Following the release of Army of Darkness in 1992 the franchise went cold. Director of the original trilogy, Sam Raimi, always had plans to bring Evil Dead back, and star of the original films Bruce Campbell was eager to return as well, but the timing was never right and eventually audiences attitudes for what they wanted from a horror film no longer aligned with what Raimi and Campbell wanted to make. But in the early 2010’s the project was resurrected, although in a completely different way. With a new screenplay written by Fede Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues that blew Raimi and Campbell away, Alvarez was signed on to direct and a 2013 release date was slated. Whilst fans of the campier Evil Dead sequels may turn their noses up at this fourth entry, it’s one of my personal favourite horror films of all time.
Following a drug overdose that nearly killed her, Mia Allen (Jane Levy) is taken to a remote cabin in the woods by her friends Olivia (Jessica Lucas) and Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci), her brother David (Shiloh Fernandez), and David’s girlfriend Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore). Their goal is force Mia to stay here with them until she quits cold turkey.
But when the group discover evidence of satanic rituals and witchcraft below the cabin, they uncover the book of the dead and with it unleash a powerful and violent demonic presence that possesses Mia and savagely attacks the rest of the group through her.
Evil Dead is part reboot, part sequel to the original The Evil Dead. Whilst it may seem strange two Evil Dead sequels (Evil Dead II and Evil Dead 2013) are both largely remakes of the first film, this version doubles down on what made the first film so great and that’s gory special effects and disturbingly beautiful cinematography.
The story is generally pretty good for a cabin in the wood’s tale, what makes it stand out from the crowd is the drug addiction that Mia suffers from. It puts the group at a false sense of ease when Mia begins acting strangely, because they just put it down to her withdrawal symptoms and desire for another fix. It’s not until other members of the group begin acting strangely that they start to question the legitimacy of Mia’s actions, and by that point it’s far too late to do anything about it.
Following a drug overdose that nearly killed her, Mia Allen (Jane Levy) is taken to a remote cabin in the woods by her friends Olivia (Jessica Lucas) and Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci), her brother David (Shiloh Fernandez), and David’s girlfriend Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore). Their goal is force Mia to stay here with them until she quits cold turkey.
But when the group discover evidence of satanic rituals and witchcraft below the cabin, they uncover the book of the dead and with it unleash a powerful and violent demonic presence that possesses Mia and savagely attacks the rest of the group through her.
Evil Dead is part reboot, part sequel to the original The Evil Dead. Whilst it may seem strange two Evil Dead sequels (Evil Dead II and Evil Dead 2013) are both largely remakes of the first film, this version doubles down on what made the first film so great and that’s gory special effects and disturbingly beautiful cinematography.
The story is generally pretty good for a cabin in the wood’s tale, what makes it stand out from the crowd is the drug addiction that Mia suffers from. It puts the group at a false sense of ease when Mia begins acting strangely, because they just put it down to her withdrawal symptoms and desire for another fix. It’s not until other members of the group begin acting strangely that they start to question the legitimacy of Mia’s actions, and by that point it’s far too late to do anything about it.
Evil Dead is bleak and it’s brutal, and the visual design hammers that home as hard as possible. All the colour is desaturated from the film, the cabin and the surrounding woods are filthy and damp, the subject matter that brings the characters together is grim, and they understand that their actions will undoubtably hurt Mia in the short term but are prepared to put her through excruciating pain and keep her in the cabin against her will in order to get her clean.
This film is not pleasant to watch in the slightest, and the build-up before the blood starts to flow is excellent. The camera has a kind of kinetic energy to it, following characters closely, jolting at sounds, finding its way through any kind of hole it can to get a shot, no matter how obscured. You feel like an unwanted presence in the cabin because of this, and it makes you so much more on edge because you feel like you’re watching something you shouldn’t be.
Once the action kicks into high gear, you’ll be exposed to some of the goriest special effects I’ve seen in modern cinema. Alvarez was insistent that no CGI be used for the blood and gore, and so everything you see was done with makeup or prosthetics and it’s really quite terrifying at times. Some of the gore showcased in this film is permanently seared into my brain, and it’s really something to behold. Whether it be someone carving their own face off with a piece of broken glass, or someone licking a knife so hard it splits their tongue, this stuff is rough, and it doesn’t hold back.
The finale is bloody glorious as well, and for a while was the record holder for the most blood used in a single scene, and I tell you what I don’t think I’d ever be able to forget it even if I wanted to.
If gore isn’t your thing than Evil Dead won’t be for you. If you wanted something more akin to Evil Dead II or Army of Darkness then this also won’t be for you. But for those who enjoyed what the original The Evil Dead offered up in terms of inventive cinematography and gory practical effects then Evil Dead is a real love letter to those fans. It has plenty of call-backs to that first film, but it can also stand on its own two feet as a standalone entry in the franchise.
There’s almost nothing I’d change about Evil Dead, it’s demented and so much fun, even if I do have to look from between my fingers at some moments. Here’s hoping that Evil Dead Rise follows in the same footsteps left by this incredible fourth film.
This film is not pleasant to watch in the slightest, and the build-up before the blood starts to flow is excellent. The camera has a kind of kinetic energy to it, following characters closely, jolting at sounds, finding its way through any kind of hole it can to get a shot, no matter how obscured. You feel like an unwanted presence in the cabin because of this, and it makes you so much more on edge because you feel like you’re watching something you shouldn’t be.
Once the action kicks into high gear, you’ll be exposed to some of the goriest special effects I’ve seen in modern cinema. Alvarez was insistent that no CGI be used for the blood and gore, and so everything you see was done with makeup or prosthetics and it’s really quite terrifying at times. Some of the gore showcased in this film is permanently seared into my brain, and it’s really something to behold. Whether it be someone carving their own face off with a piece of broken glass, or someone licking a knife so hard it splits their tongue, this stuff is rough, and it doesn’t hold back.
The finale is bloody glorious as well, and for a while was the record holder for the most blood used in a single scene, and I tell you what I don’t think I’d ever be able to forget it even if I wanted to.
If gore isn’t your thing than Evil Dead won’t be for you. If you wanted something more akin to Evil Dead II or Army of Darkness then this also won’t be for you. But for those who enjoyed what the original The Evil Dead offered up in terms of inventive cinematography and gory practical effects then Evil Dead is a real love letter to those fans. It has plenty of call-backs to that first film, but it can also stand on its own two feet as a standalone entry in the franchise.
There’s almost nothing I’d change about Evil Dead, it’s demented and so much fun, even if I do have to look from between my fingers at some moments. Here’s hoping that Evil Dead Rise follows in the same footsteps left by this incredible fourth film.