Evil Dead

The remake of Sam Raimi's cult classic isn't half bad. It pales in comparison to last summer's surprise hit (and I still get giddy thinking about it), Cabin in the Woods, but it had a different vibe and different execution (pun intended), while targeting the same general audience. I was happy to see that Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell were attached as producers, and Diablo Cody is an uncredited writer, although it seems a bit unnecessary. The first-time director, Fede Alvarez has that same novice charm that Sam Raimi did when he did Evil Dead. There is a bit more production value to this remake, and a lot of the tricks of the trade are recycled from the masters but that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't effective.

The story finds five young adults in a cabin in the woods. Mia (Jane Levy), is trying to kick her heroin addiction, and her estranged brother and concerned friends are there to support her through her withdrawal. Things start to unravel when a bunch of dead animals, and the book of the dead are found in the basement, causing confusion and poor decisions on all of their parts. Limbs are amputated, blood and vomit fills the screen in buckets, and razor blades, electric carvers, nailguns, and the requisite chainsaw make an appearance to up the gore factor to about an 8. This film could have easily gotten way out of hand with the blood, but I was actually a bit pleased that Alvarez restrained himself a little bit.

Jane Levy heads the cast of newcomers and unknowns as Mia, the heroin-addicted/demon-possessed woman. Nobody really stands out, but that is probably the purpose. Five unknown actors in a pseudo-low budget horror flick. Some of the typical conformities of the genre are thrown out. For instance, there aren't any half-naked women running around. Nobody makes the decision to go off on their own in the dark, and nobody outwardly refuses to believe what is going on around them.

As simple and redundant as the film is, it is pretty entertaining. Definitely a handful of gross-out moments, and a couple of jumpy scenes, but ultimately it hits the mark precisely for what it intended to do. Obviously it's not for everyone, but I wasn't shocked like I was expecting. If you're a fan of the genre, Evil Dead does justice. 7/10.