The horror movie genre is sometimes likened to religion. As faithful acolytes eagerly devour each new production, the anticipated scares are what they most crave. It’s a brave film-maker remaking such spooky classics with some charged with cinematic blasphemy. Evil Dead is a loose re-dux of the original Sam Raimi-directed trilogy, with its determination to maintain its predecessor’s rough and ready charms an answer to fans’ prayers.
Mia (Jane Levy) aims to cure her drug addiction with the help of some friends. Along with her brother David (Shiloh Fernandez) and three others, they encamp to a remote cabin in the woods. Anticipating a harsh time of withdrawal and anguish, when they discover an ancient book containing dark spells, all hell breaks loose. Unleashing pure evil and battling demonic possession, they fight to the death to escape unending doom.
Having the courage of its gory convictions, Evil Dead basks in its bloody escapades. Whilst it doesn’t descend into the ‘torture porn’ that defined the genre in the ‘00’s, it uses the grisly happenings to further the plot. The way it uses Mia’s addiction to mirror the savagery of breaking free of personal demons is effectively mixed with the percolating shocks. There isn’t anything particularly deep occurring but it adds something new than being an out-right rehash of the original film.
While agreeably free of humour and full of pure dread, Evil Dead suffers from poor characterisation. Apart from Mia, the rest are very broadly sketched making you care little for their fate. Interest is generated by the use of psychological as well as physical terror although sequences are often telegraphed in advance. The cinematography is a major plus as it captures the eerie atmosphere of the sinister-looking forest to good effect.
Evil Dead should allay fears it may sully its predecessor’s horrific reputation. It doesn’t although it may go the way of the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th remakes and become over-shadowed by those influential shockers.
Patrick Moore
Rating out of 10: 6
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