The Plot

A group of teenagers gather together in a desolate cabin in the woods to help their friend overcome her drug addiction. But, when a hidden basement containing a deadly book is found, a bloodbath soon begins.

The Good

Usually, when Hollywood dares to touch the legacy of cult classics in the form of the dreaded remake; it doesn’t go all too well. However when the writer/director, lead actor and producer of the original are all producing said remake as in this case, it’s a blessing.

Evil Dead is everything fans of the first will hope for, and serves well as an introduction to newcomers. The blood, guts and gore are all turned up to eleven in true Sam Raimi style along with lovely nods to the film that started it all, which will have old fans giggling in glee and new ones witnessing in wonder. And it seems that the franchise is on its way to resurrection, with a sequel already planned and a continuation of the original series in the works. With this will surely come the rise of a new fan base along with the resurrection of the old one.

With a ninety minute runtime, the film gets into the swing of things quite quickly, with dismembered body parts being thrown around the screen like there’s no tomorrow. It also seems that there’s no limit to the amount of blood that can be used in one film. This is definitely not one for the squeamish…

The Bad

Anyone who’s seen the original won’t be very surprised with the remake. Although there are some changes, most notably the added back story of a drug addicts intervention, it’s really nothing you won’t have seen before. The script doesn’t seem to want to dwell too much on character and story building and instead tries to get that part over as soon as possible in order to get to what sells.

The demon possessions and jump scares seem to go on and on, making a ninety minute film seem more like two hours. Just as you think the film is slowing down to the end credits, all of a sudden it will speed right back up again.

And of course, as seems to happen with most films these days, scenes which might have sold the film to you in the trailer don’t actually make the final cut.

The Ugly Truth

Evil Dead is definitely one for the fans. A great throwback to a horror which defined a generation and will forever live in film censor’s memories. Whilst there are no real risks taken in the remake, it will at least leave you wanting to go back and watch the originals again. As well as hopefully make newcomers want to give the originals a try for the first time.

Check out our video Interviews below with Director Fede Alvarez and beautiful star Jane Levy: