Now, I chose to review the Evil Dead remake rather than the original because I am much more familiar with horror in the 2000s personally. That's not to say I haven't seen the original series, but I think those movies deserve a much bigger conversation that will probably be revisited later in this blog. I remember when this remake came out, I went the first day it came out I think, and the theatre was actually empty. My first memories of Evil Dead were actually from Evil Dead 2: Book of the Dead. We had rented the VHS probably 12 years ago. It's interesting that as the remake, it didn't exactly explain which of the franchise it was remaking. Although pieces of all 3 exist in the remake, it primarily focuses on Book of the Dead. Which, I might argue is the best installment. But I'm open to argument. I know people are mostly Army of Darkness fans, but I find it less of a horror and more of a superhero movie. All respects to Bruce Campbell. Who makes a nice cameo after the credits. I wouldn't even count that as a spoiler, because he only says one sentence and it's actually not involved in the movie or the story at all. But probably an expensive addition that few will actually ever realize is there. I do think this is a great movie. I have watched it countless times. I am a big fan of Jane Levy. I mostly recognized her from "Don't Breathe", which is another amazing movie where she plays the lead. She is a special treat from Vancouver, as well and I think that adds to my appreciation for her. This movie is well casted, well-directed, and has absolutely amazing effects. There are so many scenes where Jane Levy's character, Mia, actually embodies the possession of Linda Blair in The Exorcist. It's in the script with the perverted comments, the bright colors and widening of her eyes and the twitches and HORROR VOMITS. I LOVE A HORROR VOMIT. So it's interesting in the possession aspect of this movie that whenever Mia has blood/fluid contact with someone else, they are in fact possessed as well. I mean, I wouldn't call it possessed I guess. It's witchcraft curse, summoned from the dumbass who decided to open and read aloud a barb wire-bound book they found in the basement of their old cabin. I mean, some things should just be left alone. I don't know how many more signals you need to maybe not touch something. The actors are well cast but their characterization makes you not really care whether they live or die. I found myself mostly rooting for Mia to live through the curse/possession.
If you've seen Evil Dead before, you know the story. And I both appreciate and don't appreciate how they mostly stuck strictly to the formula. There are few surprises, but there are still some great scenes. Many gallons of blood were used, and many unique torture devices were presented. I love a great gorefest, I truly do. But maybe it's not for everyone. The movie is definitely more for the gore lover than someone searching for a deeper story. It still tells a story about family, friendship, trust, and how to know when to follow your head vs. your heart. We love raining blood. We love a chainsaw. And I loved each torturous gory scene each character was assigned. Maybe it's nonsense. But that's what I personally was looking for out of this. They stay true to the 80s style classic effects with unrealistic amounts of blood spurting everywhere, and somehow people never bleeding out as fast as they should. I think this movie is incredibly rewatchable and it will remain a classic in my mind.
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