Evil Dead (2013)

 

Starring: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci

Directed By: Fede Alvarez

Written By: Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues

Rating: R

My Rating: 5 / 5

 

Warning: this film is NOT for the squeamish. Anyone who thinks of themselves as such should not waste their time with this film unless they want to vomit. It's that Gross. Yes, with a capital G.

 

Anyways, for those of you who saw the original I believe you will all find the remake very enjoyable. Keep in mind that this is not a scene-by-scene remake of the original by any stretch of the imagination. Alvarez takes the plot along the same roads as Sam Raimi did in the 1981 version, except the characters and their circumstances differ from Raimi's. None of that really matters, however, as the enemy remains the same. The evil book makes a return as do the demons... well, a demon at least.

 

In Alvarez's version, David and his girlfriend Natalie meet up with his longtime buddies Eric and Olivia at a remote cabin in the woods to help David's sister Mia overcome her drug addiction. Going into it I rather enjoyed the unique tweek in the plotline because it wasn't just a group of friends hanging out and having a good time. David and company already have a problem because Mia's 100% not on board with their plan and fights them every step of the way.

 

Throw in the book of evil, let loose a bloodthirsty demon, and the problems really begin. As does the gore and blood... so much blood. The film's scariest moments come once the demon gets released (accidentily of course) and starts possessing the group members one by one. I don't want to give away anything, but expect a lot of jump moments, amber-colored eyes, and extremely disgusting violence / gore in this one. I'm not kidding, people were retching. Even if can't get over the disgusting violence, the film still has plenty to offer in terms of scares and overall creepiness. The acting's not bad either, and a performance to watch out for in particular would be Lou Taylor Pucci as Eric. Poor Shiloh Fernandez takes the reigns from Bruce Campbell, and while he's not bad as the lead role he's... well he's definitely no Bruce Campbell.

 

For those who have seen the original, I strongly recommend staying tuned until after the credits roll. All I'll say is there's a funny surprise.

 

 

Summary

 

What I liked:

gruesome, bloody violence

Lou Taylor Pucci

creepy CGI

lots of scare moments

 

What I didn't like:

no Bruce Campbell

less first person camera movements