A Reel Review: EVIL DEAD

 

In 1981, director Sam Raimi brought us his horror flick THE EVIL DEAD, and its wacky horror/comedy-reboot/remake sequel  THE EVIL DEAD 2 six years later. Here in 2013, Raimi acts as a producer to EVIL DEAD; handing the reigns over to first-time director Fede Alvarez. Alvarez takes this version of the story back to its original horror roots; offering shock and scares by way of a bloodbath and leaving Raimi’s zany slapstick far behind.

Mia (Jane Levy) is taken to her families old isolated (ahem) cabin in the woods by her brother David (Shiloh Fernandez), and her friends Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci), Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore) and Olivia (Jessica Lucas); hoping that the isolated surroundings will act as a detox for her drug addiction. When the gang finds a cursed book in the cellar of the cabin, an evil spirit is unleashed which possesses Mia.

Because of the source material which this film is based off, EVIL DEAD has little choice but to follow the formula now made famous and so familiar: Young kids go somewhere spooky and isolated, unleash evil, hijinx ensues. With such predictable circumstances, director Fede Alvarez adds some new elements to keep things fresh. Mia’s detox circumstance works very well, as the characters have a reason to be at the cabin and a reason to initially dismiss Mia’s odd behavior (post-possession) as drug withdrawal. For good measure, Alvarez throws in a family dynamic between David and Mia, which adds some much needed heart and weight into the film when things get gory.

And things do get gory; limbs are severed, faces are opened up, heads are split open, tongues are split in half and literally thousands of gallons of blood are rained down. The gore and bloodspill, done by way of some very convincing practical effects, add a lot of entertainment to the film. The deaths and impalements don’t scare as much as they do shock, and fans of good horror will certainly be smiling at the creative death scenes.

However EVIL DEAD still can’t manage to escape the old formula, and the added elements eventually fall by the wayside. There is a lot to enjoy about the film but by the third act many of the new ideas have worn away and there is nothing to do but ride out the inevitable. Even if the film is being viewed by someone who had never seen the formula before, the events can still be seen from a mile away. The predictability is a drag, as just when things seem fresh and new some old territory comes along to strip it away.

Acting ranges from decent to okay across the board. Most of the characters don’t develop very much (it’s difficult to remember some of their names), and the actors don’t put a lot into the parts to make them super-memorable. The best of the lot is Jane Levy, who goes through a fair amount of physical and mental torment to make her character believable.

The question of where or how this movie falls into the original EVIL DEAD timeline is answered by way of a groovy post-credits scene, which suddenly makes the overall experience feel a lot less pointless. EVIL DEAD is one-part thrilling, one-part shocking, and two-parts predictable. That makes for an even break.

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it