Evil Dead

Evil Dead (2013)

Directed by Fede Alvarez

Screenplay by Fede Alvarez & Rodo Sayagues

Based on the movie, "The Evil Dead" written by Sam Raimi

Stars: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Jessica Lucas, Lou Taylor Pucci, and Elizabeth Blackmore 

I completely forgot that there was a re-imagining of Evil Dead that came out almost a decade ago. Is this "the most terrifying film I will ever experience?" Not really.

After a frightening drug overdose, Mia (Levy) is taken by her brother, David (Fernandez) and his friends to their family long neglected cabin in the woods to help her through withdrawal. When one of the friends, Eric (Pucci) discovers the Book of Dead, he unleashes a force that will takeover.

I went into this movie trying to distance my knowledge of the "Evil Dead" series with this. After viewing the Sam Raimi trilogy, it's hard not to compare.

I understood why Alvarez wanted to make he own version of Evil Dead while paying homage to the original movies with the chainsaw, the hacking of the arm or why the way that David dressed like Ash. I get it. He probably had a deep love for the movie, and wanted to make his own version for modern audiences. When you do that, you have to be faithful to the spirit of the original. It felt like a picked and choose what to leave in or out and ran with it.

It felt like Alvarez tried to make a movie about a bunch of young adults thrust into a messed up situation that they are trying to deal with it. The problem with that is when one of the characters, mainly Eric was the mastermind of setting said things into motion, then you lost any semblance of sympathy for the character.

What I will say is that the makeup was very good. The gore was fine. A bit over the top to point that this person should have died from blood loss already. There was a section of the movie that didn't need to be there. I understood that it was needed for the ending of the movie, but Alvarez/Sayagues could have put another character in with the core friends.

I felt like Elizabeth Blackmore who played David's girlfriend, Natalie had nothing to do in the movie. I forgot that she was there. I have one last gripe with the movie. On what Earth do you think that David and Mia are remotely related? Look at them to see.

Rating: 6/10