Overview
The most terrifying film you will ever experience.
Mia, a drug addict, is determined to kick the habit. To that end, she asks her brother, David, his girlfriend, Natalie and their friends Olivia and Eric to accompany her to their family’s remote forest cabin to help her through withdrawal. Eric finds a mysterious Book of the Dead at the cabin and reads aloud from it, awakening an ancient demon. All hell breaks loose when the malevolent entity possesses Mia.
Review
Evil Dead (2013) is the reboot of the classic series from Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. This modern adaptation stood out as a brilliantly paced horror film that lacked the B-movie vibes of the ’80s series. Evil Dead (2013) really goes for the jugular of what real horror is. There is little to no humor throughout. Instead, you get a barrage of creepy, gory and violent moments that are impeccably shot.
I’ve rewatched this movie many times and I have now come to the conclusion that, for me, this is as close to a perfect horror movie as I’ve seen to date. The storyline is spot-on. There is never once I have doubted the events taking place or reasons these characters make the decisions they do. The horror starts early in this movie, and when it hits, it keeps coming. There are little scenes where viewers can catch their breaths, put key pieces together and actually care about the characters. Then the solitude shatters once again with an even greater horror.
The one thing I’m really glad they kept from the original is the creative gore. There is carnage in this film and well-done body horror. There is a lot of blood, but it doesn’t really go into the goofy, campy splash of crimson the former films were known for. But for fans of the original movie, there are many nuggets from the 1981 version it pays homage to. The classic car makes it appearance amongst the weeds. The necklace Ash gave to Linda. The evil book of the dead, of course. After the credit rolls, an iconic stamp of approval from the man himself, Bruce Campbell. But the 2013 version really takes its own course, and adds many rather cool forks to the foundation of The Evil Dead.
In all my years adoring horror cinema, only five films so far have I ever rated 5 stars. Evil Dead (2013) is now the 6th. It’s one of those rare reboots that eclipses what was already a classic.
Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)
