Evil Dead (2013)
dir: Fede Alvarez
Evil Dead has been out in theaters for over a week now, giving die-hard fans of the franchise, and even casual horror buffs, a chance to check it out and put their two cents in. After comparing all the reactions both in online reviews and among my friends, co-workers, etc., I was surprised to discover that most people were a bit taken aback by the film’s attempt at seriousness.
Evil Dead (2013)
dir: Fede Alvarez
Evil Dead has been out in theaters for over a week now, giving die-hard fans of the franchise, and even casual horror buffs, a chance to check it out and put their two cents in. After comparing all the reactions both in online reviews and among my friends, co-workers, etc., I was surprised to discover that most people were a bit taken aback by the film’s attempt at seriousness. I had almost expected it; I’ve always been a fan of goofier horror films, but to my dismay, I’ve watched many times as overly dramatized movies like Insidious and or try-too-hard ghost films like Paranormal Activity top the charts. For Evil Dead to go for a slice of that mainstream horror money just made sense.
However, these critics have a point. The 2013 Evil Dead is definitely not as light-hearted and goofy as the 1981 original or any of its sequels, which just seemed to get sillier and sillier. Instead of a group of kids going off to a cabin in the woods for a weekend of debauchery, sex, and drinking, a young woman is joined by her estranged brother and a group of her friends to attempt a detox from heroin at her family’s old cabin. The tone of the opening scene is quite somber, as it is clear that the brother and sister are hardly on good terms. All of her friends regard her as an almost hopeless case when it comes to kicking the drug habit, and her brother as someone who has betrayed her by moving out as soon as their mentally ill mother got really sick.
While there is no denying that this movie certainly has a darker vibe, I don’t think this hurts the film at all. In fact, due to the overwhelming number of tongue-in-cheek horror movies made since 1981 poking fun at the formula of five friends going to a cabin in the woods, including Cabin Fever and Cabin in the Woods, it would be pretty silly to present Evil Dead in 2013 as a movie about a group of kids who can’t wait to have fun in the middle of nowhere.
The movie starts off on a serious note but quickly turns darkly humorous, albeit in a very twisted way. Once it becomes clear that the group is no longer just dealing with a detoxing junkie but a whole race of demons, the action picks up a lot and the kind of screams, jumpy scares, and intense gore one would expect take over. One critic pointed out that the gorefest is almost heartwarming instead of disturbing; it is campy but thorough, intended to recreate the horror of the original film with modern technology. And I won’t give anything away, but the surprise fight scene at the end of the film, featuring literally gallons and gallons of fake blood, really is as epic and awesome as everyone is making it out to be.
Overall, I would say this film strikes a happy medium between being a pure nerd-pleaser and an actual good horror movie. It is by no means scary, but cabin-in-the-woods movies usually aren’t. It does a good enough job setting up a somber plot and cast of characters that the mood feels unforced. All the gore is done using makeup and solid, visceral effects instead of falling back on tons of CGI. There are enough graphic moments and sudden scares to compete with modern horror, yet still enough goofy demon voices and reanimated limbs for it to fit in with the previous Evil Dead movies. Director Fede Alvarez definitely took plenty of cues from original director Sam Raimi as well as modern cinema, and as a result the film feels a lot like Drag Me To Hell, which Raimi directed in 2009. There is even a guest appearance by the excellent Bruce Campbell, who played the beloved hero of the original Evil Dead.
I would recommend this movie both to people who like the original and those who have never seen it but love modern, gory horror movies. While it may not be the most original movie ever made, and it certainly won’t entirely satisfy lovers of the 1981 version, it’s an awesome remake. I’m looking forward to the sequel, which is apparently in the making as we speak.
