Five friends gear up for a weekend sojourn to a remote cabin in the middle of nowhere.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Oh wait, that was the point …
Evil Dead, remaking the groovy 1981 cult fave, is equal parts homage to and re-imagining of the campy classic that gave the world Bruce Campbell. While lacking a bit of the charm of the low-budget source material, it offers a satisfying horror experience, tipping sly winks and subtle nods to Sam Raimi’s original films, The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness.
Friends Mia, David, Eric, Olivia and Natalie meet up at a cabin in the woods for a less than cheerful weekend; Mia (Jane Levy) is once again determined to kick heroin and the rest of the gang are around to support her as she goes cold turkey. Joining her are old friends Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci), a bookish professor type, the sassy Olivia (Jessica Lucas), estranged brother David (Shiloh Fernandez) and his girlfriend Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore).
The cabin is in major disrepair, having been broken into, and, according to Mia, has this awful smell. As the gang begins to fix it up, it turns out David is a bit out of the loop. He was unable to make it to his mother’s deathbed. And he’s unaware that his sister had overdosed and was legally dead at some point, the type of thing a sibling should know. As Mia begins detoxing, the smell becomes worse. Oh shit, it’s real. Check out those awesome bloodstains under the rug that covered the entrance to the cellar. What’s that, a room full of dead cats? We should totally check it out. While we’re at it, Eric might wanna grab that weird looking book wrapped in a trash bag and barbed wire. What harm ever came from reading (aloud) from a book like that?
Demonic possession? Check
Boom stick? Oh yeah.
Chainsaw? Groovy.
Newcomer Fede Alvarez helms this reboot of the cult-cherished original slasher. His reverence for the source material is evident, and he and writer Diablo Cody masterfully blend elements from the three works without overdoing the homage or destroying the traditions of the franchise. It’s interesting to see a more serious vision of this film made with a larger budget than the average college graduate’s student loan debt.
The relatively unknown cast does a good enough job. Levy, from TV’s Suburgatory, emotes well while still in human form. Fernandez (Red Riding Hood) kills Deadites with the best of them.
Evil Dead is one of those flicks that can be enjoyable without actually being a “good movie.” It is a medley of the three source films that adds a dash of the splatter porn modern horror is known for. While no remake will ever surpass the original, this intense gore-fest will satisfy newcomers and all but the most rigid of fanboy douches.
This article appears in Apr 4-10, 2013.