Back in
1981, an independent horror film was released to the public, under
the name “The Evil Dead.” It was about a bunch of people who
spend time at a cabin in the woods, when they find the Necronomicon,
“The Book of the Dead,” and unleash supernatural evils. This was
Sam Raimi's first feature film, and it was also the film that put him
on the map, but not to full publicity. That, and it introduced the
world to Bruce Campbell as Ashley 'Ash' Williams. To this day, it has
remained as one of the best horror films of all time, and was the
start of one of the greatest film trilogies of all time.
1987
saw the release of “Evil Dead 2,” which was pretty much a remake
of the first film, only intentionally funny and awesome. They did
make changes that were different from the first film, and the most
iconic moment they brought about to the “Evil Dead” series, was
Ash's chainsaw arm. To this day, it's considered by many as not only
one of the best horror films, but one of the best sequels ever made.
During
production on “Evil Dead 3,” or “The Med-Evil Dead,” they
changed up a lot of things, which lead to the film being called “Army
of Darkness.” While this does get a lot of rep for being the
weakest in the series, it doesn't take away any enjoyment for it. Ash
brings his smart-alack remarks to the middle ages, after being sent
back in time with the Necronomicon, and has to help the fellow people
if be protected, if he ever wants to get back home as an S Mart
employee again. Sure, it's a bad movie, but that it has it's charm to
it, that most films don't really have nowadays.
For the
longest time, there's always been word of an “Evil Dead 4” and an
“Evil Dead” remake coming out, and that it was getting to a point
where some people actually petitioned for another sequel. But when
the remake was said to have Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell's stamps of
approval, that got fans like myself invested in it.
So was
the remake actually good?...Not only is it good and rank up with the
other three films, but I consider this film to be the best horror
remake I have EVER seen!
Much
like the original, the film tells of a group of friends who go to
spend time at a cabin in the woods. What they don't know is that the
cabin has a secret bunker, and they find the Necronomicon, only to
have accidentally released an evil like no other, and one by one are
killed. This film really took advantage of being as respectable to
the original film, because it had people who CARED and KNEW the
source material. I think that might have to do with Sam and Bruce
being producers, but who knows.
The
casting is filled with unknowns, much like the original was.
Thankfully, none of the characters were called 'Ash,' because that
would be something that people would be complaining about in the
film. That decision was made by Bruce Campbell, and that was a really
smart move on his part. Shiloh Fernandez as David, the main guy,
really made a difference in his acting from “Red Riding Hood.”
Lou Taylor Pucci as Eric was a guy who had SO much endurance. This
guy gets all kinds of Hell beaten down upon him. However, none of
them or others that I haven't mentioned were as good as Jane Levy as
Mia. She plays the girl that gets possessed by the dead and really
delivers on the presence and atmosphere that Ellen Sandweiss.
That
brings me to the number one thing that this film did EXTREMELY well
with. Atmosphere. This does what most horror films fail to do, and
that's bring atmosphere. The last horror film that actually managed
to do well with atmosphere was “The Woman in Black,” but here I
thought this did a better job. Tons of gore doesn't make a good
horror film, but if the film is good and the gore works as an
additional treat for people. And the best part about it, was that
almost all the effects were practical, instead of pointless CGI. I
give praise to the director, who was a first timer on films, that
went with the practical effects path here. It looked real, it felt
real, and it felt right!
Also if
you're curious, there are some little easter eggs that fans of the
original can find as they watch, especially at the ending credits.
Trust me, you'll know what I'm talking about.
Overall,
“Evil Dead (2013) is not only the best horror remake I've seen, but
my favorite movie of the year so far. It's dark, twisted, insane,
gory, funny, and scary. This had everything that made an “Evil
Dead” film an “Evil Dead” film.
Rating:
10/10
