“Evil Dead,” directed by Fede Alvarez, is a remake of the 1981 cult classic of the same name. Although it takes some creative license with the characters, it still holds true to the original‘s ultra-violent themes. The film’s opening features a possessed girl being burned alive by her father at the behest of a witch reading from a book bound in human flesh.The scene instantaneously excites or disgusts audience members.
Mia, played by Jane Levy, is a recovering drug addict brought to a cabin owned by her family so she can detoxify from heroin with the support of her friends. After finding the book from the film’s beginning, Eric (played by Lou Pucci), one of Mia’s friends, decides that it would be a great idea to read from it. This awakens an evil spirit that possesses Mia and turns a night of healing into the worst night of the group’s lives. The original film is a true parody of horror movies, and this translates beautifully into this modern adaptation. “Evil Dead” uses classic horror cliches to its advantage. The dead silence in high tensity scenes, as well as the use of extreme amounts of gore and blood all add to the sheer shock value which hasn’t been seen in more popular horror movies such as ‘Insidious’ or ‘Paranormal Activity.’ While the 1981 version of the film was more of a comedy that shocked viewers with torrents of blood, the 2013 remake takes itself more seriously, but it is still able to pay homage to the original.
Another strength is the use of violence. This is not a happy movie by any means, and its main audience consist of those who love to be scared or grossed out. A scene that comes to mind is when Mia, who is possessed at the time, corners Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore) and cuts herself up with a razor blade
The acting, however, noticeably weakens the quality of the film. David (Shiloh Fernandez), who is Mia’s brother, delivers cheesy dialogue and makes questionable decisions throughout the entire film that are almost comical. For instance, after locking the possessed Mia in the basement of the cabin, David suggests that she might simply need a doctor even though she has just vomited blood.
At the end of the day “Evil Dead”, is a refreshing break from the recent stream of cheesy horror movies and will probably be deemed as one of the most gory films of the year, and it’s only April.
