other actor is fine apart from Shiloh Fernandez who plays Mia’s brother, he just needed to be a bit more charismatic instead of being dull. When the tears filled his eyes I didn’t believe him. My casting observations are not a major negative.
What was refreshing and surprised me is that this film is not a scene by scene remake, a great deal of thought and effort has taken place to offer a unique evil dish that definitely delivers before all hell brakes loose. The New Zealand woods surrounding the cabin look magical, dark magic, like a sleeping beast. The near opening aerial shot is smooth, the camera man was definitely showing off. I also love the fact all comedy is removed as well. The actual Book of the Dead is a brilliant design, full of detail, at the beginning it’s sealed with barbed wire and black plastic.
Where this film would have improved is having more scenes and shots of the woods themselves…I remember the original film had moments of the wood seeming to be alive, it was watching the cabin and the doomed cast, this would have added another layer of isolation and dread. When the evil kicks in, it well and truly does – you will witness a display of some great ideas. I wanted a couple more disturbing dialogue scenes to chill the spine, similar to the one you’ve witnessed in the Trailer when Mia says ‘You’ve got to get me out of here’. Another interesting addition would be a moment when two characters are talking, all is calm and then one of them suddenly, and for no reason, ‘spits’ in the others face – that would have been a nasty unexpected dimension. I missed that moment from the original where the possessed tease ‘where gonna get you…not another peep, time to go to sleep’. And I missed the card playing scene.Then again, like I mentioned earlier, the writers and producers worked very hard to make a modern and compelling piece of cinema and not an imitation.
My biggest let down is the contact lenses used when an actor is being possessed, more research and experimentation needed to give the possessed an appearance that would have been more creative and less repetitive from whats been done before. For example: when I was talking with my own surgeons regarding my new eyes we came up with several ideas and it took a while to get my eyes exactly how I wanted them. They were close to being similar to the ones in Evil Dead, but as you can see my chilling blue eyes are a feature that people talk about. You won’t get the audience talking about the eye effects with Evil Dead, which is a shame. The original whites of the eyes in the first film worked better.
I’m pleased Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell are two of the seven producers. By the way, make sure you wait until the credits finish. The billion dollar question is this: If there wasn’t an original Evil Dead released in 1981, what would I have thought about this film….and you know what, I honestly think it’s impossible not to compare. When the film finished I wished it scared and disturbed me and I wished the film included the music that was used in the Trailer. However, I enjoyed this ride but not the contact lenses.
bleedingcritic TM
@bleedingfilms
Loved it.
Totally wicked remake. It does the franchise justice indeed. If you haven’t seen it yet, I strongly suggest you grab your BOOMSTICK and go see it!