It’s easy to forget now, more than thirty years on from its original release, that the original The Evil Dead was one of the films at the centre of the infamous “Video Nasty” moral panic of the early eighties. Initially banned in the UK and only succeeding in getting an uncut release after the turn of the millennium, it arguably benefitted from the “negative” publicity, garnering a cult, must-see status from reputation alone.
Of course it would go on to become an iconic text in the history of horror cinema and its sequels (far more tongue in cheek efforts that made star Bruce Campbell a cult icon) would go on to inform popular geek culture forever more. It seems all the more appropriate then that as we enter our Eighties week in our Decades promotion that The Evil Dead gets a new lease of life in the form of the Raimi/Tapert/Campbell approved (and produced) re-imagining.
Re-imagining. Reboot. Remake. Words that send shivers down the spine of all but the least discerning horror fans and under normal circumstances I would be exactly the same. Given the love I have for Raimi’s original Evil Dead trilogy I was extremely apprehensive about the whole concept of a remake. I mean why? How could you improve or even hope to live up to the original gore soaked thrill ride of a film? Then Bruce Campbell started to talk about it on Twitter. Despite being the least willing of the trio of original film makers to be involved in a remake he seemed pleased with the results. Then I saw the blood spattered red band trailer. I started to get interested. It started to look promising.
Given the more comedic vibe of the original film’s sequels it’s easy to overlook the fact that the first instalment of the series was played pretty straight. There may be the odd moment of comedy within the horror but its clear intention is to terrorise with its ancient evils and graphic special effects. This ethos has been carried over to the new version which is definitely intended to scare rather than amuse.
This will be a familiar image to fans of the original movie. Some things are just too iconic to mess with…
The general concept remains intact – a group of young friends retreat to a remote cabin in the woods, stumble upon the ancient book of the dead (the Necronomicon) and inadvertently summon ancient demons who fully intend to prey upon their mortal souls. Cue plenty of ghoulish make up effects and rivers of gore as the evil spirits take hold. For fans of the original there are few surprises (although there are one or two nice moments where certain conventions are mildly usurped) and plenty of moments informed by the original but it is far from a straight remake. Director and co-writer Fede Alavarez (who came to Raimi’s attention with his home brew short Panic Attack! – see below) has been allowed to put his own stamp on things and has, I think bravely, resisted the temptation to simply mimic the original movies whilst including enough references to keep the fans happy.
Where the film really succeeds is in the exceptional gore effects, all of which would appear to be good old fashioned physical effects and boy are they good. I’m a hardened, desensitised veteran of horror and there were plenty of moments here that had me wincing (without saying too much, one particular moment involving a broken syringe was particularly stomach worrying) and it’s always wonderful to witness a film that doesn’t rely on excessive computer generated effects. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – there is no substitute for a well executed physical or in camera effect and Evil Dead is all the evidence you need to prove it.
Awesome physical effects + reference to original trilogy = rivers of gore!
Alvarez’s film is a rare thing – a contemporary horror remake of an iconic classic that not only succeeds as a film in its own right, but pays fitting homage to the original source material without merely mimicking it. In a world overpopulated with sub-standard rehashes and endless sequels, it’s rather refreshing to find one that’s actually any use.
Evil Dead is released on DVD and Blu Ray on Monday the 9th of August.
Highland Fidelity 