I love the original EVIL DEAD movies and a good horror film, but I was very disappointed with the remake/ reimagining/ rebirth of EVIL DEAD (which Bruce Campbell and director Fede Alvarez have stated this is a movie taking place in the same universe as the Sam Raimi films and the big plan is combine the two series in a seventh film after each series has one more sequel).  I love the atmospheric cinematography of the new film along with the gore effects and a powerful music score.  However, the thing I found lacking was the new EVIL DEAD had no scares and I didn’t care for a single character in this new film.   I find it to be tedious since it didn’t matter to me if any of these new characters in this new film (without Ash) if they all died.  I cared for Ash in the first three EVIL DEAD films and how Ash wasn’t the smartest hero at times even though he had some smarts in how to fight.  The last two films brought humor to the series and ARMY OF DARKNESS brought a bigger action scale to it.  

Back to the new EVIL DEAD, it is about David and his three friends (Eric, Olivia, and Natalie) as they have grouped together to help Mia (David’s sister) kick her addiction to heroin cold turkey.   They decide to do it at the rundown cabin in the middle of the woods (and it belonged to Mia and David’s mother). Their mother was insane and her death has caused a friction between David and Mia.  They find dead cats hanging and rotting in the basement, and Eric discovers the Necronomicon (the infamous evil book of the dead).  Despite all the warnings written in the book, Eric utters some words which released an evil demon which finds and possesses Mia.   David thinks Mia is crazy when she says something is with them in the woods and he decides to listen to his friends.  Soon after, the evil takes over Mia and the evil thing decides to torture and try to kill the other four.   They lock Mia in the basement, but it doesn’t stop the evil demon from getting at them as they are trapped in the woods until the rain has stopped outside.   The evil in Mia says they will all be dead and devouring five souls will open up the way for the dead to come back on Earth and have it rain with blood.   It is up to the group to stop the demon in Mia either by burning her, dismembering her, or burying her alive as they fight to stay alive so that the dead don’t return.

The plot does sound like it could have been a good scary movie, but the new EVIL DEAD feels like a tired movie done with a bigger budget than either of the first two EVIL DEAD films.  The plot feels too much like a by-the-numbers remake of the first EVIL DEAD with no scares or likeable characters in the entire film (but there is a secret cameo after the end of the credits if you can survive this horrible film).  I might like it a little better on second viewing when it comes to blu-ray and DVD, but I hope the sequel to ARMY OF DARKNESS starring Bruce Campbell will be a more enjoyable film and that Sam Raimi can rediscover some of the magic he had as a director early in his career because I want to see the EVIL DEAD series to continue despite director Fede Alvarez’s poor attempt to make a scary film that would be on the same evil as the first three films in the EVIL DEAD series.

SECOND TAKE-

I do like the movie a little bit better on the second viewing, but the most I get out of it is how good the production design, cinematography, and visual effects are.  Still the EVIL DEAD reboot lacks true scares.  I do like Bruce Campbell’s theory that the Book of the Dead shows up at certain times in certain places and the movie takes place in some type of parallel universe.  My theory is that this film takes place in the same universe as the first three Evil Dead universe given all of the homages like Ash’s car and the repaired front door.  I wouldn’t be surprised that this group of people showed up at the same cabin that Ash visited in the first two EVIL DEAD.   I liked the character of Mia a little bit more, but I still found myself not really caring what happened to these characters as the evil started to possess some of them ore kill them off.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Audio commentary with director Fede Alvarez, writer Rodo Sayagues, actors Jane Levy, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, and Elizabeth Blackmore.  The track mentions how a few scenes were reshot and pushed further with only a little mention of an extended cut.

Fetaurettes:

DIRECTING THE DEAD- a look at Fede Alvarez directing the reboot of the EVIL DEAD

EVIL DEAD THE REBOOT- Bruce Campell, Sam Raimi, and Rob Tapert talk about the original Evil Dead and the reboot.  Bruce was first resistant to it, but he came around when he found there wasn’t going to be an Ash character while Sam became convinced Fede Alvarez was the right guy to direct it about seeing the sci-fi short that Fede made.

MAKING LIFE DIFFICULT- the intense difficulties that actress Jane Levy went through in making the movie, but the director quotes an easily made movie is hard to watch. 

UNLEASHING THE EVIL FORCE- a look at the production design of the Book of the Dead

BEING MIA- a behind-the-scenes look in the day of actress Jane Levy on the set of the Evil Dead reboot.

Also included on the disc are previews for other SPHE releases including DEAD MAN DOWN, MAGIC MAGIC, and OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN.

FINAL ANALYSIS: The EVIL DEAD reboot has a great look to it, but I still feel it lacks the magic of the first three.  The featurettes and the audio commentary give great insight into the movie though.

This movie review is (c)4-7-2013  and blu-ray review is (c)7-19-2013 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com

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