Evil Dead (2013) Review

With a smile on my face and a huge sigh of relief after leaving the theaters, I can happily say that 2013's Evil Dead is not only one of the most entertaining recent horror movies, but also one of the stronger horror remakes out there. This movie gets a lot of things right from sticking to what made the original 80's classic iconic to ensuring to craft something highly entertaining for the modern age. So, without further ado, let's quickly dive into this delightfully bloody rollercoaster of a horror movie.

First, let's talk about the overall look and feel of this new iteration of Evil Dead. The visual style can be considered pure eye candy at times and works to create a creepy atmosphere surrounding the traditional "cabin in the woods" setting. The misty air of the woods alongside the dread inducing cold and wet landscape is all effectively spotlighted here. Not only is the imagery well detailed to create the movie's strong immersion component, but the sound design also plays a pivotal role. There are certain scenes that are effectively enhanced mainly because of the horrific sounds that can be heard off-screen or atmospheric soundscape of the deteriorated cabin interior itself. The audio acts as an imagination triggering tool where the audience hears something unnerving that is not currently being shown onscreen resulting in a build up of anticipation.

Another great presentation decision that I absolutely admired was the reliance on practical effects. One of the common complaints in movies generally speaking these days is the overuse of distracting CGI effects in areas where practical would've clearly been the better choice. The Evil Dead remake seems to have understood this complaint and made itself an example to hopefully change the standard through its hyper violent scenes of in-camera blood smothered gore. The same attention to practical craftsmanship can also be celebrated with the prosthetic make up on the franchise's staple "deadite" ghouls making their delightfully over the top presence known. It's a nod to the original movie and its hardcore fans as well as a statement to modern horror films in general. And although the movie isn't exactly scary (albeit occasionally intense), the attention to fan servicing horror-action definitely makes for an entertaining ride worth hopping on. 

Another thing that the movie adds that many horror films have failed at doing is giving the main characters a reason to stay at the cabin instead of simply leaving at the first sight of any strange activity. In many horror films involving people being trapped in a location, the main characters end up staying to "investigate" when things get pretty crazy without logically just running away completely right away. 2013's Evil Dead however comes up with a clever narrative tool to remedy this by giving one of the main characters a drug addiction alongside a group of strict friends ensuring that she doesn't leave until she's rehabilitated. This adds some credibility to various situations that would involve the friends not believing what our protagonist claims to be experiencing in the woods labeling them as drug withdrawal issues as opposed to supernatural encounters.

When it comes down to it, really the only notable problem that I had with this movie is one that I've had with several horror titles over the years. The characters are never really fleshed out completely or are simply just uninteresting and senseless. Yes, Evil Dead isn't necessarily about strongly written characters and never was, but I do feel that this remake could've benefited from just a tad bit more development with its central cast. Either way, at the end of the day, I really enjoyed this movie overall and would easily recommend it to hardcore horror fans looking for a crazy, bloody, fun time. Also, stick around for a "groovy" post credits scene that may bring up more questions than needed but still encourages a smile from a familiar face. 

Rating: 8/10