Filthy Review - 'Evil Dead'

Evil Dead (2013)

Review by Jude Felton

Few remakes/reboots/re-imaginings have caused so much discussion as the one of Evil Dead. And that was before the damn thing even began shooting. Sam Raimi’s movie is much beloved, and honestly quite unique, and it was always going to cause a ruckus. As is usually the case I approach all films with an open mind, and having seen director Fede Alvarez’s Panic Attack (2009) short, was fairly sure the new version of Evil Dead was in safe hands. Also, with Raimi, Bruce Campbell and Robert Tapert overseeing the movie, in their roles as producers, I was convinced we’d all be okay.

I was right; Evil Dead 2013 is a bloody riot. It’s drenched with blood, is downright nasty and adds a new element to the already terrific franchise. There are new ideas here, more than enough to tie it in with the original (nods aplenty) and it stands well as its own film.

Nice car

The plot follows five young adults, again, who travel up to a remote cabin in order to help Mia go cold turkey from her drug habit. This is the least of their worries though, as in the basement they discover, amongst other things, a very well wrapped book, which is bound in human flesh, and a trip into the woods by Mia ends up very badly indeed.

From here on in, Evil Dead is brutally grim viewing, and I mean that in an incredibly positive way. There’s not even the vaguest hint of humor here, just full-on blood, violence and gore. Alvarez has made his own film here, whilst staying very much with the Evil Dead universe, and it sits nicely alongside Raimi’s films. Sure, there will be those that don’t like it, of course there will. Whether that is because it’s a remake, or just because they don’t like it, remains to be seen. I, however, loved it. Well, most of it.

Put the book down

There are one or two totally out of place one-liners, especially towards the end, which just didn’t sit well with me. Also, the cast aren’t especially likeable, with the worst offender, and probably most interesting character, taking one hell of a beating throughout the movie. There’s no Ash here, of that you can be sure. With this in mind, you’ll probably find yourself rooting for the Evil Dead, as the deadites do have the best lines.

The effects in Evil Dead are flat-out gruesome, and extremely well-done. Special praise must be given for the creators of the Book, as this is one evil looking tome and its content are no less unpleasant. For those that don’t know, or were just wondering, there is an especially unsavory moment involving the plant-life, and there are also numerous moments of self-mutilation that are painful to watch. In fact that pretty much sums up Evil Dead; it’s a movie about pain. Pretty much every character ends up in pain, and it’s a theme that courses through the film. Amen to Mr. Alvarez for creating a very strong R rated movie, and one that should see a sequel in the near future.

Leg or breast?

The Blu-ray release from Sony is R rated, sorry, no unrated cut here, but what do you really want? If this isn’t strong enough viewing for you, there’s something amiss. The picture looks great and there’s a decent amount of extras for you to work through. I’ve watched it twice already and am already planning on watching it again.

Evil Dead 2013 isn’t perfect; the cast is great, aside from possibly Jane Levy as Mia, but on the whole I found it to be a most enjoyable horror flick.

Evil Dead is released on Blu-ray and DVD from Sony on July 16th.