Evil Dead is a reboot of Sam Raimi's cult clagssic 80's Evil Dead trilogy (which includes The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Army of Darkness). For those who don't know, I'm a huge fan of the original trilogy, with the first one being my favorite horror film. So when I heard a remake was in the works, I was not exactly happy, as most horror remakes tend to suck (ex. Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street). However, this movie actually surprised me.
Evil Dead is about a group of friends who stay a weekend at an old cabin in the woods to help a one of their friends detox. Unfortunately for them, they accidently unleash a demon that begins to possess them. Obviously this is not an original plot (exception being the detox) as this is a reboot of an older movie, however it does set the stage for an extremely gruesome horror movie.
The obvious strong suit of this film ia the violence. Throughout the movie, the characters are stabbed, puked on, shot, and cut up in very unfortunate ways. That doesn't sound like much until you figure out that the movie is made almost completely with practical effects. Almost no CGI was used to make this film, and it makes its imagery all the more gruesome. For many people, the violence almost sounds like the torture porn style used ulin Saw and Hostel, but the films style is so different that it does not feel that way as you watch it.
Unfortunately, the films characters are not as notable. Dialogue feels forced at times and some characters are stupid (most notably the teacher who reads the incantation). However, this will only matter to people who nitpick at just about everything in movies and will not matter to those just looking to enjoy a good horror movie.
In conclusion, Evil Dead is a surprisingly good horror remake (possibly better than 2004's Dawn of the Dead) and is step forward for modern horror films. For anyone looking for a bloody good time, don't let Evil Dead pass you by.
4.5/5