EVIL DEAD (2013) REMAKE MOVIE REVIEW

　
No Spoilers are in this review, just honest opinions. Like most people who first heard about this remake I immediately checked out the IMDB to see if Sam Raimi was the Director (HE IS NOT) and if Bruce Campbell was going to give new life to the hero “Ash” we all know and love (NO AGAIN).
The Director is Fede Alvarez, a first time feature filmmaker from Uruguay who’s short film Panic Attack! went viral and caught the attention of Raimi and the other producers. The hero of this version was played by Shiloh Fernandez. This actor is best known from Little Red Riding Hood and Deadgirl, the latter being a very original twist on horror.
 
In this climate of desperate cash grabs with all these remakes, reboots and spin offs I had every reason to hate this movie going into it BUT I WAS SURPRISED. The reason for the group to go to the cabin was totally different from the original and the strongest element of the writing. If you are hoping to see an Evil Dead with the same tone as the original I’m sorry to say it is not there. The over the top gore, the creative camera work and comedic elements are absent on this trip to the cabin. What the remake does deliver on is amazingly strong cinematography and a hyper-realistic take on this story filled with practical gore effects.

According to IMDB Diablo Cody did a pass on the screenplay but it seems like everything from her draft was dismembered from the shooting script. This movie could have used some smart dialogue and more defined characters. Instead within the first 20 seconds as all the characters meet at the cabin they announce each of their jobs. What someone does for a living is a great incite into character but this was forced into the scene in an unnatural way. Diablo Cody did not get screen credit in the film so there you go, honest to blog as Juno would say.

Fans of the original will be happy to know that the score, the props, the camera blocking and editing will bring you back to the fond memories of Evil Dead 1 and 2. The tree attack scene was great and used reverse motion. Scenes like this and others take place at roughly the same running time as they did in the original film. For the modern horror film goers this new Evil Dead will be artfully shot and top of the line. I recommend this movie but not to people who want the fun independent over the top style of the original. STAY FOR THE CLIP AT THE END OF THE CREDITS, YOU’LL BE GLAD YOU DID.

- Curt Wiser is the author of the suspense novel Box Cutter Killer:
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