After Sadako 3D, I needed a reprieve
from shitty horror movies, so I took a little trip to the theater.
Now this is more like it.
I suppose I should preface this by
saying I'm of a rare breed; I'm a person who's really into movies,
but isn't necessarily against remakes. Shock and horror, right? Burn
the witch, etc. Everyone knows that remakes are the worst thing to
ever happen to the world and totally ruin the integrity of the
original because that's obviously how things work.
That mindset is terribly close-minded
and petty, though. To go off on a bit of a tangent, I was raised on
the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. That was the first horror series
that I truly loved. I checked out the remake a while after it came
out, and you know what? It was actually really good. It had problems,
sure, but no more than the other movies in the series. I thought it
was a refreshing take on the series despite not being too terribly
different, the visual style was cool, and it remained true to the
spirit of the series. I'm going to go out an another limb here
and say it's a shame they didn't make any sequels, because I really
liked what they were doing.
All horror aficionados can stone me
now.
To get back to the topic at hand, I
think remakes should be viewed with an open mind. Some can be good,
some can be bad, just like original movies. Remakes like Pulse, The
Wicker Man, and One Missed Call are bad. Remakes like The Hills Have
Eyes, Nightmare on Elm Street, and now, Evil Dead are really good.
Calling Evil Dead 2013 "really
good" is even kind of an injustice. This movie does exactly what
it's supposed to (and what some remakes fail to do,) and that's
recreating the experience of the original for a new generation. The
Evil Dead (1981) was the first exposure that a lot of people had to
really gory, really scary movies. Evil Dead 2013 is a hell of a lot
gorier and scarier than most horror movies that are released to
mainstream audiences these days. Far more important, though, is the
fact that it's a lot of fun.
The setup is simple: A group of
attractive 20-somethings go to a cabin in the woods, and it turns out
the cabin might contain a few soul-feasting demons. These demons are
released by an evil book, and all hell breaks loose. While this setup
may possibly be seen as formulaic, this movie does it with such style
and flair that it doesn't even matter. There aren't many movies that
are as fun as this one. It takes itself seriously enough so that it
doesn't fall into self-parody, but it's self-aware enough to go balls
out with the gore and violence and do nothing more than put on a
fantastically gory show for the audience.
Even though the movie's conventional, I
wouldn't say it's predictable. With many slashers, anyone experienced
with the genre can pick out the doomed characters and the survivors
within minutes of the movie starting. With Evil Dead, though, it's
really difficult t o tell who's going to live and who's going to die.
In a slasher movie, a hint of unpredictability can make an
astronomical difference.
Speaking of dying and the like, let's
talk about violence and death for a minute. Such subjects are usually
met with forlorn stares and sorrow, but Evil Dead handles the subject
with the attitude of “Put on your party hats, we're going to have
fun with blood.” The gore in this movie is incredibly shocking,
slapstick, and entertaining. Most of the effects are practical, which
is incredibly refreshing in a CGI age. What's more, Evil Dead's gore
effects are among the best ever crafted. No, the blood isn't terribly
realistic or anything, but that isn't the intent; the effects are
colorful, vivid, gratuitous, and just plain fun to watch. Spraying
blood, unfathomable festering wounds, it's all very over the top, and
it looks great. This movie literally rains blood, and it's spectacular.
Gore isn't the only thing this movie
has to show for. Everyone knows that gore doesn't make a horror movie
good. While the gore is the main attraction in Evil Dead, the movie
manages to create very legitimate tension, terror, and suspense. The
characters aren't the most fleshed-out, but you feel legitimately
scared for them. The atmosphere is foreboding and dripping with
dread. The photography style, the fantastic soundtrack, and the
implementation of genuine tension makes this movie very suspenseful.
For a slasher movie, the performances
here are pretty damn remarkable. One shouldn't expect much going in
to this kind of movie, but there are some genuinely good performances
to be found inside. First mention, of course, must go to the fabulous
Jane Levy, whose performance of Mia is about as good as a performance
of a slasher victim/protagonist/antagonist (it's complicated) can
get. Her role demands that she makes the audience feel sadness, pity,
disgust, and absolute terror, and Ms. Levy seamlessly weaves all of
these things into one fantastic performance.
Also great is Lou Taylor Pucci as Eric
(AKA Hipster Jesus) who was easily my favorite character in the film.
Eric is the one who is the catalyst for the emergence of the evil. He
opens the book and, quite literally, hell breaks loose. In the scenes
building up to this, Pucci creates a bitter, serious character who
clearly holds on to a lot of resentment. He builds on this and shows
really remarkable development throughout. This could be credited to
the script, but Pucci's performance is what makes it so striking. The
character comes to terms with his resentment. The regrets of
unleashing the evil clearly breaks him apart inside. All of this is
beautifully conveyed through Pucci's fantastic performance. The rest
of the cast ranges from passable to good, but no one really sticks
out as a poor actor, and in a slasher movie, that's more than a
viewer can ask for.
If anything I've said in this review
has piqued your curiosity, check out Evil Dead. For anyone who's into
horror, it's an absolute must-watch. Balls-to-the-walls fun and
excitement, spectacular effects, legitimate scares, and surprisingly
good performances. Evil Dead is the best horror movie to come out so
far in 2013, and it's going to be a hard one to top. I've never had
more fun in a movie theater. I normally am wary of sequels, but I
await the impending follow-up to this fantastic movie with bated
breath.
8/10
