- Promotional still for “The Evil Dead”
Ah, “The Evil Dead.” I’ve seen this movie countless times since I first discovered it as a preteen with a taste for the scary. This movie consistently scares the shit out of me. It’s paved the way for so many genre-bending films since it was made in ’81, including personal favorites “Drag Me to Hell” and “The Cabin in the Woods.” For those that haven’t seen this horror classic, I won’t spoil anything. Just promise you’ll watch it.
It starts with a group of five teenagers roadtripping their way to a cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? That’s because so many films have tried to recreate “The Evil Dead,” with the same premise. The difference is that “The Evil Dead” is actually good. Anyway, these five kids stumble upon a book in the way-t00-eerie-for-anyone-to-actually-go-down-there basement of the cabin. Obviously, they open the book. Duh. Obviously they read the book. Duh. Obviously the utterance of a certain sentence in the book conjures up something un-human. Duh. Supernatural things start happening, to say the least. The kids begin to be tortured by a spirit and trees, to name a few. If you go into this film without suspending your disbelief, you’re going to have a bad time. Just relax and take it for what it is, because it’s a scarily fun ride to take. It’s terrifying, it’s funny, and it’s the kind of movie you can always watch with your friends. It goes so much farther than you think it will. Follow the film up with “The Evil Dead II” and “Army of Darkness,” the film’s mostly-hit-sometimes-miss sequels that get weirder as they progress. Make a night of it.
Let’s talk about Sam Raimi, the film’s excellent director, for a second. Way back in ’81, Mr. Raimi was a fresh-faced director making a small horror movie. Nobody knew his name, no studio threw wads of cash at his film, but he had a hell of a debut film in him. Since, Raimi has gone on to direct the other two parts of “The Evil Dead” trilogy, the “Spiderman” films of the mid-2000s, and, one of my all-time favorite films, “Drag Me to Hell.” In March, his newest film “Oz the Great and Powerful” will make its way to theaters. And then, in April, his remake of “The Evil Dead” hits theaters.
Wait? What? His remake of “The Evil Dead?” Yep. You read that right. The original crew has come back to remake their cult classic for a modern audience. I’m beyond excited to see the film, and I’m totally giving my hopes us. As long as the same crew is behind this rehash, then I will eagerly await “The Evil Dead (2013).”
You can watch the “The Evil Dead” on Netflix, and you can view the Redband (read: NC-17) trailer for the remake here.
Grade: B+
Ryan at the Movies 