Evil Dead (2013)
Certified: 18
Duration: 92 minutes
Director: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore, Phoenix Connolly, Jim McLarty, Sian Davis, Stephen Butterworth, Karl Willetts, Randal Wilson, Rupert Degas
KRS release

Jane Levy plays Mia, a drug addict who is in real trouble. Her addiction developed at the time she had been taking care of her mother who was psychologically ill and is now dead. Thus she accepts help from her estranged brother David (Shiloh Fernandez) who offers to carry out an intervention on her so that she gets cured.

The direction delivers quality cinematography and original angles that emphasise the creepiness dominating the proceedings

Also present for the happening are: Olivia (Jessica Lucas), a nurse; Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore), David’s girlfriend; and Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci), an English professor. The location chosen is a remote and secluded cabin in the woods.

As one can expect, things at the cabin get weird. They find a cellar that has been burned, dead cats hanging and a book of mysterious origins lies at the centre of the room. Everything is burnt except for the book, which is tied and covered.

Eric is very curious and opens it, unleashing a spirit that takes over Mia. Her behaviour becomes even more erratic and when they realise that it is not her addiction that is causing her to act in that way, they know they are in even worse trouble.

The Evil Dead franchise, created by Sam Raimi, receives an excellent reboot and fourth sequel.

The film marks the first instalment not directed by Raimi but fans should not worry. Fede Alvarez beats the odds and bucks the trend of most films that recycle classic-horror stories and usually end up imploding on the weight of the original’s notoriety. On the contrary, this film seems fresh and appeals to a new audience while luring back fans of the franchise who will surely enjoy this violent and kick-below-the-belt kind of film.

The Evil Dead was one of the first horror movies I remember watching back in the days when VHS was king. I especially liked the third instalment, 1992’s Army of Darkness.

This modern reboot has the same elements – cabin + youths +forbidden book – but the way the story and pacing is handled makes for a kicker of a movie that really lives up to expectations. The film has a genuine slant to it that shows it has been made by someone who likes the genre and is not designed to be another cash cow.

Then there is the film’s pacing: when things start going wild, the zaniness, the plot twists, the over-the-top and in-your-face attitude make this movie quite a rollercoaster experience. The direction delivers it all with quality cinematography and original angles that emphasise the creepiness dominating the proceedings.

For the jaded horror fans, this promises to be a good ride, while for the mainstream cinemagoer, Evil Dead will turn out to be the promised nightmare a horror film should and needs to deliver. The film also has the requisite gore effects which result in a mix between dark humour and horror, accentuated further by the funereal score by Roque Banos.

The twist of the drug addiction is well played out and Levy is an absolute hands-on winner as the veritable doorway into hell. I was surprised that even though the character of Ash, so lovingly played by Bruce Campbell in the first three movies, is now absent, Evil Dead emerges to be a winner. However, one should pay attention to the post-credit sequence.

The film is not afraid to dirty its hands, including through various uses of such items as nail guns and electric knives; limbs are torn, faces are ripped and scalding water is dropped. All fans of gore and horror would do well to recheck into Deadite territory.