The Evil Dead (a remake of the 1981 original) gives you the widely-known cliché, introduced in the original, of college and/or high school students just hanging out in a creepy old and remote cabin, doing everything they shouldn’t. This somehow escalates into the fight to stay alive.
If you want to cringe for an hour and a half, then this movie is perfect for you.
Director Fede Alvarez, alongside producers Sam Raimi (the original’s director) and Bruce Campbell (the wonderful original trilogy star), give you the creepiest possession film drenched in blood, having you wish for that happy ending to go home.
The story follows five friends who meet up at this odd remote cabin to see each other after many years; in reality, they are trying to help their friend Mia (Jane Levy) overcome her drug addiction. Alongside is Olivia (Jessica Lucas), a registered nurse, Mia’s long-absent brother David (Shiloh Fernandez), Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore); David’s girlfriend and finally, smart boy Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci).
So as with any good horror movie, there has to be something creepy, horrible and utterly awful about the grounds they’re spending the night on.
As it turns out, yes, everything is creepy. The disgusting cellar in the cabin was previously used to exorcise a horrible and powerful demon out of a young girl.
Eric is the one who ends up unleashing hell upon his friends. He finds a book, which clearly looks like it should never ever be opened; it’s covered in barbed wire, wrapped in a trash bag and I’m pretty sure that it’s covered in stitches of human skin—does this scream anything remotely good?
From this point on, it’s a lovely cringe fest; blood, blood and so much blood. More blood than the remakes of Halloween, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street combined.
It’s legitimately an ocean of blood—with a creepy Grudge-looking girl with poor hygiene.
The quality of the picture is amazing. I felt like I was right there, freaking out, trying to help and also trying to live to see the sun rise. It’s so crisp and clear, really focusing on the development of these characters.
And the acting—so good it was scary. Jane Levy as Mia gave me goose bumps; her acting was phenomenal. Her eyes, even those creepy ones, pulled you into the story as if you were Mia. Moreover, Fernandez is irresistible as Mia’s brother. The whole cast did a good job of really presenting and bringing fear.
Go see this movie if you’re ready to see bloody painful scenes—and are over 17, of course.
