While most claim this is a re-make, I see it as more of a continuation of the Evil Dead franchise.....maybe a bit of a reboot too. Why do I say this? Well, it's clear lots of evil, nasty shit has happened at this cabin presumably numerous times before the newest group consisting of your typical underdeveloped horror characters arrive on the scene. In fact, if you look close enough you may see some remnants of the crazy shit that went down in both The Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2.
In Evil Dead,we follow Mia (Jane Levy), her brother David (Shiloh Fernandez), his girlfriend Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore), David's ex-best friend Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci), and Eric's girlfriend Olivia (Jessica Lucas). Mia has some serious drug dependency issues, and so the group has decided to shack up at Mia's family's cabin until she's able to kick her habit. While at the cabin, the group uncovers a creepy book. Eric, a high school teacher, is intrigued and against his own better judgement opens the book and reads aloud some passages which awaken an ancient evil that proceeds to slowly take possession of the group one by one, starting with Mia.
I honestly had trouble getting invested in this film, mainly because of some poor character work. We never learn much about the characters. We know Olivia is a nurse who thinks she knows everything, she's not very likeable. We know Natalie is David's kind and caring girlfriend, she's basically just there. David is a brother who has been mostly absent in Mia's life, he is trying to make amends. Mia is the much-put-upon sister who has had to deal with some hard times in her past (like having to care for her Alzheimer's plauged mother), we assume she turned to drugs for help coping with her life and to help erase her pain. Eric is a smart high school teacher who used to be BFs with David, but now resents David mainly due to David not being there for the group or for Mia. That's about it for character development. The plot isn't very complex or interesting either, though I did like it here (not that a film like this really needs a complex plot, but some real twists and turns wouldn't hurt.).
Most of the cast does a decent job, with the standouts being Shiloh Fernandez as David, Lou Taylor Pucci as Eric, and Jane Levy as Mia. Shiloh Fernandez is likable in his role and does a fine job, but isn't all that memorable, and Mia's character isn't really in it except for the beginning and the very end, for most of the film her character is possessed so we aren't really watching Mia, we are actually watching a demon. Now, Levy is to be commended for pulling off her 3 roles (victim, demon, and heroine) with a good amount of believablity, and you can tell she really enjoyed her stint as main demon (probably her most memorable role in the film). That said, I really didn't care for Mia here, and that's not really the fault of Levy, but the fault of a weak script which has some snappy dialogue here and there (most of which belongs to Mia's demon character) but for the most part is just kind of there. I feel that the best character here is that of Eric, as portrayed by Lou Taylor Pucci, he is really put through the wringer here, but keeps trucking on nonetheless, he is also super likable and sympathetic. Eric is the only one I really didn't want to see die (and NO, I'm not telling if he makes it out in one piece).
Another problem with this film is that it has 3 Ash characters here: Mia, Eric, and David. I feel Eric most resembles Ash since he is the one who goes through the most shit in the film. David resembles Ash since he is the "hero" for most of the film, and Mia resembles Ash because she winds up being the main hero here, she gets to battle a demon, and she also suffers a similar injury (which I personally feel was crow-bared in, it was a bit too much in my opinion). If the film had chose one character to be the Ash of the group that would have been fine, but having 3 just weighs the film down, makes it look like the film can't make up it's mind, and makes the film weaker overall.
Ok, now onto the good stuff.....mainly, the gore! The gore and blood effects that appear in Evil Dead are pretty great. We get multiple mutilations and dismemberments, some nail gun and chainsaw fun, a pretty severe 3rd degree burn and some gruesome parts involving a hypodermic needle, among many others. Evil Dead thinks being gory and bloody is scary....bad news: It's not, but it sure is fun (wow, am I desensitized? Probably). This is probably the most blood and gore I have seen in a film in a while. Unfortunately, every one of these scenes feels clean and a bit too polished. I would have preferred if these parts were a bit gritter to be completely honest....but hey, at least there is a lot of the stuff here (more than enough to satisfy any gore hound). I also enjoyed all the nods to the original classic like the Oldsmobile (which has seen better days), the necklace (which actually is given some pretty cool backstory here, backstory that makes it's use in the original films make sense), some classic lines, a double-barrel shot-gun, and a chainsaw among other things.
Evil Dead's biggest accomplishment is that it perfectly captures/re-creates the tone of the first film. Yes it is super bloody and gory and icky, but these parts have an inherent sense of fun and playfulness to them. This is the kind of film you want to watch on a sleepover with friends. Evil Dead is far from a perfect remake, but for my money it is SLIGHTLY better than the original (helps that the effects found here are of a higher quality). While those looking for some serious scares are likely to be disappointed, those who came in seeking a fun, gory time will enjoy the hell out of this cool little flick. Sam Raimi and Bruce "The Man" Campbell would be proud (and they are, seeing as they are the main producers here).
3/5 STARS
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