Of course, I shelled out the money to see Evil Dead in the theater. I love horror movies and I love the original. C’mon son! There will be spoilers so read at your own risk. I’m not sure that there’s much to spoil ultimately – it’s a horror movie and a remake. I think most people can do the math.
Generally, the movie follows the same plot as Raimi’s version: five youths go to a dilapidated cabin and one of them unleashes an evil demon and hell (pretty much literally) ensues. Plenty of references to the original and of course, a chainsaw shows up along the way.
The bit that bothered me the most though is how these people came across the evil book. The opening scene shows a group of (weird looking) people persuading a father to burn and dismember his daughter who is a demon. And this book – there are warnings, things are scratched out so they can’t be read easily. It’s clear people do not want others to find it. This group takes care of business and we are transported probably less than five years into the future to our main cast.
They show up and encounter a terrible smell followed by a rug hiding a whole bunch of dried up blood. They go downstairs into the cellar and find a bunch of dead animals strung up and the book sitting there. But it’s bound intricately by wire and a bag.
Don’t worry guys – tree rape happens in this one, too.
BUT IT’S LEFT OUT IN THE OPEN. These people went through a fair amount of trouble to make sure no one opened the book (but come on, it literally just took wire cutters) but opted to leave it sitting out on a table rather than oh, I don’t know, burying it? Or throwing it in a river? Or tearing it up? Or anything? Obviously they knew that people would be returning – there are photographs all over the cabin and they carefully placed the rug over the trap door to prolong anyone finding the creepy sacrificial altar. They did about 90% of the work but apparently the last 10%, the important part, they were just like “Eh, I’m tired. Hope this family that appears to visit frequently never has to go into their own basement and if, god forbid, they do, I hope this wrapped up book doesn’t intrigue them so that they might open it.”
Moving on. The movie is gross, definitely. There is a lot of blood, some scenes that had me scrunching my face up and half covering my face. And that’s really about it in terms of “horror.” It isn’t particularly scary or terrifying (despite the poster boasting that it would be the most terrifying movie ever) but it is gory and gross and still manages to be a little campy. There isn’t a ton of humor but there are bits here and there to keep things a tiny bit light.
The thing that’s interesting about this movie is that the characters are at the cabin for a reason: one of the girls has a drug addiction she’s trying to kick. Of course, she’s the first one who sees demons and stuff and of course, everyone writes it off as her having a difficult detox.
What’s more interesting is if this movie is intended to be a metaphor. The girl is facing her demons – literally and figuratively. And her drug addiction is affecting those around her. Her attempt to kick the habit is tumultuous and makes her feel like she’s being torn apart. The girl goes through hell so that she may survive at the end.
The demon thing that shows up at the end is either played by the same actress or looks suspiciously like her (I couldn’t tell. It was raining blood all over). So when she defeats the demon thing, she is defeating herself, her dark side. Moreover, she does so by splitting the demon right down the middle. Perhaps a symbol of the real her and the addict her being split apart?
Or it’s just a movie and they were just trying to give the characters ~depth~.
Ultimately, it was enjoyable. I think I got a bit too excited and expected a bit too much but I still liked it. And it was interesting take on a classic. I don’t think it tarnished the original or sought to outshine Raimi’s version. It was it’s own thing.
*** stars (I took off some stars for it not being that scary and also because of a pretty shitty portrayal of women)
threesixfiveFILM 