A young man named David (Shiloh Fernandez) meets his friends Eric, Olivia, and Natalie (Lou Tayler Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore) in an old cabin out in the woods to take part in an intervention for David's sister Mia (Jane Levy), who is fighting an addiction to heroine. They stay in the cabin with Mia to keep an eye on her, and things seem to be going well. In the cellar of the cabin, Eric discovers a strange book filled with Satanic imagery and writing. He begins reading it, unwittingly unleashing horrible demons in the process. Meanwhile, Mia goes through a terrible withdrawal and attempts to escape from the cabin. During her attempt, she is attacked by a demon, and becomes possessed. The demon through Mia tells the rest of the group that they will all die tonight. The group struggles to stay alive as demons take turns possessing them and forcing them to kill each other.
I like to give as honest an effort as I can not to judge a movie before seeing it, even with remakes. I always hold onto hope that a remake can break free from the constraints of the original and become its own film. Here, however, it was rather difficult to keep my love of the original from forcing me into skepticism. Strange considering this is one of the few remakes that was actually rather enjoyable! I had a good amount of fun with this film.
I will get the flaws out of the way. The exposition is very lazy. The characters are basically forced to explain their backgrounds with each other, to each other. It's bad when Mia's brother actually has to come out and say, "Hey, I'm your big brother!" It doesn't help that the majority of the acting is not great. There are five main characters that we follow, and two of them, Olivia and Natalie, seem to serve no purpose other than screaming and getting killed. Aside from that, they are rarely if ever seen throughout the film. You are not given a chance to care about them. Shiloh Fernandez does an alright job as David, but it's pretty forgettable. Mia actually does fairly well, especially when possessed. I did love Eric's character quite a bit, though. Eric is a nerdy hipster-type who is constantly panicking while everyone else tries to keep their cool. Let's just say there is some impressive nerd rage going on in this film.
I really want to praise this movie for going the route of practical effects, for the most part. As I hinted at before, CG horror films do not do it for me. In order for horror to affect me the way it's meant to, it needs to be as realistic-looking as it can be. If I know something's not really there, I'm not gonna be scared. It might be disturbing imagery, but it's not gonna stick with me. But when you use the art of make-up, lighting, etc. to make something that's actually physically there, I'm gonna remember that. It makes it feel like there is an actual threat on the screen as opposed to an effect. I thank the makers of this film for glorifying practical effects the way they did. These demons feel like they're right there in front of you. Oh, and, speaking of effects...dear LORD is this film gory. Those with weak stomachs, I beg you to proceed with caution when considering going to see this. Calling it a gorefest is an understatement.
Overall, I had a good time in that theatre watching Evil Dead. It's not great, it's more disturbing than scary, a few jump scares aside, and it does not live up to the original in any capacity. Then again, I don't think it was supposed to. I view this as a way to introduce this classic story to a brand new audience. That having been said, it certainly holds merit for those who have seen the original. It's not the EXACT same story. There are some changes, especially involving characters (no, there's no Ash, I'm sorry), along with some throwbacks to the original, such as the book and locking the demon in the cellar. If you're looking for a fun, creepy, largely anti-CGI horror film that doesn't take itself too seriously and just takes you on a ride for 90 minutes, look no further. And, as always, thanks for reading!! :D
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