Evil Dead [2013, remake] Review

I remember the first time I watch Evil Dead. It was in college at a friend's family house during Thanksgiving break. We also rented Reindeer Games. I mistook Ben Affleck for Keanu Reeves because the film was that terrible; but that is another story. I had already watched Army of Darkness and Evil Dead II in that order mind you. I liked horror films well enough. I was more interested in the origin of the antagonist when watching it. I knew it would be a low budgeted film. I was still impressed by the film; even with the paperback version of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis. Bruce Campbell is quite a gem for many pictures.

I miss Bruce Campbell for this film.

The Remake does a little twist to why four “young adults” are out at a creepy cabin in the middle of the woods. The sister Mia [Jane Levy] is a drug addict who wants to clean up her act. Her brother David [Shiloh Fernandez], his girlfriend Natalie, Eric and Olivia join her at the siblings' old family cabin out in the middle of the woods. You can easily call the cast by the roles they play: Sister, Brother, Girlfriend, Nerd, and Doctor. Technically Olivia is a RN, which is pointed out as plotty goodness and not fully addressed. Eric is pissed that David left and never visited them when he moved. This is fleshed out by the back story of Mia and David's mom getting ill explains that his disappearance and the reason why he wants back in Mia's life. Olivia plays the sympathetic part and total bastard through the movie. Eric is the nerd who is far too inquisitive for his own good with no background to why he was interested in the occult. Natalie plays the girlfriend, but more on that point later. That is all the background these character were given.

The Remake itself was decent. As a horror movie it held up on its own. It was a well contained story. I felt the pacing was tight and consistent. I did not notice very much CGI. There were many practical effects and were well done. The movie tires to break the mold of past horror films as a whole, but those moments were few and far between. Many times it was the same shtick, sprinkled with homages and lines from the series. It had the same trappings like any other horror film, which is fine. You should always keep some basics. However, there were some problems.

I neglect to mention there is a cold opening at the beginning. The film makers play up some quite important plot points that could easily indicate a reason that the cabin would be watched so nothing evil could take place again. Perhaps that'll be in the sequel; yes there is a sequel in the works. I was not expecting much for characters, but the set up felt rushed for the gore and horror. For example Natalie could have been a little more fleshed out. She had just one defining moment and it was quiet a doozy. It looked like her character was there just to fill space with out any significance. The other characters had their respective roles as I mentioned above, but she could have been an Ash or anything to be honest.

In conclusion, the writers gave out the lines of the past movie like it was candy to feed the Evil Dead fans with little or no consequence. The characters are squandered many times for the sake of pace. It played out like a typical horror film. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but I was hoping for something a little more unique. I do find that amusing to say about a remake, but originality can happen from time to time. The film ran for 90 minutes. If the movie was fleshed out for the characters; it would easily loose the pace of an Evil Dead film, something the film makers were aiming for. It looked great and sounded well. There were times when whispers of dialogue would pop into a scene. The first time I happened, I thought it was another moviegoer. The film would be worth a matinee price for a horror fan. An Evil Dead fan would have some misgivings for it. I would rate it middle of the road, 2 ½ out of 5.