Evil Dead Review (2013) Worth Watching?

It’s about a group of five people being haunted and killed by the supernatural in a remote cabin in the woods.

Evil Dead was directed by Fede Alverez (known for Don't Breathe) and stars Jane Levy (from Don’t Breathe), Shiloh Fernandez (from Deadgirl), Lou Taylor Pucci (from Carriers) and Jessica Lucas (from Cloverfield) and Elizabeth Blackmore.

Fear What You Will Become

Evil Dead, released in 2013 and directed by Fede Alverez is the fourth instalment in the Evil Dead franchise that began in 1981 with the cult horror classic that is Sam Raimi’s ‘The Evil Dead’. The Evil Dead trilogy consisting of ‘The Evil Dead’, ‘Evil Dead 2’ and ‘Army of Darkness’ are widely regarded as some of the best horror films ever made so the bar was set high for the fourth film which served as a soft reboot for the franchise, 21 years after ‘Army of Darkness’ came out.

Just like ‘The Evil Dead’, this film focuses on a group of five, three girls and two boys who go to a remote cabin in the woods. Unlike the first film which had the five go to the cabin recreationally, the reason cited in the remake is to help Mia, the main protagonist, with her drug addiction.

This is great for several reasons. Some of the best horrors have been remakes - ‘The Thing’ being number 1, but they have to bring something new to the table. Otherwise, more often than not, we leave remakes feeling disappointed and wondering what the point was.

Having the main character in this remake have a severe drug addiction that leaves her feeling more isolated as the horrors she sees are diluted down by her friends to be nothing more than withdrawal symptoms, was ingenious. It amps up the tension tremendously to being on an almost equal footing to the intense direction of Sam Raimi’s original and that is no small feat.

The acting for the most part, particularly from Jane Levy who plays the main character Mia, is brilliant and helps elevate the film above some of the few cliche scares and dialogue littered throughout.

The gore and practical effects standout the most as some of the best ever put in a horror film. Missing some of the absurd comedy that made Raimi’s original films so endearing, Alvarez’s take on Evil Dead holds its own with its brutal and unrelenting horror that shocks as much as it chills.

Worth Watching?

Most definitely. This is a brilliant horror movie even with its flaws and an excellent remake that holds its own against the original. Fede Alverez breathed new life into the franchise while still honoring the original and that's all you can really ask from a remake. Be warned however; this film isn’t for the weak stomached. If you're looking for some scares you’ll find a lot here but if you ain’t a fan of blood, stay far, far away.

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